LOBBY GOSSIP AND NEWS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 32, 7 August 1902, Page 20

LOBBY GOSSIP AND NEWS.

The exports from New Zealand to South Africa for the year ended March 31, 1902, were value! at £730,415. Of this amount oats represented £61G,316 One-third in value of the exports was sent from Invercargill, Lyttelton coming next with £217,034, and Timaru third with £101,802. Borrowers from the Advances to Settlers Department paid for fire insurance last year nearly £25,000. The total losses on Buch properties during the same period were £16,000. Rotorua is evidently growing in popularity. The bath fees in 1897 were £717, and last year £1535. According to the Mines Statement, the production of gold and silver and also of coal and lignite in 1901 was considerably in excess of tha^ of the previous year, whilst the output of kauri gum and miscellaneous minerals showed a falling off. The gross value of the mineral productions, including kauri gum, for 1901, however, show an increase of over £250,000 as compared with those of the year 1900, and doubtless the increase would have been greater still but for the fact that the phenomenally high state of some of the rivers interfered with gold dredging operations during a considerable portion of the year. Thi' total production of gold and silver w.ts 1,02(i, G950z, valued at £1,819,041. and showy an increase in value of £340,560, as compared with the production of the preceding year. The output of other minerals, including coal ana lignite, had been

1,248,464 tons, representing a value of £1,136,842, or 121 680 tons in excess of the previous year. Kauri gum to the amount of 7541 Jj tons, valued at £456 114, was obtained. The number of coal mines in the Colony which were worked last year was 149, giving employment to 2754 persons. Many of the mines are very small, and are worked for purely local demands, whilst quite a number on private lands are worked for the requirements of the owners only. According to the Mines Statempnt, the shale works at Orepuki have now got into full working order, and oils of various grades, adapted for both burning and lubricating purpones. as well as other products obUiuable from tn% distillates ot shiilf, have been produced. Doubtless it will take a little time to find a market tor the entre production of the work*, but if. i« to be liopt-d thai die enterprise of the company will be rewarded in the near future. Mr Laurensou Rtated in the H.>une on Wednesday tnat of 19,000 children in the Colony only 4000 had been vaccmut-d. Fifteen thousand had not been vaccinated, and yet there had not been a single prosecution except in Lyttelton.