A COMPARISON.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2471, 2 March 1893, Page 3

A COMPARISON.

The New Zealand Trade Review of a recent date gave the following comparison between the revenues, imports, and exports of the North and South Islands respectively:—

CUSTOMS REVENUE (omitting parcels post). North Island South Island 1887 ... £570,940 ... £700,645 1888 ... 618,805 ... 782,496 188!) ... 671,191 ... 796,125 1890 ... 711,755 ... 827,265 1891 ... 761,372 ... 795,775 1892 ... 829,528 ... 819,607 IMPORTS (omitting specie and parcels post). Nortn Island South Island 1887 ... £2,730,625 ... £3,333,656 1888 ... 2,399,396 ... 3,030,651 1889 ... 2,651,660 ... 3,317.157 1890 ... 2,699,850 ... 3,215,211 1891 ... 3,199,475 ... 3,210,779 1892 ... 3,411,547 ... 3,305,096 EXPORTS

(omitting gold specie and parcels post.) North Island South Island

1887 ... £2,513,450 ... £3,419,444 1888 ... 2,681,491 ... 3,807,406 1889 ... 3,620,830 ... 4,775,035 1890 ... 3,865,326 ... 4,947,407 1891 ... 4,075,737 ... 4,473,858 1892 ... 4,207,776 ... 4,326,266 Upon these figures the Review remarks pertinently :—" We have been so long accustomed to regard the important cities of the South Island as incontestibly the leading centres of colonial commerce, that it is somewhat of a surprise to find that the North Island has actually overtaken the South in imports and Customs revenue, and is almost equal to it in exports of general produce. We should not be surprised to find at the end of the current year that the North Island takes the lead in exports also, and yet millions of acres of land in the North Island are still lying unproductive in the hands of the Maoris. Inclusive of gold the South Island still shows a large excess of exports, the values shipments of bullion for 1892 being £768,229 from the South Island, against £185,782 from the North. In 1887 the values were nominally nearly equal, as the system of crediting exports to the port whence they left the colony was not abandoned as regards gold till 1889. For this, as well as other obvious reasons, we have excluded gold, as well as specie from our account. A great want of correspondence will be noticed between the relative proportions of Customs revenue and imports. This is attributable chiefly to the increase in the tariff effected in 1888, and to the short-lived primage duty, which swelled the Customs imports in 1888,1889, and 1890. The effect of this may be seen by contrasting the approximately even totals of imports into the South Island, with the fluctuating amounts of Customs duties paid thereon."