WELLINGTON NEWS

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 December 1926, Page 6

WELLINGTON NEWS

COOK STRAIT CABLES. (Special to “Star.”) WELLINGTON, December 1. The cable steamer, Ins, is encountering unfavourable weather in Cook Strait. The vessel has been chartered by the Government to pick up and repair three faulty cables. Work is being held up on account of the weather. The steamer arrived from Auckland on November 20th., and after taking a cable aboard went out into the Strait, to commence operations. So far, however, heavy seas have prevented her from making much progress. Only one day’s work has been done. The vessel is now waiting a favourable change in the weather’. None of the cables have yet been repaired. Dragging operations on the ocean bed are always uncertain as the method of working with the use- of grapplers is necessarily somewhat crude, and rough weather adds considerable difficulty in locating the line to be repaired. CUSTOMS RETURNS. Customs revenue in the first six months of the financial year 1926-27, beginning March, were £56,000 greater than for the same six months in the previous period. The prices of revenue in the first six months may be corrected by the end of the third quarter, for- the latest figures show that the middle month thereof (November) has been marked by- falls of about £50,000 at Auckland and nearly £34,000 at Wellington, compared with November, 1925, but how far this November fall in Customs revenue is due to irregularity of shipping, and how far due to the deadline of imports is not clear. December may not correct the November fall. Passing from customs revenue on imports it is found that the first seven months, ended October of the financial year, as compared with the last, imports are less by £1,8000,000. Exports increased by nearly £600,000. Comparing imports and exports with each other, it is found that for the first seven months of the financial year, there was an excess of imports of approximately 5-4 millions, but as the export season is just beginning, the remaining five months should have a big counter balancing effect. Customs revenue collected at Wellington' and Auckland in November, with- that in November of last year-in parenthesis was: Wellington, revenue £191,936 (£225,924), beer duty £5570 (£5025), Auckland revenue £193,300 (£244,411).