LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 133, 28 February 1908, Page 4

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

FANCIFUL FIGURES. Sir.—History, we are told, repeats itself, and wo learn by biblical story that of old Hainan, the Persian Primo Minister, when mortified by tho refusal of Mordecai to bow down before liini, determined, to exterminate all tho Jews in Persia. Similarly our modern Prime Minister, incensed apparently by some Auckland criticism, desires in the spirit of his telegraphed remarks to crush out the whole race of his detractors, and, in consequence, holiest criticism has become a veil: turesome" practice. The.'question, .however,' which I now wish to examine, can be handled by way of friendly suggestion-, aiul so I may avoid Ministerial wrath. ■

. ® i. l ?'-'! J- rc f cr to the . recent fanciful Government estimate of individual and public . wealth stated to be owneu within the Dominion. We are told that this amounts, to £376,403,000, recluceablc, but not reduced, by the public indebtedness of £63,49/',OOO due to 1 outsido creditors. It is apparent that the increase in private wealth of £45,944,000, as shown between 1905 and 1906, savours', of an Eastern imagination, and so for a pare" >1 let mo turn to Japan—a_ country ,of' simu.ir area and resources, which emerged- from . barbarlsnv siiiep New-Zealand was colonised. There, on the authority of their Year Book, and on the calculations of such an eminent, statistician as the progressive Mr. Takahashi HideOm, assisted by Mr. Eikichi, tho editor of a.,lokio economic journal, and further endorsed by Count Okuma ;that, country, after deducting its outside public indebtedness of 1,137,102,371 yen, is' left with a net aggregate, of wealth amounting to 23,140,389,576 yen. ~ . ;

, Calculations, as, I- liavo stated, of this class are somewhat. fanciful; still where so much is assumption, it- is a pity to be so badly, beaten by the 'Jap. Fortunately, in his shall- I say, political inexperience,; he gives the,.data for his belief, which is,.worth perusal by the; New Zealand Department, since a study .would,-perhaps, assist it to show even a grander result by way .of ,increase in another year; For instance,, the Jap. appears, to have made .-a restricted .allowance for personal ..indebtedness, and. company capital is apparently counted twice; first, as company wealth, then as shares: the property of. the independent shareholders: Next, I may. instance, that, the .'ten years' capital-, ised -value on.all fish to bo,caught or minerals to be won are not ignored as nun-: pledged security. -Here is a delightfully simple; method of swelling the- esthete;■ of this country's"; wealth. Probably our. . respected .and trustworthy , statistician has' ill New Zealand stopped ' shortof items •of ■ a similar class. would suggest that, 1 since the ' Government attaches-- such' " value' '--to these fanciful figures; it should.'remove their' compilation from- the ''matter-of-fact 'statistical department; tho value of whose' work' it is'calculated to depreciate,' and;transfer tile! task' t-o, • say, tho fertile . imagination' of the I advertising section of' the Tourist Depart ment, to which. Department, by recognised custom,' a. wido .margin is conceded.—l am, ; ' - JNO. DUTHIE. February 27.