THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 1907. THE CUSTOMS RETURNS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13455, 4 June 1907, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 1907. THE CUSTOMS RETURNS.

An analysis of the Customs Returns made at the Port of Auckland for the..month of May shows that we, have every reason* to congratulate ourselves upon -the, trade ; and pros-1 pects of the province. For not only does the collection of Customs duties yield an increase which . reflects a notable rise in the influx of goods purchased abroad, but the greatlyincreased exports prove that the province is not only justified in its purchasings, "but is keeping its trade balance on the right side. It is not always wise" to : buy with borrowed] money,' although there are conditions under which borrowing' is businesslike and - profitable. ; But however justifiable it may be to , borrow for developmental purposes, and in order to produce more largely and more advantageously than would otherwise be possible, it is always more pleasing to see advantageous production actually in progress and to watch wealth accumulating by the well-applied industry of our own citizens. This is what is going on throughout ;.; the province at the present time. Whichever way we turn, to whatever industry we look, : the outlook is - most encouraging, the actual results most reassuring. Agriculture is outstripping mining, but mining itself is improving; and though the more advanced methods of working the land are similarly coming to the front, the ' primitive forms show an unabated activity. "This means, of course, that new lands are being taken up as fast as the Government will allow, and that the satisfactory prices, with the slow improvement ; in means of communication, are encouraging harvestings in directions that have been hitherto closed. Since this activity depends upon > increasing production we may reasonably conclude that unless unforeseen disasters close our markets it will continue unchecked for an indefinite period. As we have so often pointed out, our prosperity depends now upon the throwing open, of all usable land, including all mining opportunities, f and upon the bringing of our industrious producers into civilised communication with the : port. Upon this depends the expansion of the metropolis—with all that means to our workmen and tradersas Well as the settlement of;the country and the comfort of our country population. We can never tire of repeating that it is owing to -the fruitgrowers of the North, the dairymen of the King' Country, and the prospectors of * the - Urewera Country/ that the building trades are briskly employed about Greater Auckland, and that shops and factories are clamouring for labours instead of ■' turning it hungry away. If the' Customs Returns were more intelligently read and more" carefully examined, we should have greater respect shown | by our city dwellers for the opinion of the country people; and 'should soon See the last of the suicidal attempt to defeat the legitimate aspi-' ration of the farmer to call ho man master upon the land he tills. ■■■ ."'■'• The duties ? collected at the Auckland Customhouse during last month exceed those collected during- May, 1906, by 30 per cent. ; the exact figures are £60,725, as against £46,58.'3. Every penny of this goes into the Consolidated revenues. As the increase is due wholly to the greater productivity, arid consequently greater purchasing power, of the Province, it is an object-lesson .upou the interest possessed by the

entire colony in the development of the North. One would imagine, to hear the answers received when the claims of the North are being I pressed upon the Government and Parliament, that; money expended upon ) our provincial railways, roads, and bridges was a clear gift from some beneficent Departmental authority. .;,: In reality, no money expended by the Government shows as great or as swift return. • Such useless lines as the Midland—with the five-mile tunnel for which tenders are : now being called—are being built by virtue of the contributions made ;by Auckland to the general revenues of the colony. Had a fair ; amount of interest been taken in this most profitable province by the : Administration, had money been spent here on sorely-needed railways and roads as freely as it is being wasted in hopelessly unprofitable direction, had Mr; Carroll been compelled to unlock the Native Lands, the May receipts of the Auckland Customhouse would have shown an increase not merely of 30 per cent., but of 60 per cent. For the explanation :of this increased national income "derived through Auckland is not hard to find. In the same month of May we sent away gold worth "' £150,000 t\ and silver worth £27,000 being £22,600 for gold and £7400 for silver— in allincrease upon the export during the previous May. Our butter exports swelled ) from under £2000 to over £18,000; cheese from £900 to £1100; beef from under £1000 to over £4000; lamb from £6000 to over £6800; flax from £30,000 to £37,000. Those are great increases, but do not include a number of items in which there were no exports in the May of 1906, prosperous as that month seemed to be at the time. Among these items we have, for last month: Gum, £80,700 ; wool, £12,800 timber, £10,000; tow, ; £2500; tallow, £3800; hides, £3000; and other smaller items. When we see this remarkable and sustained increase, in productively and remember that the province, in'; addition, produces ; most of the necessities - of life ' for all * its inhabitants, ; this giving birth to a, great internal trade and to .many remunerative local industries, we have good ground for feeling j proud of the North. It is now admitted that this Province is destined to be the most : populous, because the most productive,, part of the colony; and it is being realised that because Auckland Province is behind it, : Auckland City will be always the greatest industrial, and commercial centre in New Zealand; This makes it ail the more necessary that our reasonable claims 'should be favourably considered, for it is the districts ; that have a future 1 before them which will most speedily and surely repay the spending of public money in developmental work. > :