THE Evening Star. FRIDAY, JULY 30, 1869.

Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 1945, 30 July 1869, Page 2

THE Evening Star. FRIDAY, JULY 30, 1869.

Mr Vogel’s financial statement, which arrived too late for publication last night, appears to have been carefully arranged, and, so far as can be judged, must have involved an enormous amount of labor. Accepting his version of the system of keeping the public accounts to be true —and there is no reason to doubt it—they must have been in a glorious muddle, and former administrations, apparently, have been partly engaged in devising means to hide the truth from themselves as well as the country. It will be one of the brightest features of his administration if he is enabled to correct this suicidal practice, and to introduce a system that will do away with those clumsy arrangements that involve much clerical labor, and are only successful in mystifying what would be, otherwise, easy to understand. The full abstract of the financial statement, though interesting to every financier, will not be easily understood by the general reader. We shall, therefore, endeavor very briefly to give the results, without encumbering our statement with those details that tend to perplex rather than to enlighten those not accustomed to accounts. Mr Vogel, after stating his opinion of the faulty method of keeping the public accounts and illustrating it, gives the result of the consolidation of loans, which, according to the estimate of the late Government, was to effect so marvellous a saving. The Crown Agent calculated that saving or “ profit” in twenty-eight years—when it is estimated the debts, Provincial and General, will be extinguished —at L537,G00. Mr Vogel arrives at a different conclusion, and only sets it down from L 99,000 to LI 27,000. The estimated revenue of last year coincided very nearly with that actually received. Mr Fitzherbert expected to realise L 1,000,500 : the amount actually received was L 1,005,933. The ports that chiefly exhibited an increase in Customs’ revenue were Auckland and Dunedin. A large decrease was shown at Hokitika. There is a foreshadowing of a reversal of the New Provinces Act, so far as the minor Provinces are concerned. Marlborough is represented as insolvent—“ The set- “ tiers will not tax themselves to con- “ tinue their separate Government, and “ the Government only see the course “ of re-uniting it to Nelson.” The condition of Southland, Wellington, and Westland are also considered unsatisfactory. In reference to those districts, it is some consolation to find that no proposition will be made to burden the other Provinces for their benefit. There is another feature worthy of note. For the first time, it is proposed to make the North Island specially liable for expenditure in the Native difficulty. Mr Vogel says—“ The opening up of the “ island by means of roads is necessary “ to solve the Native difficulty. The “ revenue cannot afford it, and a loan “ will be asked for, to be charged on “ the North Island.” It is plain, however, that without extraordinary precautions, a majority of the House would at any future time be able to reverse this decision, and make it a colonial instead of a North Island debt. To guard against this “ the provision is “ not to be reversible by less than “ three-fourths of the votes of the “ members of the House of Represen- “ tatives, and this condition will be “ perfected either by an Imperial Act, “ or by an Order in the Privy Coun- “ cil. forbidding the Governor to assent “ to a repeal.” Perhaps the least satisfactory portion of Mr Vogel’s plan is the imposition of a duty upon the importation of grain and flour. On that point we cannot dwell at present, but it is the introduction of a vicious principle that cannot be justified by the apparently small results to the revenue. Remarking on the financial relations of the Colony to the Provinces the Treasurer stated that, since 1858, the provinces have raised L 7,000,000, of which L 3,000,000 have been appropriated to colonial purposes. “ Can- “ tcrbuvy and Otago alone hare yielded “ L 3,000,000 in eight years.” The Government look upon the result of the working of the Provincial system as so beneficial, as to render its conservation rather than its destruction desirable. The statement of the liabilities for the past year is rather confused, inasmuch as Mr Vogel uses the terra “ assets” to signify the means of payment by means of Treasury Bills—that is, paying one debt by incurring another. The amount is stated to be L 217,216. To meet this the Treasurer has the power to issue LI 73,000 on Treasury Bills, and there are available funds, amounting to L 109,167, shewing an excess of moans of payment of L 65,750. The estimate of expenditure for the next year is L 969,587. This includes LI 18,000, the cost of the Armed Constabulary, and L 21,407 for Native

services. The cost of retaining the 18th Regiment is not included in the estimate. The expected revenue is L 1,046,000. Of this one-half will be appropriated by the Provinces, leaving to the service of the General Government L 523,000. In addition to this a sum of L 40,000, now forming the sink ing funds of the various provinces, is expected to be released when the conversion of Provincial into Colonial stock is completed, and this, added to the balance of L 65,750, expected surplus over the liabilities of last year, will give the Treasurer the command of L 628.750 to meet an expected expenditure of L 617,114. Mr Vogel brought his speech to a close by some observations on Annuities and Life Assurance and Immigration. Should his anticipations prove correct, the financial position of the Colony must be considered more satisfactory than previous statements would have led anyone to anticipate.

