NATIONAL AND PRIVATE WEALTH OF NEW ZEALAND.

Te Aroha News, Volume 64, Issue II, 23 August 1884, Page 7

NATIONAL AND PRIVATE WEALTH OF NEW ZEALAND.

Rome very interesting and valuable information relative to national and private wealth in New Zealand is disclosed in a return that has lx j en issued l>y the Property Tax Department. From this paper it appears that the .real estate in New Zealand, exclusive of native lands situated live miles beyond a road suitable for horse traffic, is valued at £101,000,000 ; and the personal property at £04,000,000. Included in tluj Former amount are Crown lands valued at £.3,500,000, and native Irtii'is within five miles of a road suitable for hoise traffic, £5,750,000 ; educational, church, municipal, and other reserves, £11,750,000. "With regard to the number of individuals owning land the leturn is not \ery explicit ; the holders of freeholds outside of boroughs are set down at 30,(184, divided thus :—

J\ie fiveliohloi'S wit'iin oii.es are in» S nied st j |;crat«ly, but in a footnote at t * bottom of the table jj u ■=?t? t quotcnl the Commissioner says :: — u The total number of freeholders in the colony is 71,24:0." That isr the number quvted

- wit!: ( 'miMKMt iloty r.i .1 iieu! 113' M.tjor ;• AT liison in lis spy -h at Auckland. ; W.; are b\ no im-sits clear, howover, 1 tn.it tiierc arc not meiiukivl hi this sum , total freeholders who hold properties in > Imt'i (own in ! eountrv, mid who would t»iu-=; be returned twice over. If «o (he : proportion of freehold to the gcnor.d population, upon which t.'ie pr<"Mier 1 built up some very gratifying eoticlu-.-i .11^, would liuve to be very considerably reduced. sVo {rather from the return that *25,4()0 per«ntis p-iy property tax ; that r' irfy millions in real estate and thirteen millions in personal estate is non-t.ixable und">- the .£5OO exemption, md the actual yitdd from the lax iasl. year, at the rate of |->1 in the £„ was £L'7o,24tf, of wnich ,4:51,312, was paid ny companies ; £11,355 by banks, an I £ 1,5!58 by insurance companies. Tuoi'e were thirty taxpayers who « paid on over £'400,000 ; forty- four who paid on between £H)o,t>oo and £200,000 ; a liun lr- l d and twelve pai-i •»n t-etweon £f)() li.MO l i .M0 and £100,000 ; .557 were returned at over £20,000 and under £50,000 ; 070 at from £10,000 to £20,000 ; and 1,3?>7 at £5000 to £10,000- The number of taxpayers whose taxable property was valued at i^tween £1.,000 an 1 £5,000 is 7,750. The amounts paid by the taxpayers are classified a^ follows :—: — BG',)tf p. iy under £1 5s '4036 „" £15 0 and under £2 10 0 5774 „ 210 0 „ G 5 0 2846 „ 6 5 0 „ 12 10 0 2678 „ 12 10 0 „ 62 10 0 543 „ 62 10 0 and over. The ict.ums have supplied the material for computing the mortgages mi New Zealand. These, we find, amount to £30,0 1ij, 401, oi which about, ■talf is New Zealand and half foreign capital. The indebteduesss of the people of New Zealand, exclusive of mortirag-es, is returned at £14,540,000 The gross indebtedness of the loe^^l bodie* is £ t,1 03,993, The taxabl' value of property increased between the aiwssuients of 1870 an i the assessment .if 1882, from £72,500,000 tn £85,000,1)00 — a growth of £12,500,000.. The in. rease of the taxable value of persona! property in that period wn- £2,0'J0,000, the balance being con tribu. cd by r s al property. These figures afford very gratifying evidence of the growing wealth of Ni w Zealand, and should act as pn antidote to fie p.'-simUt view of colonial piosperity, which .\e so constantly hear. Notwitl'^t.mding thp f.ii! in revenue and the t-'iiiporiry depression in some parts of ti.o colony, it i» evident from these returns that the accumulated wealth of t.ie country is rapidly on the increase. — Auc.land Star.

Area. Persons Co! Tls. — 5 acres ami under 100 100 ... KM) 1.000 ... 10,000 .0,000 .. 50,000 iC.OOO aud on r 14,740! li.218! 1.4.C01 215 2G il'j 14 7CC U.2OY 1,441 H2l lh 15 1/ t 213 Total* JU,oßl| !sc 0,70 I