WEALTH OF NEW ZEALAND

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 230, 28 September 1899, Page 9

WEALTH OF NEW ZEALAND

WELLINGTON, this day

The statement of the public and private wealth of New Zealand has been ' compiled by Mr E. J. Yon Dadelszen, Registrar-General. The period is 189 S. Private wealth( as estimated from the probate returns), £201,154,323. Public property, i.e., land and improvements not, owned by individuals, exclusive of Government railways (figures supplied by the Valuer* General), Crown lands, £12,980,848; local authorities lands, £4,704,442; educational lands, £2,909,438; church and other lands, £2,274,051: total, £22,934,779; Government railways, open and under construction (figures from Public Works Department), £16,702,455. Other public works, viz.: Telegraphs. lighthouses, harbours, and water supply on goldfields, £4,551,327. Total public property, £44,248,501; total wealth, excluding native lands, £245,402,884. . ' Native lands with improvements (figures supplied by the ValuerGeneral), £7,007,522. Total wealth, public and private, £252,410,400. ■ The Registrar attaches the following note: —"A test has been applied to these figures with the view of ascertaining their reliability, The Valuer-General returned £138,000,000 sterling as the value of all land and improvements in the colony, not Including Government railways. Prom this amount, deducting £22,934,779 and' £4,551,327 on account of public property as per table, besides £7,007,----522 for native lands, leaves say £104,----000,000 sterling. For land and improvements privately owned take this sum £104,000,000 from the £201,000,----000 of private wealth as here shown and there remains £97,000,000 sterling for personal estate, which is considered a low estimate, the actual amount as returned by the Property Tax Commissioner for 1888 having been £85,000,000.