SAVINGS BANKS.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3208, 28 October 1867, Page 4

SAVINGS BANKS.

Amongst other returns Uid before the General Assembly, is one showing the deposits and withdrawals from the Post Office Savings Banks, since the commencement of the system on the Ist of February of this year to the 31st May. The period embraced is very short, and ia farther curtailed by there having been only fire offices opened before the Ist of April. These were at Auckland, Wellington, Hokitika, Christohurch, and Dunedio. There can. hardly be a better test of the social condition of a people than that afforded by the amount of deposits in savings banks. Tbey represent surplus capital, generally comprising amounts too small for investment in reproductive occupations, bat which are over and above the requirements of the depositors. They form no part of trading capital, lut are generally invested by those who are receiving fixed incomes, or earning their living by daily toil. They thus form an index to the circumstances, habit*, and forethought of these classes. To be r<-«lly effective as a statistical return, the/ sums ou t bt;to be read side by side with the population of- the province or district. This the return does* ia a ro gb and off-hand way by the summary prbct-SN of estimating the number of depositors, in proportion to the population, as 1 in 250 ; th? average amount of each depositor's account at £28 Is. 9d. ; the average amouut of each deposit at £15 os. 6d. ; the average amount withdrawn by each depositor at £14 da ; and the average amount of each withdrawal at £11 14s. 6d. So far as the colony ia concerned, these figures are satisfactory ; but they hardly go far enough. It is not sufficient, in the present position of New Zealand, to know generally what the condition of the colony in, so much as the relative position of the provinces to each other, and that, not as a matter of mere curiosity, but that a fair estimate may be arrived at of the degree of influence that each province ought to possess ; and the more so, because of the evident tendency, on the part of the Ministry, to unduly favour some at the expense of thereat. No doubt, since the last oensus, the population has varied much in the Middle Island. Most probably that of Otago i» somewhat less, while that of Canterbury, including Westland, is considerably greater. Whatever comparison, therefore, is made, must necessarily be .approximate ; but, taking the last census as a guide, and making necessary allowances, it is probable that the population of Auckland is about the stpne as in 1864. The census return gives it, in round numbers, 42,000. In the province there are 11 Post Office Savings Banks, in which 116 accounts' have been opened, and 200 deposits made, amounting to £2,735 18s. Bd. There had been 24 accounts drawn upon, 10 accounts closed, and the gam withdrawn was £168 17s. In Taranaki the S>pulation is about 4,000. There is only one Post ffice Saving* Bank ; 15 accounts bad been opened, and 23 deposits made, amounting to £735 105. From this amount there had been six accounts drawn upon, and £54 withdrawn . Wellington has two Post Office Savings Banks. The population is, perhaps, underestimated at 15,000. There were 111 accounts opened ; the deposits were 188, amounting to £3,714 Bs. The number of withdrawals were 37, on Si' accounts, and the amount withdrawn was £395 In. 6d. Hawke's Bay has one Post Office Savings Bank, in which 7 accounts have been opened and £71 13s. deposited. Nothing has been withdrawn. The population of Hawke's Bay is about 4,000. Coming to the Middle Island, the population of Nelson in 1864 was nearly 12,000. It is probably much greater now. There are two Post Office Savings Banks in the province, in which 21 accounts had been opened, and 28 deposits made, representing £811 10s. The withdrawals on three accounts were fire, amounting to £66. In Marlborough, the population may be estimated at 6,000. There are two Post Office Savings Banks ; 12 accounts had been opened and 21 deposits made, amounting to £381 13s. 6d. There had only been two withdrawals on two separate accounts, amounting to the trifling sum of £12 10«. The return divides Canterbury into two districts. The population of both can hardly be guessed at, so strange has been the change effected by the discovery of gold on the West Coast, but it may be fair* t6 assume East Canterbury to contain about 80,000 inhabitants. There are five Post Office Savings B,anks, in which 196 accounts had been opened, «nd 391 deposits made, amounting to £4,401 13s. The number of accounts drawn upon was 28, and the withdrawals 31, together representing the sum of £284 12*. sd. The population of the West Coast is, generally estimated at 30,000 to 35,000, for -whose conv-n-ence there are Post Office Sayings B*nks at Hokitika and Greymoutb. At Hokitika, 95 account-t bad been opened, and 64deposits made, to the amduiit of £1 275 3a. From this, £214 17s. had been withdrawn on 13accountsby 15 withdrawals At Greymoutb, 26 accounts had been opened, and 39 deposits made to the sum of |£464 16s. 4d., none of which had been withdrawn. In Otago there are 11 Post Office Savings Banks, in which 247 accounts had • been, opened, and 525 deposits made, to the amount of £7,283 14s. 9d. ; from this, £1,148 2s. lOd. had peen withdrawn from 53 accounts by 65 withdrawals. The population of the province was so affected by the West Coast rush, that, although during the past three years many additions have fa-en made, it is very probably nearly, if not quite, 5 000 less than at the last census. If it is efltim*ted at 45,0'i0 it will be. perhaps, nearly the truth. The popna'ion of southland in 1864 waa, in rou-'d number*, 8 uOO. I her« are three Post Office Saving" ••ai.ks, m which 45 accounts had been opened and 63 deposits m*de, to the amount of £1,444 18s. The withdrawal- had only been three, in three different accounts, amounting to the trifling sum of £2 10s., The analysis we have given shown that, notwithstanding the short period which the return includes, the system has worked well ;' for it must not bf forgotten that there are banks for savings in Severn places not connected with the Post Office, no return for which is 'given,— Otago^DaUy Timtk.