New Zealand Times. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1874.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4241, 23 October 1874, Page 2

New Zealand Times. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1874.

A compilation has been prepared for the Melbourne Argus from the latest census returns of the various Australian colonies, showing their state, as regards population, public debt, trade, and settlement, at the close of the year 1873. It is of considerable interest, and though the table is long and elaborate it may bo summarised so as to afford a view of the state and comparative progress of the colonies referred to.

The total population of Australia at that date was 1,825,692. Victoria, though originally an offshoot from Now South Wales, now stands at the head of tho list, in this as in most other respiects, her people numbering 790,492, while Now South Wales has 560,275. South Australia, though settled very early, has not more than 198,257, and is almost rivalled by the young colony of Queensland, which can already boast of 146,690. Tasmania has also lingered in tho race, if not positively retrograded, for she claims only a population of 104,217; while Western Australia, which suffered so long from being a penal colony, has no more than 25,761 people to enjoy her newly-acquired freedom, and share the advantages of tho development of her great mineral and forest resources, which has gone on at a

very considerable pace since transportation ceased. The united revenues of these colonies amounts to £9,754,671, of which Victoria has £3,943, G9l ; New South Wales, £3,324,713 ; Queensland, £1,120,034 ; South Australia, £937,048 ; Tasmania, £293 753 ; and Western Australia, £134,832. The colonics range in the same order as to the amount of revenue raised by taxation. The rate of taxation, however, shows a different state of things. Queensland in this regard heads the list, the rate thereperheadbeing£4 os.2Jd.; in Western Australia, £3 2s. 7d. ; New South Wales, £2 9s. 4d. ; Victoria, £2 4s. 10|d. , Tasmania, £2 os. O.fd. ; and South Australia, £1 16s. 7d. The average is £2 Bs. 2d., and only two colonies, Victoria and South Australia, are under it. The aggregate public debt amounted to not less than £31,702,487 —a considerable sum certainly, and 'which in the early days of colonial finance would have been looked upon with some apprehension. Victoria, however, looks with no alarm on her £12,445,722 of debt, hut goes on with,the extension of railways, the building of docks, the construction of waterworks, the erection of bridges, &c., as if no such liability to the English and colonial creditor existed. Now South Wales, with her smaller population and revenue, has borrowed £10,842,415, and also goes on energetically with her public works, while site bids for prosperity, and the means of liquidating her indebtedness, through the expansion of trade and commerce under a system of freeing trade from oppressive imposts, and opening her harbors to traders in the most liberal way. Queensland, young as she is, now bears a burden of £4,780,850 of borrowed capital ; and South Australia lies under a liability of £2,174,900. Tasmania owes £l,477,ooo—borrowed partly for railway purposes, and partly to cover deficiencies in past years—and now rejoices in the fact that the railway expenditure has already told so favorably upon the revenue that tho island is ,in a better position financially than it has ever been since it has enjoyed a Constitution. Even Western Australia has entered the money market, though for what purpose has escaped attention, and is indebted the ■ modest sum of £35,000. The rate of indebtedness per head of the population is £32 12s. 7|d. in Queensland; £l9 7s. in New .South Wales ; £ls 14s. 10|d. in Victoria ; £l4 3s. GJd. in Tasmania ; £lO 19s. sd. in South Australia ; and £1 7s. 2id. in the western colony. The aggregate value of the imports was not less than £35,738,295. Victoria and New South Wales had by far flip lion’s share, those of the former being set down at £15,302,454, and of the latter at £11,815,829. South Australia followed with £3,829,830; Queensland with £2,881,720 ; Tasmania with £1,107,107 ; and Western Australia with £297,328. The exports were returned at £30,407,428; those of Victoria falling short of tho value of her imports by considerably over a million ; those of New South Wales, South Australia, and Queensland, considerably exceeding their imports in value ; but those of Tasmania and Western Australia ' also falling below the imports. Valued at per head of population tho exports showed the loading colonies to range thus :—Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales. The total value of the imports and exports was £72,145,723, Victoria figuring for £31,856,310, New South Wales for £22,904,217, Queensland for £8,417,089, and South Australia for £0,424,239. In Australia, at the close of last year, there were 1364 miles of railway open, and 15051- in course of construction. In Victoria tho linos at work extended over 458 miles, in New South Wales 401, Queensland 218, and South Australia 202. Of telegraph lines there were 18,448 miles; New South Wales having 0521, Victoria 3870, South Australia 3807, Queensland 3059, West Australia 900, and Tasmania 291. There were under cultivation 3,085,214 acres of land, of which there were not fewer than 1,225,073 in South Australia, 904,990 in Victoria, 450,825 in New South Wales, 324,105 in Tasmania, and 02,491 in Queensland. Western Australia, considering her limited population, stands very well in this respect, having 51,724 acres under crop. Of live stock the colonies contained—horses 737,511, cattle 5,123,458, sheep 45,790,270, and pigs 002,322. Victoria had most sheep, and New South Wales most cattle, horses, and pigs. These figures give a surprising view of tho progress of tho Australian group of colonies, when it is remembered that though the first settlement at ,Botany Bay was made in 1778, the Blue Mountains were not crossed and the pastoral country reached till 1813 ; that the first hut was built on the site of Melbourne in 1835, and that Victoria was not separated from New South Wales till 1850 ; that South Australia only dates from 1836 ; and that Queensland only became a colony in 1859. Now tho commerce of England with Australasia exceeds that with India and the East, which, only twenty years ago, was the greatest field for commercial enterprise England possessed.