VICTORIA AND NEW ZEALAND.

New Zealander, Volume XIV, Issue 1284, 7 August 1858, Page 3

VICTORIA AND NEW ZEALAND.

[From the 11 Morning Herald,” June 20.] The marvellous expansion and dcTelopment of Victorian resources daring the past few years and the gradual consolidation of local interest in this country, may possibly have limited the scope of our colonial vision, and have led us to disregard the benefits derivable from establishing closer relations with the rising Provinmof New Zealand. In the days of our great prosperity, we appear to have lost sight of our paramount c aims to be considered the centre of Australian civi iza ton —the source of antipodal progress,—and this forgetfullness has in no small degree militated against us. We hare allowed the merchants and traders of New South Wales to monopolise the mcreasmg trade with Auckland, Nsw Plymouth, Wellington, Nelson, Canterbury, and Otago. We have quietly kept aloof whilst our Sydney neighbours have boldly e nterad & new field of enterprise, VO find not a barren accoun of immediate aucoess.nofa beggarly promise of future profit, but tangible reault in the shape of paying returns for their ventures, which our own thriving mar-

would do well to divert into the broad channel ■ (icir own inter-colonial transactions. We may ot . | ftV for ourselves, that we have watched the ,fIU - 'V the New Zealand settlements, and that our have always been open to every item of intelr n e which couid illustrate that progress; audit J ‘" e ,■ rt . affords us the highest gratifications to learn Ihlt immediate steps are about to he taken by the Melh me Chamber of Commerce to investigate the sub- • °. l t in its various beat mgs. je Vut assuming that a possibility, nay a probability 1 exist of obtaining lor Victoria the advantages Lch New Sou hj Wales has, for a lengthened period, .rived*from a mercantile connection with the six New New Zealand settlements to which »e have referred, it - 1 be we ii to dwell upon the extent of those advann‘\ aU( [ t0 estimate, as nearly as certain given data 'fallow, the limit of the gain which is likely to ac>toUS ’ Admitting then that the trade ot the settlements we have named won d not he entirely trails- • red to Victoria, and that Auckland especially would ontiouß to draw largely on the Sydney markets, no C °ittei what postal engagements might be entered into Irtlrs o-ovtrument, there are still abundant induce nients left to stimulate our energies. The official returns of the Customs Revenue at the several ports of New Zealand, din ing the quarter ended the 3tst De‘.p, i ," r |Hof, give amongst the leading imports noon which dutv was paid, 3C,8 i Q gallons of spirits ; Sl'J.dbs of cigars and simtf; .35,130 U.s of tobacco ; 12.419 ea'ions of wine ; .'I”,Sob gallons ol ale and beer, in bulk- oj.'igl^-gallons of ule, No..in ho'tle; 50,02,’1bs of tea • 18,390 lbs. of coffee, cocoa, and chicory ; and fiH ( t t)°6 lb>. of sag t. A return ot the declared value ef imports during the quarter cii'ted the 31 SI December 1K57 likewise set forth that the totals from the United Kingdom amounted to £152,235 17s. lid ; from New scum Wales, £i34„Sog Vis. tid. ;Jrom ) ictona, VlB 080 !)s. 0.1.; from Tasmania, JJI 7 off ; and bum couu'ries, £ 122 Us. 6t1., making together a gross total of £286,514 Bs. 5(1. By way of showing that th cs e returns are not subject to material variations, in respect of their u’timate results, we may refer to the \eii>Zealander ol 28ih April, in which we find the imports br tlte quarter ended September 3tfih, 1857, set down as follows, From the United Kingdom, fBS ]Ob Us. 3d. ; New South U ales, £147,38 f (is. bn. Victoria. £15,389 12s. ; Tasmania. £2737 10s. fid,; and other countries, £175 ; making a total of £348 700 Os. 2d. These figures are tangible enough and may be counted fully reliable. They will, perhaps prove an effectual aigimient with our mercantile men in favour of making a combined effort to secure some fairer shaie of the New Zealand cus outs than is now granted to them ; and, as a first step of urging the Government to take prompt and decisive measures in reference to the question of steam postal communication between .Melbourne and the New Zealand ports.