NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 234, 5 October 1886, Page 1

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Onr of the speakers at tbo industrial meeting last night complained of the difficulty of getting jams and fruit to market from the country districts, and eaid last season he gave away upwards of two tona of jam, because he could not get it to town. At the same time the country was sending away £200,000 a year for foreign jams and fruit. Mr Lodder, in' reply, said that last season he brought all the fruit from the Kaipara district to town free of charge. We often hear statements such aa the one made by the fruit grower above referred to. Many settlers declare that it does not pay to send their fruit in to town; that the cost of packing, transit, commissions on sale, etc., run away with all the profit. Thus, while the consumer clamours for cheap fruit, the producer vows that fruit is already too cheap to pay for growing it. The establishment of jam factories in convenient districts would prove a great encouragement to the fruit-growing industry.

That New Zealand is still feeling the pinch of hard times is clearly shewn by the revenue returns for the first half of the financial year—the chief results of which were published by us a few days ago. The Cuutemsrevenuecollectedduiingthatperiod wa5£647,59814s sd, being £57,401 5s 7d below the Treasurer's estimate for that period. The beer duty for the six months was £22,834 6s 9d, being a deficit of £4,665 13s 3d on the estimate. The returns for last month tell a similar tale. The Customs revenue for September at the principai'ports was: Auckland,£27,s74los6d; Wellington, £21,006 14s 2d ; Lyttelton and Christchurch, £17,235 9s 6d ; Dunedin, £29,330 18s lid. The total for the colony shows a decrease, of £11,000 odd on September last year, and an increase of over £5,000 on August. The beer duty collected at the principal towns was :—Auckland, £776 6s lOd ; Wellington, £455 13s 8d ; Christchurch, £700 6s 4d; Dunedin, £793 ss 9d: total for colony, £3,734 lis 4d, being an increase of £300 on the previous month, and a decrease of £300 on September last year.

The question of opening tho United States markets to Australasian wool is still engaging attention Sir Julius Vogel has written to the Woolgrowers' Association at Christchurch on the subject. A suggestion has, it appears, emanated from Victorian woolgrowers, to the effect that theee colonies should remit the Customs duties on certain American pioductions in return for the admission of Australasian wool into the United States, and kerosene has been mentioned as one article which might be admitted here duty free. Sir Julius doubts if Parliament would agree to repeal the duty on kerosene, especially as there seems to be a fair probability of its being obtained in large quantities in New Zealand. It would be as manifestly absurd as it would be monstrously unjust to ruin the oil-boring industry for the sake of the wool - growers, and, ac is also pointed out, it would be foolish 'to make any remission of duty unless under a clear understanding with the authorities at Washington. Sir JuliusVogel at the same time justly considers that the " importance of obtaining a market for colonial wools, unrestricted by tha present heavy duties, is such that the colonies wbuld readily endeavour to meet the views of the Govornment of the United States upon any proposal of a mutually fair nature." As showing the value of the kerosene trade we may add that the duty collected on kerosene for 1885 was £26,391, and for the six years preceding it averaged £19,097 per year. It is to be hoped that a basis of mutual concession may be arrived at which, while securing the admission of our wool free to. the United States, will not hamper any ' industry in this colony.