OUR FIJI LETTER.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 116, 18 May 1887, Page 2

OUR FIJI LETTER.

[Feoji Oct. Own Correspondent.]

Sdva, May 12.

Trade and Customs Keturns.

Qur trade and Customs returns for 1886have_ just appeared, and the perusal thereof is anything bub pleasant, reading. Total foreign trade, which in 1883 stood at £8337659, fell off last year to £514,125. The year boforo ib was £627,780. Imports were £208,935, or less by over £85,000 than thoso of bhe preceding year, while they did' not touch one-half of those for 1884 and 1883. Exports were £261,822, or nearly £00,000 less than those for the proceding year. The falling off of imports is partly accounted for by the cessation of bhe sugar machinery import. Bub in the two principal ibems of nabive trade, drapery and hardware, bhere is a deficib of £16,000 as conbrasbed with the previous year,' which in ibs burn fell off by £25,000. In short, the import for 'S6 was considerably less tpftp half that for 1883. Sic itur ad aslra, which in this connection may bo rendered, " Thus we go kibe high." Of bhe gross total of the exports, sugar represents £187,456 j copra (produced- in Fiji), £33,193; and fruit, £23,059, All the other products exported amounted in valuo to £19,115, Jn 1880, seven items among these latter (excluding* those named) reached a value of £55,000, So much for the magnificent 'achievements of Messrs Qordon, Thurston, Dos Vqoux and Co.

The Sugair Output. This nmpuntocl to IIJIG tons for 1880, as {-gainst; 10,586' tons for 1885, and 572 tons for 1884, Bub with , the first, a« with bho qbhers, it has; to. be borno in mind that the return_t (iro made up to December, whj|? tbe export of the season's yield goes on till March and April. However, as aspnafih so gains abqne end what ib loses ab blip other, ib makes little difference. Ib will make mo_»t iii the lasb season's yield, which, I beliove, will go oyer 15,000 tons. Odds a«d End , Ib has rained all through tha }asb month, lipb heavily, bub almost continuously, and tljere is an impression abroad bhab ib is never going tp clear up. If ib clpes np,b sob aoont it soon, the nexb season's sugar yield T»vill bo a small ono. The Chtef if usbico is going home cm leave. Tho Attqpioy-Oencral will bo Acting C{>iefJustice, and Mr F. P. Winter, Acting Attornojr:Oonoral. Hitf Hopor leaves by tho Arawata to-day. Four or ftvo of the civil servants whose sei'vices have been dtaliensecl wit!} jp consequei)co of the recent reductions, are fellow-passongeia with him, so that ypii will recoivo quite an influx of disbinguislipd visitors from Fiji by this boat* A jubilee tweeting was held pn the 26th ulb., when ib jyas resolved to forward a congratulatory address, to Hor Majesty, and to gtarb a ml^fi iption to raisa a monebarv contribution 'to the • Imperial Institute. . Thi§ latter movement is nob in pnblio favour. As a local memorial tho lighthppse on tho Solo Reef is tq be called fhe "Jubilee Lighthouse." Mon aro now engaged preparing tho 1 foundations for tho structure, and the iron towor is on tlio way JVom Biiglancl in the brief Gazelle,

Tlio *iiß. Arawata arrived pn Saturday at 5 p.m., and was quarantined till Monday morning. Tlio s.s. Southern Croga arrived on Sunday morning and went pn to Levuka on Wednesday morning. ■ Tho Revs. Myers, Ha,_, dio,pnd Hagenauer, from Victoria, aro here on business oon-eerping_-thjo resignation of tho Roy. Mr Rennison as pastor of tho Presbyterian Church. His resignation ha* boen nccoptetl at a congregational meeting, but vory general regret is felt at Ida approaching departure, A disease has appeared among the cano on the Rewn, aud is ut preseni a subject) of investigation. The seekers for gold in tho interior pf Vili Lp\'H havo returned to town after throe months of almosb incessant rain in the hills. Thoy have not been successful, though .gold, mlvcr, and platinum havo boen found in small quantities. They are of Opinion that a diamond drill would give hotter results. Mr Ifollis, tho prospector from New Zealand, returns by tho Arawata to-day. Tlie wreck of tho Nightingalo sold fop i's at auetioji pn Saturday.

Wo aro threatened with another circus. Tlio lestinvaded us from Auckland. This quo makon New Caledonia its point (Tappni. The natives udll pawn everything they possess to go, apd tnere won't bo a shilling to bo seen for three months after its departure. Thero shppld bo a special clauso insortod into tlio trading litany of Fiji t'From Cordonian fod», Thurstonian_ philanthropy, and wandoring circuses— Good Lord deliver U3." *

, Tharo is a growing disposition to revive .the agitation for political corjnection \yßh New Zealand. Thuya is no hope Iqj: tho coloiiy under tho i)resen^ *y_(tor,} qf adminir-bi-iition. •