TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXVII, Issue 142, 20 June 1903, Page 1

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

We havo delved into that volume of the statistics of the Colony for 1902 which deals with trade and interchange and which has jnst been issued by the Registrar-General, and havo endeavored to read the true meaning of the serried lines of figures as far as our own district is concerned. The task is not an easy one; there are raaoy pitfalls to avoid in analysing tho details of provincial trade. The value of Marl borough's- exports for last year appears as £143,094, which is an increase on the figures of the last two years, less than those of three years ago, considerably in advance of the figures for the period 1895 98, and about thirty per cent, less than the trade transacted ten years ago. It would seem that the local volume of trade was even less than it was in past years. The output of the district during the last couple of years is known to be of such proportion and worth, compared with the transactions of previous years, that the face value of the blue-book statistics can hardly be regarded as a fair indication of the progress of the district. The system of recording our exports, though valuable in respect to the Colony as a whole, is not representative of the local volume of trade. The same remarks apply to the imports, the value of which last year is set down as £16,340, which is an increase on that of any previous year with the exception of 1900. The most instructive group of figures is that which shows the number, tonnage, and crews of vessels, including tbeir repeated voyages, that entered and cleared coastwiee at each port. From this it appears that for the period 1897-1902 the shipping business of the port oF Pioton advanced at a greater rate than that of any of the other ports, excluding the four chief centres. In an analysis of this kind the principal ports can hardly be included, as their returns comprise a large amount of foreign shipping, which would make a comparison with secondary ports unequal and valueless. The coastwise shipping of Pioton increased by 88 per cent. New Plymouth is next with 87 per cent.; then Napier, 78 per cent.; Gisborne, 69 par cent.; Westport, 60 per cent.; Wanganui, 51 per cent.; Timaru, 50 par cent.; Oamarn, 47 per cent.:

Grey nouth, 39 per cent.; Nelson. 27 per cent. The above compilation does not include tha port of Wairau, whose shipping last year amounted to 31,394 tons. The fact that Pioton heads the list of shipping increases is one on which the district may be congratulated. It may also be quoted aa a strong argument in favor of the demand for wharf improvements and the development of the railway service.

Dr. VARibt, of tKo'HospitaV dcs Enfants, submits a striking report to the Commission on the decrease of the French population. He says : " The disease which makes most victims among us is tuberculosis. It carrier off one-third of the children. Thus, in 5500 deaths, 2700 are due to tubercu losis in its various forms, and 1500 to infectious diseases." In the subjoined tablo it will be noted with spme gratifi cation that England compares wel! with other countries in the mortality from consumption. In 1900 the mor tality in Paris increased to 579 per per 1000, whereas it is only 4'l2for all the united towns of France with more than 5000 inhabitants. In other parts of the world the annual mortality is : — Hungary ... ... 48 Russia (towns)... ... 362 Austria ... ... 35 Italy... ... ... 337 Germany ... ... 291 Finland 2.54 United States... ... 247 Switzerland ... ... 2*38 England ... ... I*4l Norway ... ... 19 Dr. Variot's report confirms in the most emphatic manner the necessity of i enforcing measures intended to prevent spitting in public. "Observations of spittle," says the report, " demonstrate that virnlent tuberculosis germs exist therein for many months. Guinea pigs vrere infected by spittle which had been 137 days in the rays of the sun. Public vehicles may transmit virulent germs, likewise food and purchased articles, such as clothing. The contagiousness of tuberculosis," the reports proceeds, " was recognised even in the Middle Ages. In Tuscany, for example, poor people were confined, willing or unwilling, in special hospitals until death."