The Lyttelton Times. Oct. 1st, 1853.

Lyttelton Times, Volume III, Issue 143, 1 October 1853, Page 6

The Lyttelton Times. Oct. Ist, 1853.

In hying before our readers the annexed statistics of the Canterbury Province, for the year ending 30th of June last, we cannot but offer our congratulations on the material progress indicated by them. In spite of some serious drawbacks, one of which (the prevention of the import of stock, in consequence of the gold discoveries) threatened for a while great injury, we, in the third year only since the foundation of the settlement, have exported to the value of at least £13.000, which amount we may not unreasonably expect will be nearly doubled during the current year ; and in endeavouring to estimate the value of the return for our capital and labour, we must not forget the great amount of produce consumed in the settlement. We have exported, for instance, no butter, and but a small portion of our grain, crops ; but the value of these products must be great ; and though the export of cheese only amounts to 16 tons, yet the produce has been at least 40 tons, part of which will no doubt figure in the exports of the current year. .. If we turn to our imports we shall find them also satisfactory, though our figures do not give quite an accurate estimate of their value, as no account is taken of goods coming from other settlements in New Zealand ou which duty has been previously pnid/nor is the value of the stock coming overland included. It is also a subject of satisfactory observation that a great portion of the imports consists of sheep and cattle. "\V c have failed in obtaining any account of.lhe number of acres under cultivation in ibis settlement, and it will not be possible to do so for some months perhaps; but we may 11 '3, "c % wrong if we estimate it from S.oOO to 3,000 acres, which certainly does not shew so great a progress in agriculture a* might have been looked for. His Honor, the b-.iperintendant, as will be observed in his ;i(i,iress, has procured all the information in his power on the subject of the number or acres of land under cultivation, the quality of stock in the Province, &c. He h::s derived his information from sources qnue apart from those obtained by us, and n i.s n;i additional guarantee, therefore, for fhe correctness of the returns, that they so c!o>.-eiy approximate. Some discrepancies are discernible, but of so trivial a nature that they argue in favour of our conclusions, co!::.-!d».'ring the many difficulties which lie in the face of obtaining correct information. . The indifference of many, and the absurd lears of others, are only to be appreciated by ifiose who undertake the charge of colloctiiiy information oh such matters ; inibrJnntio:; which it is<the duty of Government to eol-ect, but which it has been siugu-

larly remiss in collecting, as yet, in this Province.

There is one, the most important, branch of all such enquiries, that we have not attempted to go into, viz : the movement of population ; their condition, number, births, deaths, and marriages. It was impossible from the inadequate means at our command to undertake this ; and, regretting generally the imperfection of our returns, and in particular, their deficiency in this most important item, we can only hope that on future occasions they will be given in a more complete form, and that it will not be left to the energy of private individuals to collect them; for it is so clearly the interest of the people to have these statistics, that it becomes the duty of the Provincial Council to suffer no long time to elapse before a plan be matured for collecting them periodically, and we earnestly call their attention to it. . Statistics of the Canterbury Settlement For the Ykar ending June 30, 1853. Customs' Duties. On Spirits" only . . . £1530 3 5 On other Articles . . 2364 4 8 3594 8 1 From other Sources . . 1356 12 7 Total Revenue . . . 5?51 0 8 Total Expenditure . . 4162 6 7* • To this expenditure must be added one-fifth of Revenue payable to Civil List, viz., £1050 4s 2d. Value of Imports. From Great Britain . . £20521 3 9 From New South Wales . 28402 8 2 From Victoria . . . . 2085 0 0 From Van Diemen's Land. 3706 17 0 Total 54715 8 11 iSftock Imported. Sheep. Cattle. Horses. By Sea . . 11200 ' 620 59 By Land . 11000 600 — Totsl 22200 1220 59 Exports of Sundry Produce. , "Wool, 570 bales, weighing 165815 lbs. which, at Is., per lb., would produce . . . . . £8290 0 0 Cheese, 16 tons, at £100 per ton 1600 0 0 Wheat, 486 bushels, at 9s. per bush. 220 0 0 Oats, 1500 do ,at 7s. per bu«=h. . 525 0 0 Potatoes, 77 tons, at 6/. per ton . 462 0 0 Timber, 200,400 ft. at 15s. per 100 ft. . . . . . . 1503 0 0 Sundries—Whalebone, oil, &c, &c. 400 0 0 Total 13000 0 0 Tonnage and Number of Vessels entering Port and whence. No. Tons. From London .... 7 4171 FromN.S. W. ... 8 3184 From Victoria ... 2 068 From V. D. L» . . . 1 274 From the Auckland Isles . 1 321 From Wellington . . 31 1727 From Nelson ... 9 335 From Auckland ... 1 36 From Otago ... 6 804 From the East Coast 2 44 Total 68 11864 Vessels registered as belonging to Lyttelton . . 10 355 Licensed to trade between Port and. Port in New Zealand .... 8 85 Immigration, 550 | Emigration about 165 Number of Slock in Province. Sheep Cattle. Horses. 85,000 to 90,000* about 5,000, about 500 * Contracts have been entered into to date, 21st. July, for the supply of about 1-5,000 more. Land. No. of Acres sold by Canterbury Association. (This includes Churcli Investments and all appropriations) . . 33017 The whole of towns of Lyttelton & Christchurch (with exception of 47 qr-acres in latter) 361 Pasturage runs held under pre-emptive rights or at 20s. per 100 acres . . 106,837 Large runs held under new regulations varying from 5,000 to 200C0 acres . 1,100000 In addition to this, large runs are occupied or applied for outside the originaT block. ■" ' The clear rental of pasturage for the current year, ending June, iS,'>4, will be about £1850., and in three or four years will reach to some £GQQO per aim;