A COMPARISON.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 214, 23 September 1873, Page 2

A COMPARISON.

(Ltttelton Times.) Oxb of tho mesb valuable tables appended to tho Financial Statenpnt is that showing the value of imports and exports of Victoria, New South Wales, and Nevr Zealand for the six years ending December, 1871, with the rate per head of population.

COLOKT. OF VICTORIA. Population, 696,027. Imports : value, £9,011,917 ; rate, £13 16s 2d. Exports : value, £10,149,743 ; rate, £14 11s Bd. Colo>t of N. S. Wales. Population, 475,532. Imports : value, £6,114,096 ; rate, £12 17s 3d. Exports : value, £6,332,836 ; rate, £13 6s 4d. Colony of Nkw Zealand. Population, 234,434. Imports : value, £4,805,291 ; rate, £20fls'lld. Exports: value, £-4,491,699; rate, £19 3s 2d. Including natives : Population, £271,597. Imports : value, £4,805,291; rate, £16 13s lOcl. Exports ; valuo, £4,491,699 i rate, £16* 10s 9d. In the above table, as explained in a footnote, the British and foreign goods exported from each colony have deducted from botli imports and exports, leaving as imports the goods retained in the colony, and for exports the produce or manufactures of such colony. With figures such as these before him, nnd more of the same class could bo produced, who could" possibly despair of the future of these fertile islands 5 Our imports and exports, por bend of population, oven indudirg Maoris, and bearing in mind all that wo have suffered nt their liandi, exceed those of Victoria and New South Wales over au average of six y- ars, by a considerable por contape ; and yet there are those amongst us who say the colony is going' headlong to ruin ! Facts and ilgures are the best answer to these prophets of evil, and thoy are completely answered.

The Fen ov the Farce. — It is related that the manager of a theatre consented to hear in kissanetum a young man (who had an unfortunate hesitation in his speech) read a short farce, the cole condition being that it should not occupy more time than it took to finish the cigar the manager had just lit. Away they both started, the one rending, the other smoking, but as the mild Havannah reaches its termination, the worse the young author splutters j they finish together. Of course the question is immediately put, ' What do you think of it ? ' ' Well,' replies Mr Manager, ' not half a bad idea ; father, mother, lover, daughter, all stuttering will have a novel effect.' The author, furious, exclaims, ' They don't stammer ; it's only my misfortune.' ' Oh, then the play ain't funny at all ; sorry I can't accept it,' replied the manager. • E. Ohatbonneau, the bend of the Arabic French school, and a learned French archteologist, tells tho following anecdote, which was related to him by the famous Musselman lawyer, Si Chadli : — A chief of tho tribe of Ilaracta, between Aul-Bcida and Tihessa, ■went on some business to Constantino. A low days later he returned to his tribe, and calling his wife, desir<cd her to fetch four postt and some cord. j3be obeyed, when to her horror, the chief threw her down 6n the ground, lashed her to four stakes, and taking a stick, commoucecl beating her with all his might. 'Her cries -brought all tho inhabitants of tho tents to the doors, and thoy endeavoured, £hough in vain, to stop her husband's arm. "But what has Bhe done?" " Nothing ;" retorted the monster, " I am only relieving my mind " At last, being exhausted by his own fury, ho condescended to stop, and explained that, at Constantino, ho had seen an Arab woman 1 , backed by the French authorities, drag her husband ■before the Court to eouiplaiu of liis ill-usage, and the k.adi had actually given judgment in her favor ! So monstrous an infraction of Arab usages had infuriated the chief to such .a degree that lie had forgotten the object of his purnoy, and only Jiurnod homo to wreak his vengennce for fcho insult' offered to fhomide sex ait tlj'e'body of Ins unhnppy wije! Tlie talc of a marvellous escape from death comes from Becchworth. A girl named JliHio Cogan, agcil ten" years, who was 'assisting' at a' sluice-box, a* tho Wood's' Ravine mine, after being carried a dietartce of 900 feet, J was washed over a 'dump' 11 f cot. high, falling into- another bluiwbov 70v) loot long. I'ussing through the latter, she wa3 swept »vit another 'dump* '/.0 feot high, falling aiuong lough, jagjicd roiks. llcioslo mm aged to crawl out a few foi-t lioiu under Iho heavy borly of hilling water, and was bhorlly allcr rtbuued Ivj Mr Bart let I, foreman of tlip mine.