The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, JANUARY 23,1877.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 20, 23 January 1877, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, JANUARY 23,1877.

In accordance with the terms of r a resolution passed" during its last session by the House of Representatives on the motion of Mr Sheehan, a return has just been published showing the "area, population, number of dwellings," number of ratepayers, amount of rates levied, total and annual va\ue of rate-; ajble property in "the various Board Districts throughout the colony for the financial year 1875 ." ; Of these districts there are 326, of which 2 15. are in the North, and 111 in the South Island, the number in Nelsdnj east of the dividing range, beiug 11, which since the returns were furnished has been reduced to eight by the amalgamation of the Motueka, . Moutere,. Pangatotara, and Riwaka Boards into the ilotueka Highway District. Some littlg information regarding these districts' may bs of interest; to our readers, and we will therefore put in a condensed form that which :i is furnished by . the report before us: To "' begin with we may state that the value of the rateable property iu that. district over which the. (VVaimea Road Board exercises control is largely iii excess of that bf any other district, iq the .colony, with, one; ..exception, namely, the.. Bangitikei; ( Wellington)' the value of which ' is "set >'dbwn at, £600,000; VVaimea £535,980; the next bbing'Min'aWatu' (also Wellington) £450,831. The acreage of the Waimea district, hOweVer.-is vejry trifling compared Svitti the other two which wc have mentioned, Bangitikei comprising ;1,515,i00,---bnd Manawatu 1,125,000, acr^s. , The population of the Waimea distrifet 1 is : estimated at 16 15, the number of dwellings 667, and the number .of ratepayers „589. . The district having the largest area* in the Neilsbh Provincial district is Amuri, the acreage of which is 899,776, but the population of this .vast extent of country is very small, not ex-:, ;ceedibg;4)l, ? thc ridiculously j low -figure of ■;55 representing the nu'thbei: Of -raleable properties as also of ratepayers. The total value •of the rateable property is not given, as; the irates there ar^ struck on the annual c value ; which is set down at £21*577. The next in ;areais:the Motueka Valley district which 'includes 384.Q00 acres, but the total yaiuie' of jthe rateable, property is represented by' the ;very modest sum of £42,815, the ratepayers 'being only 90 in number. The amalgamated ; district of Motueka including the four road I districts mentioned above contains 177,000 : acres, a population of 2240, a list of 505 ratei payers, and rateable property of 7the value jof £ 1 40;326. r • ; In Suburj«in;Jrortbi, t}ra other | Road District embraced in the Wainjiea j County, the estimated break 64,000 acres, l the value of which is £27,978; the population j is r 3BO, and the number of ratepayers 79. In j the Collingwood District the figpres : are: — j Area in acres, 21,760; population, 706 j number of ratepayers, 146; total value of rateable property, £16,649. , Of Takaka the estimated area is not given, but the -population is set down at 626; the number of ratepayers 194, and the total value Of. rateable , property £36,517. These two districts £om- : bined form the Cohnty of Collingwood. : u