Copyright Law. —A motion by Mr Potts in favor of establishing by law a literary copyright in the Colony, has been agreed to. The Budget.—We received our telegraphic 'lespa cli, containing a summary of Mr Vogel’s speech in making li e Financial Statement, too lat - for publication last evening. It will be found in another column. The Volunteers. -- The commanding officer’s parade of the Naval Brigade took place last evening, about 60 rank and fie being present. The paymaster’s balancesheet, showing a balance to the credit of the Company of L6O, was br night up and adopted. The nomination of petty-officers then took place, and Petty-Officer Smith and Gunner Grant were appointed musketry instructors.

Revenue Returns. —The following is a return of the Customs revenue at the several ports of New Zealand, for the financial year ending the 30th day of -lune. 1869 Auckland, L 175 368 ; Russed, L 1520; Monganni, L 678 ; Hokianga, 1.1,260; Now Plymouth. L 5,667 ; Wanganui, L 19,353 ; Wellington, L 60,397 ; Napier. L 22.989 ; Wairn, L 3.613 ; Picton, L 842 ; Hav- lo k, LIS2 ; Kaikoura, 1165; Nelson, 1.30.897; West port, L 26,668 ; Greymouth, L 43,607 ; Hokitika, L 70.548 ; 1 karita (r turn fo month of June not received), L 1,775 ; Lyttelton. L 81.877 ; Akaroa, L9Bl ; Timaru, L 9,591 ; Oainaru, L 8,787 ; Dunedin, L 209,473 ; Invercargill, L 22.597 ; bluff Harbor, L 762 ; Riverton, L 4.333.

The Fijis.— We are indebted to Mr H, D. Gundry, who arrived from Levujia via Auckland, to-day, and has kindly furnished us with the following particulars :—Mr Cook the Secretary of the Polynesian Company, accompanied by Messrs Watson, Brougham, and (>’Neill, shareholders in the Company, arrived at Levuka in the Springbok barque, from Melbourne, on the 3Lt May, they were met on arrival by Mr Glennie, the acting manager, who had been some time in the Fijis. <>n the 4th June, the party proceeded to Wakaya, an island, belonging to Or i-irowi r, American Consui, about 18 miles east of < ivala i, and expressed themselves as being highly pleased with the plantai.i ns • f cotton, coffee, Ac. thereon. They leturned to l evuka on the following day, where they remained til the Bvh, when accompanied by King Thakambau and abut 12 natives, thc\ proceeded to take formal posses ion of their head-quarters in Suva i ay, 50 miles from Levuka, reaching Ban the same even ing, where they partook of tiie hospitality of the King They remained till the 12i.1i. when hey again proceeded on their journey, Messrs Cook, Watson, Brougham, and Glennie, taking their passages in a war canoe with about 50 men, under the com maud of Ratu 'Timothy, a sou of Thakomban’s, and that evening arrived at the Native village of Nakello, where they remained till Monday, when they effected anoTi. r s alt. The town of Rewa was next made a place of rendezvous. 'lhakombau wishing to pay the chief of that place the compliment of asking his sanction to the handing over of the land to the Company, which he (Thakombau) had once wrested from this chi f in war. (barbarian etiquette ?) In the evening a meeting was held, and Thakombau requested the party to attend, and wished them to bring with them the breech-loading rifles they carried, ‘ ‘ to astonish the natives with.” No opposition was made by the Kewa chief, of course, so the party left for Suva on the 15th, where they arrived the same afternoon. On bringing up in the harbor (a large bay, sheltered partially by the land and reefs, and o ce-.sible at all times during the trade vinds) a Native c me off warning the King that it was unsafe to land, as the atives on shore were adverse to their country being handed over ;o the Company. Notwithstanding this advice, a landing was immediately effected. The King and his sub jeots being fully armed, watch was kept during the night, and no attack made, nor, as it afterwards appeared, was there any contemplated, the resident Natives having collectively “ s’oped ; ” nor did they return for a day or two, till they were assmedf-at they need fear nothing. The possession of the land was then du y handed over to the representatives of the Company. Mr Cook and his party on the following day took a cruise round the Bay to inspect the country and to select the best site for the future township, and also the best localities for their plantations. On the 18th, the party proceeded to take formal possession of the Island of Bega, about 20 miles distant from Luva Bay to the Southward, which was most peaceably handed over to them. A return was then made to l.evuka, which place they reached <n the 29th June. Mr Cook, and all who accompanied him, ex pressed great satisfaction, and spoke very highly of the land, which is n w in their posession, and feel every confidence in the future success of the Fo’ynesian Company. The Luva Bay Natives, at the suggestion of Thak< mban. were, when the party eft, busy erecting a house for the company—a Fijia>custom of giving up p ssession of land. The Matilda Hayes arrived at Fiji after a passage of forty two da\s, seven of which she wa -ladup in Le 800 Bay for repairs. The vessel immediately on her arrival was seized by the Consul, through her not lowing a certificate of clearance from any port

