CURRENT TOPICS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7929, 12 October 1911, Page 6

CURRENT TOPICS

AUCKLAND CITY VALUATIONS. The proposal of the Government Valuation Department to revalue' Auckland city this year has been sanctioned by the Minister and is now being carried into effect (says the “New Zealand Herald"). Mr F. G. Ewington, the wellkr.own Auckland land agent, is associated with the Government valuer in making the revision. Tho valuation list tor Auckland city was last revised in 19071906, the gross capital value, comprising land and improvements, as assessed on March.3let, 1803, being £10,000,176. This total included ,£5,530,062. representing tho unimproved value of the land within the city boundaries. Since then the value of the new buildings erected during each year has been added to the gloss capital value, and at March 31st last tho valuation was .£10,674,543, an advance of £674,337 during tho three years. No allowance having been made in the recent assessments for tho marked advances which have taken place in tiro unimproved values of the city since March 31st, 1903, it is expected that the assessment for 1911-1912 will show a remarkable increase. A competent authority, speaking to a “Herald” representative on the subject, estimated that an advance of between .24,000,000 and £5,000,090 would be shown. “You see,” he said, “land in tho business area, which was selling at £4O and £SO a foot in 1907, when the last valuation was made, is now selling at £l2O and £l5O a foot, while in Queen street, during the same period, tho values have gone up from £4OO to over £6OO a foot.” The assessments for the city for 1911-1912 will also include the value of the new buildings erected duirng the twelve months.

JAPAN’S ASPIRATIONS.

"The Japanese intend to control the Pacific Ocean, and as soon as England and Germany go to war and bleed themselves -white and helpless Japan will step quietly in and will take charge of the Pacific." This startling declaration was made by Mr Robert McMillan, the editor of the " Stock and Station Journal," who returned to Sydney from America by the Manama last week. " When the United States announced its intention of annexing the Hawaiian Islands," he said, "the Mikado protested, but the Japs were regarded as of little account, and the annexation went on all tho same. Japan at once worked quietly, and began to take peaceable possession of the islands. Now there are 79,000 Japanese in Honolulu and four Japanese newspapers. Nearly all these Japs are trained men —veterans of Japan's wars — and they drill oven now, quietly, but systematically. America, on the other hand, has 300 soldiers in Honolulu. The Japanese live like fighting cocks. They control the labour market, and they have charge of the islands. They are about fifteen days’ sail from Australia, and are unquestionably a menace. . I yisited Honolulu ten years ago, and tho difference is remarkable. There are Japanese everywhere, and you know when you “sit down to a meal that tho man who brings you your soup is a military officer,, and that there are military men all round yon." BOYS THE WEARER BEY. An investigation by the Commonwealth statistician <Mr G. H. Knibbs) regarding tho deaths of infanta within twelve months after birth has given some interesting and unexpected results. By examining the general trend of improvement in male and female mortality, it was observed by Hr Knibbs that the rate for 1910 of males dying was only 58.5 per cent, of what it -was in the year--1881, while for females it was only 63.7 per cent. He states that as this advance lias been made the fact has come out that with improvement in infantile mortality it is increasingly difficult to save male life as compared with female life; tho disadvantage increases in the ratio of tho square .of the numbers of years intervening after 1880. This means that, so far as the indications of the last thirty years are concerned, it (will he more and more 'difficult to make anything like as satisfactory advance in tho saving of male infant life as' for female life. The rate at which children die on successive days per 100,OCO births is no fewer than 840 for the first day, 489 for the second, 259 for the third, 173 for tho fourth, 123 for the fifth, 65 for the tenth. *l3 for tho twentieth, and 28 for the thirtieth day for Australia; and no fewer than 3117 die within twelve months out of 109,000 born aliyo, both in Australia and Sweden. In Saxony the number reaches G 767. It has been possible to carry on this examination only for tho last two years, tho methods previously followed not being thorough enough to enable a study of this kind to ho made. In a community where tho life of children is valued the results will express themselves not bo much in the high birth rate aa in a low rate of infantile mortality. Countries remarkable for very high birth rates are, unfortunately, remarkable also for very high infant death rates.