The Daily News. THURSDAY, MAY 23. CURRENT COMMENTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 23 May 1907, Page 2

The Daily News. THURSDAY, MAY 23. CURRENT COMMENTS.

Thu fast nuiil service of twenty days advocated by Sir Joseph Ward does not find favor in some quarters. A representative of the Press who interviewed several of the leading merchants of L'hristcluirch found that th t . general con-A'iKUs of opinion was to the effect | that (here was no need for the expendii line of such a sum. ''lt would he," said .one gciiilcMiaii,"paying far too dearly for ! our whistle. There is not now sucii urgent necessity for a fast, mail service as jiii years g„ue by. The greater part of i.ie mercantile ordering which liad to he I i.one by correspondence formerly is now done hy cable. The coding of cablegrams has now been brought to such a pitch that one can put half a page of l'-' 111 ' 1 ' vr J? "> n word or two. What |n wanted is a reliable mail service of, say. 28 days.'' Another gentleman pointed onl that a service such as that epoken of by Kir Wilfrid burner and Sir iosepli Ward would be essentially a mail .service only. The passengers tra■ciiuig by siieli a line would, from the cost of the passage from such a speed v route, be merely wealthy men. TheV would n.it be men who are coming to the colony wiih a view to settling. This letter class would prefer to come by a boat that would bring them here stain 40 days, at reasonable cost. ' "No that," lie added, "we should simply be paying CIItU.UOO per annum to have our correspondence delivered in 20 or 21 days from which we should derive no proportional advantage. The cable services are now so generally used that 1 may say they have almost entirely superseded correspondence. We should get no cargo by the proposed line, hence there would be no advantage to our trade. The benefit of the cargo-carrying, if any were taken, would be reaped bv the terminal port in Sydney."

An analysis of the ligures relating to the exports of the Colony for last year discloses some interesting facts.' In the first place it may be noted that out of the whole export of the value of £lO.."»:!1.585. only £5741 was from other than the produce of the land and the mines, all of the products of which are '■improtoctablc," and cannot be affected otherwise than injuriously by any policy which increases the cost of production. The wool export of course stands at the head of the list, with .£7.529,188. meat coming next with £.'5,377.520. (fold is third with .1:2.22(1,517, dairy produce fourth with i:i.!)71,7.5!1. and hemp sixth with fS.)(].(ir,:i. Sheepskins, .tallow, timber, kauri gum, hides, silver and coal follow in the order given, none of the other products being over live figures. Besides feeding and supplying „„,. m j]. lion people then, the land has'sent nearly twenty million pounds worth of its produce to the outside markets, and this is over three millions more than was sent the previous year, of which wool and meat account for nearly two millions, hemp for .-C 1(10.000, dairy produce for about .€200,000, and sheepskins for £250.000. Wheat and potatoes show a considerable decrease. The figures indicate the principal directions in which the energies of the land users are employed. The returns relating to shipments from the various ports disclose the fact that of the total increase over two millions was from the North Island and about one million from the South Island, showing where the greater progress and development are taking place. The increase in woo! gave the Colon v alinnt £BBO.OOO more money than previous year, frozen meat about £733 000 tallow £145.000, butter £70.000. cheese _C 185,000. and hemp £150,000. Of the increase of three millions about twothirds is attributable to increased output, and the balance to improvement in prices.

Some interesting figures for the last last tlirco years are analysed In the cmrent number of the New Zealand Trade Review. It i b shown that the increase iu Customs revenue of £242,029 shown in the year's income arises in the North Island to the extent, in round number,-; of £127.000; £107,000 in the Southls ; land, and £3500 in parcels post. The heaviest increase. £77.000 is seen at Lytte'ton, mainly, no doubt, the outcome of the International Exhibition. In spirits there is for the year the heavy increase of £37,282, a litile over seven per cent. In the two years from ! 190S-4 to 1005 0 the increase Vis C(|iiiil to a shade over 2'/, per cent, while th ■ increase in population was at the rate of about 3 per cent per annum, or 0 per cent for (he two years. Wine and beer also show a very unusual rate of increase. In tobacco (here is an increase of about 4 per cent, cigars and snuff about 8 per cent, cigarettes over 14 per cent. In sugar it is more than 0 p-r cent, in duties by weight it U a liitlc over three per cent, while iu the important line of a,l valorem duties the increase i s ii ',!• per cent. Trie heavy rate Of increise exhibited ill many lines must be attributed partly to the general prosperity of the community, and partly ' to the special influence of the International Exhibition. Following are the Customs returns for the following periods: Spirits, 1905-0, £520,190; 1900 7. £557,478. Wine. 1905-0, £31,019; 1900-7, £38.400. Beer, 1905-0, £22.105; 1900-7, £20,550. Tobacco, 1005-0. £351,303; 1900-7. £305.152. Cigarettes. 1905-0. £103,215; 1900 7. £117.919. Sugar, 1905-0, £202.778; 1900-7, £215.507. f.'ootls bv weight. 1905-0. £200,135; 1900-7. £213.730. Goods ad valorem. 1905-0, £1,107,407; 1900-7, £1.234873. Other duties. 1905 0, £77.412; 1900-7, £80,994. Parcels post, 1905-0, £40.382; 1900-7. £48.878. The excise duty collected on colonial beer in 1903-4 was £90.720: in 1904-5 it was £95,220: in

1005-fi £08,135; ami last year the fig uros rose to £107,573.