Greymouth. —An enquiry held as to the origin of the tire discovered on the

premises of Messrs Cook and Sampson, Greymouth, has terminated in a verdict that it was the act of an incendiary. The Grey River Aryus suggests that the Government should offer a reward for the discovery of the guilty parties, Theatrical. —M. and Madame Si-mo-isen so well-known in music I circles in Me'houfue, tre on their way to that Colony by the Marpcsia and may be expected to arrive about the middle of this mouth.

Wellington.—A telegram in the Press, d ted yesterday, says : —lt is reported that the Government have engaged a vessel, the City of Newcastle, now in Wellington harbor, as a hulk for the rebel prisoners. The business in the ' iouse to-day was formal. Mr Harrison mov-d. that failing a general measure for placing the police under the control of the General Government, it is expedient that the Westland police be removed from the control of the County Council and placed under the control of the Governor or his delegate. The Thames Goldfields. Jhe accounts from these diggings are as urnsing as ever. Another of those wonderful crushings for which the Long Drive claim stand'* pre-eminent (says the Hew Zealaiui Herald of the 23rd List,) was completed yesterday at the Kuranul Co’s one-stamper machine, and gave such a return as we might with safety challenge the world to compete with ; c rtaiuly, Victoria, in its palmiest days, never showed such brilliant returns as those yielded ■ y this mine. The total quantity cm died wa 4Gt'lbs of stone, which yielded 2,0360zs 13dwts of retorted g Id, in four cakes, or at the rate of 4ozs Sdwts 13grs to the pound Some of the stones were actually reserved from the crushing on account of their marv- lions richness. They are certainly the richest we have seen from this • claim. The gold was deposited in the Bank of New Zealand, Grabamstown. an 1 melted by Mr Quint, when the total turned out a splendid sample of gold in bars of the total weight of 1 9200zs ISdwts. This yield has outdone any previous specimen crushing Sixty tons of stone from the Golden Crown’s Claim were put through Goodall’s battery last week, and in three success we retorts 8, 11, and 154 pounds (avordupois) of gold were obtained. This quantity gives 4830z5, averaging Bozs Idwt to the ton. The Homeward Bound machine, on the Kuranui side of the company’s property, h-.-s been steadily employed on st ue from the mine as usual, and the fo tnigotly cleaning took place on Sa iirday, widen, on being retorted on Monday, yielded 1740zs 9dwts of gold. The yield is quite up to the usual average of an ounce and a half, an*l the crushing power was reduced by one stamper, which got broken during the previous week, so that the stuff crushed must have bei n a little above the ordinary quality. The rise in value of scrip in the Long Drive claim may be readily accounted for when we looke at the following weekly returns of gold obtained from this claim. There is every reason to believe that the regular return will but little fall off from that which has been obtained during the last four weeks : —Week ending June 30, 1,471 ozs ; July 6, 143 ozs ; July 13, 2,019 ozs ; July 16, 463 ozs ; July 21, 1,920 ozs; total, 6,016 ozs. The gold sold for L 16,603 6s lOd. The Shotoyer Company (late Hunt’s) have placed their shares in the market. The company will consist of 22,400 shares of LlO each. At a meeting on the 22nd ult., the manager informed the directors that th • main lode was cut at a depth of about 70 fee', aud some good specimens tak*n out. The eef is of a blue color, and at pre-ent shows about -even feet thick) and h.is a diagonal strike through the claim. The several surface covers are still yielding richly, and about 2cwt of specimens have been accumulated within ten cl ys. A share list lately published’ in Auckland showed that amongst a total of 87 mining companies at the Thames, there was capital to tinamount of 1d,270,200. The advances on the selling rates of shares amounted in one week to L 534,175.

Mr James Simmonds, stage manager of the Princess Theatre, takes a complimentary benefit this evening, and, judging from the excellent bill provided, we anticipate a crowded house.