RELATIVE WEALTH OF VIC TORIA AND NEW SOUTH WALES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2149, 17 April 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

RELATIVE WEALTH OF VIC TORIA AND NEW SOUTH WALES.

Mr A. Forsytii, writing to the Sydney Morning Herald on the relative realised wealth of Victoria and New South Wales, observes :— To my statement that Victoria has acquired a greater amount of realised wealth than New South Wales, Mr Pulsford quotes statistics from Mulhall, in which the values for New South Wales are stated at £190,000,000 and that of Victoria at £178,000,000 for land, cattle, horses, railway?, and sundries. But when we take into account that Victoria has improved §7,884 square miles of country up to tho value of £55,000,000, while 309,000 square miles in New South Wales are set down at £66,000,000 and that at the lowest calculation one-fourth of this £60,000,000 is derived from waste land in its natural state, and cannot bo treated as realised wealth, my view of the ca9e is fully proved. And, further, it must be borne in mind that Victoria has realised funds to purchase pastoral properties in mo<-t of the other colonies, including New South Wales, to the value of many million pounds, and that the released wealth of New South Wales i-< owned by foreign countries to a much greater extent than that of Victoria, while, as already stated, she has made larjjje investments in New South Wales, which, if deducted from the latter and added to the former would, along with the ejetra improvements made on land, increase the realised wealth of Victoria by something like £18,000,000."

Minister (to deacon of the church)— " I want to refer to a matter, my dear deacon, that has been preying on my mind for some time. lam sure you will overlook any apparent meddling in your affairs, knowing that I only speak for your own good." Deacon (cordially) — "Certainly, my dear sir, speak your mind freely." Minister — " I understand you have been speculating' a good deal of late. Now, aside from the danger of such a business and the consequent misery it may entail upon your family, do you consider it just the proper thing for a deacon of the " Deacon — " Yen, I admit that I have speculated some. I cleared $5,000 only yesterday on a wheat transaction." Minister (astounded)—" No, is that so? What's wheat worth to-day ?"— Exchange. Age of Animals. — A bear rarely exceeds 20 years ; a dog lives 20 j ears, fox. 14 or 15 ; lions are long-lived — Pompey lived to the age of 70 ; the average of cata is 14 years ; squirrels and hares, 7 or 8 years ; rabbits 7. Elephants have been known to live to the great age of 400 years. When Alexander the Great had conquered Porus, King of India, he took a great elephant, which had fought very valiantly for the King, named him Ajax, dedicated him to the sun, and let him go, with this inscription, "Alexander, the son of Jupiter, has dedicated Ajax to the sun." This elephant was found 354 years after. Pigs have beenkuown to live to the age of 30 years ; the rhinoceros to 20 ; a horse has been known to live to the age of 62, but averages from 20 to 25 years , camels sometimes live to the age of 100 years; stags are longliyed; sheep seldom exceed the age of 10; oows live 15 years. Cuvier considers it probable that whales sometimes live to the age of 1000 years. Dolphins and porpoises attain the age of 30. An eagle died at Vienna at the age of 104. Ravens have reached the age of 100. Swans have beta, known to live 360 years. Pelicans are long-lived. A tortoise hat been known to live to the Age of JQ7 years.— Tit-Bfo,