CUSTOMS DUTIES.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 130, 4 August 1870, Page 6

CUSTOMS DUTIES.

Prom a return of customs duties collected throughout the Colony of New Zealand, we summarise a few of the leading articles which make up the grand total of the customs revenue for the year 1 869. That total, amounts to £823,506 13s. 3d.

Under the heading of " Spirits," we find the following large items of rev-enue-.—Brandy, £142,989 11s.; cordials and bitters, £1,579 17s. lOd. ; geneva, £51,815 os. lid. ; gin sweetened, £14,404 2s. 4d. ; liquors, £119 15s. Id. ; perfumery, £635 9s. 6d. ; rum, £59,745 2s. lid.; whisky, £59,625 9s. ; spirits of wine, £1,908 Is. 5d. ; other kinds, £492 10s. 5d. ; New Zealand distilled, £150 Gd. ; spirits of tar, £14 6s. ; wine in wood, £28,942 10s. 5<L ; do. in bottle, £8,044 12s. Bd. ; ale, porter and beer, all sorts, £21,073 13s. Id. ; cigars, £12,069 6s. 9d..; tobacco, £88,448 ss. 6d. These sources of revenue, which may be said to comprise the luxuries indulged in by the colony, amount to very little short of £500,000, or five-eighths of the total revenue. Two-eighths are made up from the following articles : — Drapery, £39,627 10s. 6d. ; tea, £49,188 175. ; oil, mineral, £13,317 6s. 5d.; boots and shoes, £12,126 Is. 9d. ; candles, £6,511 4s. lid; bagging, bags, and woolpacks, £6,436 2s. ; cotton manufactures, £5,131 14s. lid.; apparel not otherwise described, £5,472 ; coffee, £4,434 18s. Id ; hardware, £4,976 7s. 6d. ; hats, £3,330 17s. ; blankets and rugs, £3,684 2s. 6d. ; drugs and druggists' sundries, £2,478 16s. lid.; haberdashery, £2,731 18s. lid. ; jams, jellies, and marmalades, £2,174 19s. ; malt, £2,626 2s. 4d. ; rice, £2,642 17s. 4d. ; timber, £2,714 14s. Id. ; bonnets and hats, trimmed and untrimmed, £1,230 7s. 2d. ; carpets, woollen, £1,268" 19s. lOd. ; chicory, £1,474 7s. ; confectionery, £1,976 6s. Id. ; fish, dried, potted and otherwise, £1,550 14s. 9d ; earthenware, £1009 6s. 5d. ; furniture and cabinetware, £1,242 195.; hops, £1,877 Is. 7d. ; iron fencing, wire, &c, £1,615 19s. 3d.; galvanised sheets, spouting, &c, £1,707 9s. 7d. ; ironmongery, £1,575 3s. 7d. ; Jewelry, £1,046 lls. 9d. ; linen manuufactures, £1004 3s. lid. ; iron nails, £1,221 9s. lid. ; opium, £1,348 55. ; writing paper, wrapping, bags, and hangings, £1,609 ; pickles, £1,465 lls. 9d. The remaining eighth is made up of miscellaneous articles, the smallest being 9s. far gutta percha manufactures, not being wearing apparel. According to the above table, the large sum of £333,315 has been collected as the revenue from the duty on spirits, at 12s. a gallon. That sum represents 555,525 gallons, or a consumption of two and a half gallons a year for every head of the white population, reckoned at 220,000, according to the census of the colony for 1867. The quantity of tobacco consumed in twelve months in New Zealand is something enormous. £88,000 for tobacco, at 2s. 6d. per lb. duty, and £12,000 for cigars, at ss. per lb. duty, making in all 755,500 lbs, which, reckoning the male poptilation over fifteen, years of age, according to the census, at 90,000, gives upwards of 81bs. of tobacco for each.