PARLIAMENTARY RETURNS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11716, 26 July 1901, Page 3 (Supplement)

PARLIAMENTARY RETURNS.

.Tot; annual report \of the Government In- J : surance Commissioner '■< for the year ended I December 31, 1900, just issued, shows that during the year 4263 proposals were received for the sum of £879,005, of which 321 proposals were declined or/ deferred. Of the remainder 3201, . assuring £650,129, were completed. : The annual '-premiums on these hew policies amounted to £21,418, in addition to single premiums of £495. . The number of annuities granted was 13, for the sum of £509 per annum. The. number; of policies;; existing at the close of the year wa5,40.368,' securing, -with bonus additions, the/ sum /of £10,639,978 at /death or maturity, and annuities either immediate or deferred of £27,222 / per annum. v The ■= income of the Department for • the year was £286,731 from premiums, and £136,955 from interest, making with other/receipts a [ total of •/£423,700. ;,/ Three hundred and | seven policies, /representing with bonus additions;- the sum \of £92,675, became claims during /the; year through the death of ' the persons insured, a less amount than ; has been : ; paid for any of /the previous /three years. •;. One hundred' and ninety-six/poli-cies matured during the year, securing with bonus/; addition the sum of £58,543. The accumulated funds on December 31 last were £3,139,957, being /an increase ; during- the year of £142,276. 1/The period ; of the tontine fund No. 1 expired on December/'3l; and the amount ;of £16,752 had been 1 distributed amongst those policyholders whose policies were in force at that date, the addition to the/sum: assured being £33,500. During the time /the fund was open 6237 policies, assuring /: £1,734,591, : joined,/; of which 275 became claims by death, or about 4£ per cent, of ; the number entering; /310 surrendered, and 2103 lapsed, leaving ; 3549 policies assuring £994,427, inJ force at the close of the period. . . The ; numbers of stock condemned and slaughtered under the; Stock Act Amendment. Act, 1898, were as follows : Horses, 1 ; cattle, 2960; swine,/ 634. -;; The sum Vof £4902 was paid 3in compensation. "-'<•■-; The total sum received in respect of the disposal of carcases was £907.; An interim return shows the number of '; sheepv in the • colonv on April 30 last to be/20,186,784. This is a total increase for the year of 831.589. / The increase is largely; in the South Island, viz., 618,238, while the : increase in the North j Island is only / 213,351. The biggest {increase ; in the colony is in,the Canterbury- i Kaikoura district, viz.,/ 390,811. '';■:- In / Otago the increase is • 196,056 ;'■ in Auckland 7749. /1 A table showing the business of the Post | Office Savings/Banks for /the year 1900, I gives the total * deposits ' for ;■ the - colony as being £4,170,428 1 from;' 347,056 depositors, as against £3,644.980 ; from 313,783 deposi- j tors for the . previous year. ':'■■>'. In : 1870 .the j total was £264,328 from 20,489 depositors; : i in 1880, ; £664,441 from r 81,660 depositors ; and : 1890, £1,658,543 from 162,938 depositors. The total amount of withdrawals in 1900"'; was i"■ £3,827,416,':■-; and •";' in;-// 1899 £3,417,298.' ; The figures at the chief centres were as follows :— 1900 —Deposits :': Auckland, £607,933; / Christchurch, i, £782,613; Dunedin, £618,372;; Wellington, £805,143. Withdrawals : Auckland, £552,046 ; Christchurch, '■: £741.563; Dunedin, // £568,611; Wellington,; £728,473. , The cost of management last year was : £10,500, as / against £9500 ,in 1899, £8500 in 1898, and ? £8000 in 1897.

A return, called for by Mr. Millar, showing 5 the value "\ of / all freehold lands ; in the colony at March : 31,/ 1900, / and the total : amount of ; mortgages -on freehold * registered at ithat date; showed that at the date mentioned there were 1-10,805 owners.'representing a capital value/of-£109,708,003. In 1892 there were 91,501, with a capital value of < £92,371.166; while in 1889; there were 84,547, with a" capital value of; £84,208,230; The total amount of mortgages on > freehold, registered " : at March 31 4 '.' 1899, was £35,032^10. /:: The statement of liabilities presented to the House by the Auditor-General shows an unusually large total for the year, amounting to no less a sum/than £1,537,528,' the Con- , solidated i Fund ■ showing £206.828 and the Public Works Fund £1,292,095. Last year the total was £632,471. :•;-. The totals' since 1891 are: ' 1891, =£362,690 1 1892;: £420,730';', 1893, -1 £327,778 * 1894, £345.227 ; 1895, £349,879; : 1896, £290,596;/1897, £392,170; 1898, £537,942 ; 1899, £562,922. . ' ;/Up to March"3l last 388,493 acres of land had been acquired rby ; the . Government for settlement.. The .total; cost of this was £1,866,971, and ; the , roading ; liabilities" amounted to ,'£30.000,' making a grand total; cost of £1,896,971. The land acquired during : 1890 , was as follows: For workmen's homes, : 902 acres; for ordinary settlement, 82,974 acres. :;j The total cost of /this,' exclusive of roading and survey, was £356,850. This produced 177 farms and 150 workmen's homes. :/ r The area of land now under negotiation for purchase is:—For i ordinary settlement, 144,000 acres; for workmen's homes, 750 acres. ■ ■■■■ : ''. . ;■ A return has been presented to the House showing the number of civil servants, railway a servants; /; and,/ other /persons employed. by / the ■; Government " and ; the amounts paid to them, in each of ; tie four provneial ,* districts during the year > ended March 31'• last.//' In the ?; Auckland ; district, the number was 2218,, and the amount paid £265,936 15s :8d; :in the Wellington; district the figures are 3885, and £497,503 I4s lOd; Canterbury, 2492, and £300,315 19s Id; Otagd, 2940, and £328,172 16s 9d. The total number employed was 11,555, and the amount paid, £1,391,929 6s 4d//f_ > ; ; ■;' The total amount of bonus paid curing the year ended /March' 31, ; 1901, under the Fisheries Encouragement Act, 1885, on eccount of cured fish exported from the co ony since the passing of the Act is £10,981 15s 4d, ; distributed over : the ; various provincial districts as follows: —Auckland, i £4535 13s 6rl ;. Wellington, £238 0s 5d ; Marlborough, £61 v 18s 6d; Westland, £529 2s ;? Canterbury, £82; Otago, £5473; 3s 9d; Southland, £60 17s 2d. " ' :