THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 1889.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9452, 24 August 1889, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 1889.

The well-known statist of Victoria, Mr. Hayter, has just published a sheet of Australasian statistics, bringing the figures down as late as possible. These are of great importance as bearing on the question of relative taxation, of the accessions of population which the different colonies are receiving, etc. The populations at the 31st December, 1555, were :—Victoria, 1.050,869 : New South Wales, 1,08-3.740; Queensland. 357,453 : South Australia, 318,303 : Western Australia, 42,137 ; Tasmania, 146.149 ; New Zealand 007.350. A part of the table shows the recorded arrivals and departures by sea. In most cases there is a surplus of arrivals over departures, but here are exceptions. South Australia shows —arrivals, 12,637 ; departures. 12,750; practically an equality. For Western Australia the figures are— arrivals, 1593 : departures, 2794. The heaviest difference is m New Zealand, which during the year 1553 had—arrivals, 13,003 ; departures, 22,781, showing a loss of 9175. As might naturally be expected, from the " boom," Victoria had the largest accession of population, the arrivals amounting to 102.032, and the departures to 60.229. It is a fact, however, that not one of these Australasian colonies is receiving the accession of population that ought to be coming into a new country. Taking the whole of the colonies together, we find that the arrivals amounted to 24-5,529, and the departures to 153,230. showing an excess of only 65.-SSQ. A steady accession of population means a steady increase of wealth in the best form. Every immigrant brings money, less or more ; and. moreover, when he conies he is a worker and a payer of taxes. What be brings is a clear addition to the wealth of the colony, and we do not need to send interest out of the colony for it. Every immigrant also lessens the weight of taxation on each individual in the colony. But under the present extreme democratic form of government, immigration has been stopped and discouraged. Immigration is the natural and proper means in a colony for the increase of wealth. Of late years, however, wehave entirely discarded that in favour of what appeared to us to be the better and easier plan of incurring debt. Working-men and their organisations saw in immigrants possible competitors in the wages market, overlooking many other considerations. It is not very easy for us now to resume immigration, for we cannot invite people to come to a country where the taxation is light. But the whole matter will have to be looked at soon, and -we shall endeavour to begin again building up a people. In regard to public debt, we do not stand at the head, but we may console ourselves with the fact that we are a good second. The figures are :—Victoria, £34,627.352 : New South Wales, £44.100,149 : Queensland. £25,540.950 : South Australia, £19.147,709 ; New Zealand. £40.225.537. It will be seen that we are headed only by New South Wales in amount of debt- The total revenue of New South Wales is, however. £5.886,360, while the total revenue of New Zealand is £3,791.533. More than that, the amount raised by taxation in New South Wales from 1,055,740 people is £2,651,853 : in New Zealand the amount raised by taxation from 607,350 people is £2,200,093. It will be seen, therefore, that the amount of revenue in New South Wales, apart from taxation, is far and away beyond the resources of this colony in that way. Turning to the vital statistics, we find that New Zealand holds the premier position. The death-rate in the different colonies per 1000 of the population was as follows : Victoria, 15"34 ; New South Wales, 13"54 : Queensland, 14.66 ; South Australia, li"83 ; Western Australia, 15"91 ; Tasmania, 14'il ; New Zealand, 9"43. The hard times we have had is manifested in the record of the marriages. While the figures for Victoria were 874-. and for New South Wales. 7.37, New Zealand returns only 5.97. We give the figures on the important point of amount of taxation per head of population :—Victoria, £2 19s 2d : New South Wales, £2 10s 5d ; Queensland, £4 3s Sd ; South Australia, £2 6s 6d : Western Australia, £4 5s Id ; Tasmania, £2 16s 3d ; New Zealand, £3 12s Sd. The average taxation per head of population of all the Australian colonies is £2 15s Id. The records of the debt per head of population stand thus: — Victoria, £31 14s lOd ; New South Wales, £40 12s 4d ; Queensland, £66 13s lOd : South Australia, £60 3s id; Western Australia, £30 5s 3d Tasmania, £30 0s lid; New Zealand, £66 4s 7d. In comparing this colony with New South Wales as to the amount of debt it must not be forgotten that we have to raise almost all our revenue by taxation, while New South Wales out of a total revenue of £3.586,360, raises only £2,651,853 by taxation.

We conclude with some comparisons in a department in "which this colony appears well. The average produce per acre of wheat, in 1888, was as follows : —Victoria, 7 , 10 bushels ; New South Wales, 47(5; Queensland, '89 ; South Australia, 3"85 ; Western Australia, 10'50 ; Tasmania, 27'97 ; New Zealand. 29'59. Oats : Victoria, 14"20 New South Wales, 13 77 ; Queensland, S"Go : South Australia, 60; Western Australia, 23'42 ; Tasmania, 27*97 ; New Zealand, 29'89. Everyone who looks at these statistics must see that New Zealand has enormous capacities in production, but also, that it has placed itself under very considerable disadvantages, even in comparison with the other Australian colonies, who have all been sinners, more or less, in the same direction.