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New Zealand Mail, Issue 866, 5 October 1888, Page 28

The amount of Customs revenue collected during the last month (with the exception of the port of Tauranga, the returns for which are not yet in) was L126,77114s lOd the four principal ports contributing as follows :—Auckland, L 34,377 5s 9d; Dunedin, L 29,505 18s3d’; Wellington, L 19,413 16s Id ; Lyttelton and Christchurch, L 18,858 18s 4d. For the corresponding month of last, year the amount received was L 106,866 6s lOd. For the previous month (August) the amount collected was L 136,628 3s Id. ” For the six months of the financial year just ended the amount collected was L 684,143 5s 6d, the deficiency as against the estimate being L 29,190. / -

The fieer duty collected during the past month amounted to L 3538 18s Bd, and for the samci riionth of last year the amount was L 4084 13s 9d. For the month of August the amount received was L 3623 4s 6d* The ariiounts collected at the four principal ports -during last month were as follow :—Dunedin, L 768 17s 2d ; Auckland, L72917s lid:; Lyttelton and. Christchurch, L 620 Is Id ; and Wellington, L 416 13s 6d, Tfie Treasurer’s estimate for the six mouths gone by was L 25,500, tfie amount , collected for that period being L 22.464 Is 7d, tfius showing a deficiency of L3o3fi 18s fid on that item. The winter half-year, however, is considerably the worse of the two half-years as regards beer duty, so this shortcoming will probably be made up by 31st March.

.With reference to the works which are proposed to render the Dunedin-Christ-church railway safer by avoiding the dangerous cliffs between Waitati and it may be worth while to meritjpn that the interest on the cost (£16,000) fif this worjs will come to exactly the same as fi/g,ow yearly paid extra for the inairitenancy' apq. superintendence of the tariff line, owing, to its exceptional character. Thus tfie eplqnirii exchequer will not suffer, while tfie lirio wifi firi jnade virtually safe.

Tjeie Cabinet has rpceritly b.eeu considering tfie amalgamation of departments. As the result of their deliberations, tfie Public Works Department will be abolished very shortly, The railways will be placed under' the control of the Working Railways and the Harbours and--Marine Departments will be amalgamated, while the unemployed will fie placed ..under the Survey Department. The alterations will involve the dis missal of a' number.of officers, and the estimated annual saving is LIO,OOO. The Public Works Department are at

> 1 ■" ■ - present not spending more than L4OOO per month, and Ministers are of opinion that they have funds in hand sufficient to carry on for three years, or one year longer than -was anticipated.