THE FINANCES OF THE COLONY.

Waikato Times, Volume VII, Issue 387, 5 November 1874, Page 2

THE FINANCES OF THE COLONY.

, (PRKS3.) Uy vescenlav's .mail from Wellington wo received a New Zealand Gazette, issued on the 15th inst., cont.uni.i^ a Lalance-sheot and detailed statement of the receipts and expenditure of the public account for the quarter ended tho 26th September. Why it is made up to the 26th instead of to the 30th we a e not aware. It seems, however, the practice of tho Tieasury to end the quarter a few days short of the last day of the month. The June quarter n 'cessarily ends on the 30th, because that is the c ose of the linancial year ; but the other quarterly a 'counts genuially extend no further than the 26th or 27th. But leaving the object of this proceeding as a riddle for our readers, we congratulate the officers of the Treasury on the unusual promptness the}' have shown in preparing the accounts. It is not often that we have a full statement of the current financial affairs of the colony no later than a fortnight after the end of the quarter. In looking over the accounts, two questions naturally occur. First, how do tho receipts for the quarter bear out the Treasurer's estimate in his financial statement \ Secondly, what indications do they present as to the commercial prosperity of tJie colony \ Neither question can be answered in a manner perfectly satisfactory. As to the first it is true that on all but two items Mr Vogel's estimate is pretty nearly — in some cases, completely realised. Still, what difference there is is on the wrong side — and if continued through the year at the same rate, would end in a deficiency of £60,000. The receipts from customs (exclusive of bonded stores, fees, »fec) were estimated at £1,150,000, and during the first quarter of the financial year were £283JS.5 ; which is at the rate of £1,135,140 for the whole year. Stamps were estimated to bring in a revenue of £100,000, and for the first quarter have yielded £24,844 ; or at the rate of within a ■ few hundreds of the required amount. The Telegraph has produced £12,901, or at the rate of £51,004 for the year ; the estimate being £55,000. Judicial Fees and Fines, like Stamps, have produced very nearly indeed what was anticipated, the lovenue for tho quarter having been £6779, against an estimated £7000. The receipts on account of Registration of Land are a little below the mark, being at the rate of a little over £10,000 a year instead of the expected £12,000; but on the item Registration of T)eeds the estimate has been exceeded by about £1UO. A notable deficiency occurs under the head of Postal, which last year brought in £60,500 of revenue, but on which Mr Vogol, for some reason unexplained, thought proper to calculate on an advance to £74,000. The result, so far, shows that he was mistaken in his expectations of an increase and that he had better contented himself with the rate of last year's receipts. The postal revenue for the quarter has been £14,608, or at the rate of only £58,432 for the year. The other groat deficiency occurs under the head of Incidental, which had been put down in the estimate at £35,000, but for the first quarter has returned only £368. This is of little consequence, however, as incidental receipts must from their nature be uncertain. Still the item seems over-estimated. During the years 1872-3 and 1873-4 it returned £22,000 and £21,000 respectively, nnd we do not see why it should be expected to jump up suddenly to £35,000. The total revenue for the quarter under all heads is £355,434 ; and the addition of some i-ecoveries from provinces, &c, brings the absolute total to £359,068. The receipts of this first quarter multiplied by four would amount to £1,436,272. To tlm must be added about £4000 for bonded, stores payable in January, and whatever may be received under the head of Incidental. The estimate for the year is, as we have said, £4,696,600. We have now to compare the revenue returns for the September with those of the previous June quarter. The comparison supplies some reason for concluding that the colony is not maintaining itself at the extraordinary pitch it had reached. Both in the Customs receipts and in the gross totals of revenue there is a falling off in every province with the one exception, singular to say, of Wellington. The following table gives the Customs returns in each piovince for the quarter just ended, compared with those of the previous quarter ending June 30th :—

This comparison must be taken with some allowance. It must be remembered that tho June quarter ended on the 30th, and the September quarter on the 26th of the month, so that the former had the advantage by four days. Thon, too, tho Juno quarter was an exceptional one, and had the incomings continued at the sarao rate, tho estimate would have been largely exceeded. Xl i? too early in the year to form any decided opinion ; we .shall be bettor able to do so at the end of the next quarter. But, on the whole, there is ' not much to complain of. The Customs revenue is. •« ell up to the average of last year, though it does not quite realise jMr Vogel's hopes of an increase ; and the loss on the other items, which may be partially recovered, is of comparatively little consequence.

The compositor's of a piinting afrlce at Freiburg were much biirprised a few days ago to find a number of women at work in their frames. They at once struck. This, it seems, wag just what was wanted, the women working foj just half what the proprietors had been in the haMt of paying to the men. The coup had been planned some tim» ago, the girls having been sent to I ,yons to learn typesetting.

Auckland . . . Panumki ... Wellington... tJawke's Bay kelson Vlailborough Janterbury... Westland . . . Dtago {?ept. l^uarw 1874. £ ... 74,432 ... 2,503 ... 48,226 ... 12,977 . . 22,506 ... 2,997 ... 59.178 ... 1; i,733 ... 115,084 -er, June yuavt 1874. £ 79,422 3,126 43,365 10,871 23,319 3,859 69,930 21,004 132,712 tor, Total ... ... 3r),-),434 411,775

Tho following are the gross totals of revenue accruing ineuch, province during tho sapae quarters : —

Auckland . . . Purauaki . . . Wellington... rlawke's Bay kelson VLarlborough, Canterbury... kVestland ... Dtago bept. <^uart< 1874. £ ... 62,177 . . 1,493 ... 39,193 ... 9,846 ... 18,339 ... 1,810 ... 44,748 ... 12,733 ... 93,372 »r, dime vuarb 1874. £ 65,382 1,986 33,009 12,169 20;456 2,576 52,095 17,076 106,695 «r, Total ... ... 283,785 311,439