N.Z. PROSPERITY

Grey River Argus, 4 May 1937, Page 3

N.Z. PROSPERITY

OVERSEAS TRADE RISE Excess of Bank Deposits (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, May 3. “I 'want to quote figures to illustrate that the country is in a better position ‘han it was a year or two ago, though we all feel that, of course,” said the acting-Piime Minister (Hon. P. Eraser), when opening the Wellington Cor. onation -Show on Saturday night. Exports during the 12 months ended Mai ch 31st, Mr Fraser said, amounted in value to £60,235,000, compared with £49,676,000 in the 12 months ended March 31st, 1936. Imports amounted in the 12 months ended March 31st, to £47*621,000 and £34,440.000 in the previous 12 .inontjlid. Savings Bank business was another indication of the trend of progress. Deposits for the year ended March 31st were £30,677,000, withdrawals £27,042,000, and the amount standing at th.e credit of Savings Bank depositors at Match 31st, 1936, was £52.916.000. With an excess of deposits during the year and interest amounting to £1,514,000, the sum on March 31st was £58,065,000, an increase of £5,149,000 efurrag the 12 months.

P. and T. Revenue A BIG INCREASE. WELLINGTON, May 3. The revenue of the Post and Teie. graph Department for the year ended March 31'1, shows a substantial in. crease over the returns for the previous year. The ■Post.mast'erlGe'neral (Hon. F. Jones), said' the increased levenue provided another indication of the Dominion’s increased prosperity. The total of all classes of revenue for 1937 was £3,884,000, compared with £3,550 000 for 1936, an improvement, of £334,000. As the increase for 1936 over 1935 was £207,000, the increase for the year just closed exceeds that increase by a considerable amount. The main ' ini’ leases in revenue are as follows;—

Postages, increases £105,000, totai receipts £1,366,000; telegrams, increase £26,000, total £334.000; tolls, increase £63,000, total £565,000; tele, phones, increase £86,000, total £1,339,000. CUSTOMS INCREASES. ri DUNEDIN, April 30. The customs revenue received in Dunedin during April totalled £142.803 compared with £102,690 for April last year. WELLINGTON. April 30. Customs figures for April, compared with, last yeai’s collections, are as follows:—

1937 1936 £ £ Customs revenue ... 286,349 276,460 Motor spirit 72,842 62,573 Tyre tax 1,716 1,892 •Sales tax 106,312 92,173 Beer excise 6,329 4.789 AUCKLAND, April 30.

A general increase in the customs and excxise duty and also in sales tax is shown in the returns of the Auckland collections for April, compared with those for the corresponding month last year. Customs duty, including motor.spirit duty and tyre duty, totalled £380,755, an increase of £65,153 over the figure of £315,602 for April, 1936. The total from these sources for the first four months of the present year was £1,409,972, compared with £1,318,610 in the corresponding period last year. COAL INDUSTRY. GOOD PROSPECTS

CHRISTCHURCH, April 30

The coal-mining industry in the Dominion had on the whole been brisker this year than for many years, said Hon, P. C. Webb. Production was increasing, and in the Waikato it was difficult, for most of the mines to comply with the orders received. Unfor. Innately, a considerable amount of slack time had been worked because of the inability of some of the North Island mines to get sufficient rolling, slock. The Railway Department was doing its utmost to facilitate the construction of more rolling-stock, but 11 had been considerably hampered because of the difficulty of obtaining sufficient supplies of iron from Great Britain.

The West Coast mines had also suffered to some extent from the same cause, and shipping had been hamper, ed by the bar conditions at Westport and Greymouth. The Minister said that had it not been for the above circumstances, most of the mines would have been working at very high pressure during the last few months. The prospects for the 'industry were good. VITAL STATISTICS. ’ WELLINGTON. April 30.

Figures received from the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages at Wellington, -show that for the period ending April 30th. from the beginning of the year,; the,re has been a general increase in all the 1 totals. Births for April this year are greater by 65 than the total ' for 1936, which was 120. There were four fewer deaths for April this year than last .year, and marriages, for April, 1937, were 149 as against 173 for the corresponding month last year.

CHRISTCHURCH, May 1

The monthly return of vital statistics here shows a big increase in the number of births as compared'_ with April, 1936. The comparative figures aie as follows:— April • April 1937 1936 Births 225 171 Beths' Marriage notices 131 Marriage 'm office — • The marriage figures cannot . factorily be e ompared. J year Easter fell in April, whoieas this year it was in March.