Talk of the Week.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 245, 29 July 1876, Page 14

Talk of the Week.

Towards the close of the proceedings m the House of Representatives on Thursday, Sir Douald McLean read the following telegram from the Harbormaster at Port Chalmers : «At request of Postmaster I beg to report cause of mail steamer's detention. Heavy sea on bar, set up by recent S.E. gale in offing. Ship draws 21ft. Sin. Exact depth of water on bar at low water 174 ft., taken on 20th instant. Pise of tide yesterday barely sit.; rise to-day sft. 4in. Allowance for wave on bar 3ft., leaving no margin for ship to escape striking. I have been on bar to-day, which is still dangerous notwithstanding S.VY. wind, but sea going down. Am hopeful that the ship may get out on to-morrow morning s tide, tonight's being too late." Two exposures of the corrupt character of the Government were contemplated m the House on Thursday afternoon. Mr. Sheehan moved for a return of all sums of money paid from time to time to the proprietors of the Waihato Times newspaper during the year 18/6, showing the date of each of such payments and specifying the nature of the services rendered for which each of those payments was made. Also, that copies of all correspondence and instructions having reference to the recent refusal by the Government to permit Samuel Locke, Esq., a Resident Magistrate at Napier, to leave his office for the purpose of witnessing certain deeds, in manner required by the Native Lands Act, 1873, be laid before this House. Mr. Sheehan looked, when moving the above, as if here indeed were mits most difficult for the Government to crack. But Sir Donald McLean made no trouble about the matter, and laid the papers required at once upon the table, at the same time assuring Mr. Sheehan that if he would take the trouble to read them, he would find that he was laboring under a complete misapprehension. In the House of Representatives on Tuesday Dr Hodgkinson presented a petition from the inhabitants of Riverton, to which was appended the largest number of signatures that has been connected with a petition this session. The petitioners stated that they had lost confidence in the Provincial Government of Otago, from the long delay that has always occurred in attending to their wants or representations Riverton is not the only portion of Otago that has this kind of complaint to make. A recent issue of the Lake Walcatip Mail contains an article on the subject, in which some very strono- language is used. The treatment of the people of the district by the Provincial Executive is characterised as "brutish. _ Mr. Donald Reid is termed the Head of Provincial Executives, and it is stated that remonstrances to his Government are met with little else than sullen insulting replies. Just claims are ignored, and if a promise of any kind is made it is made only to be broken. This kind of treatment, it is said, dates its origin from the passing of the Abolition Act last session. The Mail declares that this is not a local matter, and calls on the people of the district to petition the House of Representatives in connection with it. We are glad to know that the tram-car engine system, proposed to be used on the Wellington tramways, has been giving the highest satisfaction where it has been tried in England. The Times of 27th May speaks in its favor thus : " During the whole of last week a new tramway engine was running upon the Dewsbury, Birstal, and Batley tramway hne lhe engine, which was manufactured by Messrs. Merryweather and Sons, of London, was attached to an ordinary car, and worked the regular traffic in its turn with the horse cars, o-ivino- every satisfaction, and not occasioning any inconvenience. It is entirely enclosed, and presents the appearance of a diminutive car in front of the other car, and is free from noise, smoke, or other objection. It is the intention of the Dewsbury Tramway Company to apply for parliamentary powers to work the traffic on their lines by steam. We may mention that similar engines by these makers have for some time been satisfactorily running on the Paris tramway lines." We understand further that Merryweather and Sons have lately completed an order for fifty tram-car engines, which are now running on the streets of Paris. Captain Tyler, R.E., the Imperial Government Inspector, in a report to the Board of Trade some time ago, showed that the employment of other than horse power on tramways would be an undeniable step in advance in avoiding the wear and tear to the road surfaces occasioned by horses' feet; and further on remarked: "As regards danger to foot passengers there can in no case be the same risk with tramway cars as with omnibuses, lhe foot-passenger has only to look for a car along its own track, while he must be on the lookout for omnibuses along every part of the streets which they traverse."

