THE New Zealand Herald. STECTEMUR AGENDO. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1874.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XI, Issue 4045, 29 October 1874, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald. STECTEMUR AGENDO. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1874.

The Macgregor, which leaves Auckland with the English mails, will take with her from all the provinces assurances of the continued prosperity of the colony. Judging from the returns furnished by the Government, the accuracy of which is not doubted, we find that the consolidated revenue for the last quarter is in excess of previous quarters at any period in the commercial history of the colony. For the three months ending the 20th of September last, the moneys received through the several Customhouses of the two colonies reached £287,318, while the duties collected for stamps reached £2-1,844, —the Post-office contributing £14,008, and the Telegraph Departments £12,901. Of tliis amount, Auckland's share was no less a sum than £74,434; Wellington contributing £48,920 ; Canterbury, £59,478; and Otago, £115,084 ; the balance coming from the smaller provinces. The land fund of the colony for the three months which ended September i amounted to the large sum of £278,071. Making up the totals for the September quarter, we Gnd the consolidated revenue to be £355,434 ; land fund, £300,540 ; which equals £050,280. In other words, the revenue of the colony which was received by the General Government through the several departments was at the rate of £2,025,120 per annum. But this large sum by no means represents the revenue of the colony of a little over a quarter of a million of inhabitants. There are, for instance, its railways, which will return a net income of something like 15 per cent, in Canterbury and Otago, and there are beside the local taxation which flows into the Provincial Treasuries. We should not go beyond the mark were we to estimate the revenue of New Zealand plus the local rate at three millions for the year 1874-75.

As evidence of our increasing trade ancl the progress of our commercial interests, we may be allowed to draw a comparison between tlie September quarters of 1874 as against 1873. In that for 1873 the money which passed through the Auckland Customs amounted to £54,918, while for the same quarter of tlie succeeding year it reached £03,540. "With tlie exception of Riverton and Hokitika—two small and comparatively unimportant districts —everywhere else throughout both Islands an increase of the receipts of Customs is shewn.

Referring to our gold returns for the September quarter of the two years, we find a slight decline in the yield, but this is attributable to the large demand made upon labour required in tlie prosecution of our railways and other public works. Tlie yield obtainablefrom alluvial diggings is at all times uncertain and precarious, while the pay given to labor of the best kind for public contractors' work is sucli as to entice men to seek employment from our large employers.

We have Mr. liolioway, the representative of Mr. Arch, in our province, and he has unhesitatingly endorsed our oft repeated complaint, which is, that tlie class of immigrants lately sent to our shores arc altogether unsuitable as agricultural laborers, or for any description of farm work. Mr. Holloway has seen and judged for himself ; ho lias, in the few short journeys ho has been enabled to make in some of our highly favored districts, been able to bear testimony to tlie fertility of our soil, our genial climate, and the progress which is making in all directions from tlie north to the south of the province.

Diuiny (.lio last few months the number of single women, arriving here lias been very considerable, but the whole of them are absorbed within a few hours, or at longest, within two or three days after landing. At present we could place in respectable emploj'iiient any number that may arrive.

The rail ways in:ike steady progress, and before the clone of tlie approaching summer it is reckoned that over three hundred additional miles of lines to those now working will liavo been completed. Provisions of most descriptions have risen, but this drawback is more than counterbnlnuced by the rise in almost every kim) or skilled and manual labor. None who el loose to work remain out of employmeni.. Sailors, mechanics, agriculturists, In borers for all kinds of work, continue in full demand ; and many of our public works are oiily making slow progress from the difficulty of procuring a sufficiency of labor at reasonable rates. Probably at no period in the history of the colony has there been a greater occasion to congratulate ourselves upon the material progress it has made than at present.

His Hokor yesterday overruled the demurrer in the case of Williamson v. Auck- j l&nd Improvement Commissioners. The question at issue is of great public importance, and we do not therefore make any apology for publishing a brief resume of the facts. There is a vacant allotment on the north side of Shortland-street belonging to the Hon. James "Williamson, The Commissioners wanted this land for public purposes, and they proposed to purchase it, offering, after considerable negotiation, £3000 for it. This offer was refused. Their next step was to empannel a sheriff's jury to assess the value. After several days' sitting and examining a great many witnesses the jury assessed the value at £5000. But the Commissioners withdrew from the notice they originally issued that they would require the land. The result was, so far as tliey were concerned, to decline completing any contract to purchase that, according to the plaintiff, might be implied in their notice. But the Auckland Improvement Act gives power to withdraw any time within three months from the first noticc. The plaintiff, however, took an action to recover the price of the land upon the ground, that the jury having sat and made their award created a new position of affairs : that the plaintiff was during such proceedings deprived of the use of his land : that the right to withdraw within three months supposed the position of the parties to remain the same as at the time of the notice. The plaintiff declared that lie was ready to convey the laud. The defendants pleaded that there was 110 tender of conveyance : that they acted under the authority of the statute. The plaintiff demurred to this, pleading upon the ground that the action was to recover a sum of money, and not an action for specific performance of a contract. The judgment of Sir George Arney will be found in another column. The gist of it is this : that in such Acts the language is to be construed in the most liberal sense; that the Sheriff's jury only ascertained the price, aud that the notice in the first instance did not bind the commissioners to complete. The demurrer was overruled, which was in effect a judgment for the defendants. It is probable this judgment will be reviewed by the Court of Appeal at its sitting in .November.

The Auckland Horticultural .Society will hold its summer exhibition on the 20th of next month, at -which no fewer than one hundred and fifty-three prizes will be awarded for exhibits. These will be for the best specimens of their respective kinds for flowers in pot, cut flowers, fruits, and culinary vegetables. The prizes are of two classes ; those given to all comers, a?ul those to amateurs. No complaint can be made against the committee for excluding any class of flowers or fruits likely to be competed for, and although the awards are small, they are given to a class of exhibitors who look more to the honor of carrying off a prize than to the money value of it. We greatly fear the season has been unfavorable for exhibition of the many excellences which otherwise might have been looked for. In fruits, we cannot look for much. It is early in the season ; but we learn that notwithstanding the long inclement weather, we may expect a surprise from some of our most skilled and enthusiastic floriculturists. It is an exhibition which has always brought Auckland to the front, and never fails to obtain commendation from the many hundreds of persons who visit it.