THERE has been laid upon the table of the House a return showing the area of waste lands disposed of in the several provinces of the colony from its foundation to the olst December ; also showing the amount of cash received. In some particulars absolute accuracy is not secured, owing to the records bein<v incomplete, but on the whole the ficmres are correct. It appears that in Auckland province the total area of waste land was 17 000,000 acres, of which 2,128,225 have been disposed of, the sum realised being (•Qi9 vss Otago comes next in total area, the return setting it down at 13,257,808 acres of which 1,795,274 have been disposed of; the receipts, not including cash paid for land sold before sth .July, ISSO (the amount of winch it would appear could not be ascertained) being £1,618,668. Canterbury's area of waste laud appears to have been 8,693,02 acres, 2014,696 having been disposed of. This is about the same quantity as has been disposed of m

Auckland, but the large amount of money received by Canterbury as compared with Auckland's receipts speaks volumes as to the past history of the two provinces. While Auckland received £312,22S for her land, Canterbury received £3,128,126. The area in Wellington is stated at 7,000,000 acres, of which 1,582,902 acres have been disposed ef, the receipts being £654,340, exclusive of receipts prior to 1850. The following are the figures for the other provinces : —Taranaki— Total area, 2,290,000 acres; disposed of, 66,758 acres ; cash paid, £34,335 17s. sd. Hawke's B a y Total area, 3,050,000 acres ; disposed of, 973,868 acres ; cash paid, £387,989 7s. lOd. kelson—Total area, 7,000,000 acres ; disposed of, 929,485 acres ; cash paid, £416,966 3s. 7d. Marlborough—Total area, 3,000,000 acres • disposed of, 887,127 acres ; cash paid, £270,319 2s. 6d. Westland—Total area, acres ; disposed of, 84,680 acres ; cash paid, £65,972 15s. Id. Southland —Total area, 2 780 592 acres ; disposed of, 877,981 acres ; cash price, £826,057 Is. Id. The totals for the whole of the provinces are as follows : —Area of waste land, 67,117,157 acres ; disposed of, 11,340,999 acres ; total cash received, £7,715,063.

In accordance with instructions from the Government, Messrs. Bailey and Pattison, actuaries, of London, have- made a detailed investigation into the financial condition the Insurance department of New Zealand. The Ordinary branch and the Industrial branch have been kept separate. After explaining the principles upon which they have proceeded, Messrs. Bailey and Pattison arrive at the following result as regards the Ordinary branch :—Fund, £109,967 ; estimated liability, £97,776 ; surplus, £12,191. Schedules are attached in which details are given. The report then goes on :—" Having regard to the rates of premium charged, we think that this result is satisfactory; but we wish to add that, in our opinion, this surplus would not be properly divisible. As no division is to be made until another five years have elapsed, the question does not now arise. But when that time shall come, we think that a further reserve will have to be made for the future bonuses on those policies on which a limited number of premiums only is payable, and which constitute about 11 per cent, of the number. If the loading on this class of assurances had been distributed equally over the whole term of life, and a corresponding reserve made on the present occasion, we believe, from some calculations we have made, that the surplus would have been materially reduced. The rates of premium are undoubtedly very low, especially at the older ages. They are below the prevailing rates in this country, and are lower than are generally charged by the principal assurance societies in the Australian colonies. No considerable surplus is, we think, likely under any circumstances to accrue from such premiums. Their sufficiency will depend mainly upon the cost at which the business will in future be conducted, and the rate of interest at which the funds will be invested. During the five years now under review, commission and expenses have absorbed more than 24 per cent, of the premiums; but by the last report it appears that the rate of expense for the year ending the 30th June, 1875, was 19;2 per cent., and there is reason to believe that it will continue to decline. If, however, the rate of interest should fall materially in future, we think that the rates must then undergo a general revision; and under any circumstances we think that the premiums at the older ao-es are too low and ought to be raised. On the Industrial branch they report—" The money transactions of this branch show a deficiency of £5Ol 3s. 7d. There have been granted 76 policies for assurances of £BIOS, paying in premium £5 ss. 7d. weekly. A valuation of these risks, made on the same as for the Ordinary branch, results in an estimated liability of £53, so that the apparent deficiency is thereby increased to £554. This of itself is unimportant, as the business has been started so recently, and the amount is small ; but it seems to us to be worthy of serious consideration whether the department should grant such assurances at all. The intention apparently was to undertake risks like those of friendly societies, or of the Prudential Assurance Society of London. But the object of the death payments in these societies is not family provision or business requirements, but almost invariably to provide a small sum of money (not exceeding £10) for funeral expenses. In the Prudential Society the average amount assured by each policy is a little over £B, and the average weekly premium on the policies issued last year about lfd.: but the assurances of this branch of the department belong to an entirely different'class, the average amount being £lO7. It is surely unnecessary to incur the trouble and expense of a separate organisation for such business as this. It is not easy to understand that persons in a position to effect these assurances can have any real difficulty in paying premiums quarterly, and it is surely to their interest to avoid the increased expense which a system of weekly collections must occasion.