AUCKLAND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13180, 13 January 1905, Page 3

AUCKLAND.

'(Fboii Op* Own Correspondent.) January 7. His Excellency the Governor is leaving Auckland about the end of th% month to take up his residence for a time in Christchurch, having rented " Elmwood" from Mr R. Heaton Rhodes, M.IIsR. Before settling down in Christchu'rch the Governor will lay the foundation 6tone of. a new town, hall in luveroargill and unveil a memorial to fallen troopers at Oamaru. The holiday season in Auckland passed over with fewer accidents than usual in spite of, th® enormous tram, train, ana steamer traffic, espeeiallyin Christmas week, when the weather was fine and exceptionally suited for excursions. On the Saturday preceding Christmas Day there was a rcoor'd day's traffic on the tramways, the number of tickets issued for the day being 93,023. Previous to this tho record day's work was 87,712 tickets on the People's Day at the agricultural show, some two months ago. At Christmas time, however, tho Tramway Company had four additional cars on the road, and were thus able to cope better with the available traffic at all parts of the city and suburbs. .There are altogether 47 cars in the service, six of them being double-deckers. Each double-deekor requires six men working in two shifts, and tho 41 other cars require each four men working two shifts, so that on a busy day there are 200 men employed on tho cars and with, engineers, brakomen, car cleaners! inspectors, and clerical staff tho company altogether employs about 360 men. The manager states that in 1904 they carried about 18,000,000 passengers at fares from Id to 6d, and the cars ran altogether about 1,700,000 miles.

Judging from tho published reviews of the year's trade, Auckhnd has had a fairly prosperous year in 1904. There has been a largo influx of population from Australia, especially during the latter part of the yearj and though most of the visitors have come looking for work, they seem to havo been comfortably • absorbed without the city developing anything in tho nature of an unemployed problem. The provincial exports for the year, so far as available, are [about on a par with last year's, but the import trade shows an increaso, and Auckland's contribution to the Customs is nearly £30,000 more than in 1903, the total for 1904- being £669,243, compared with £639,577 in 1903. Li Bank deposits there was for the first 11 months of the year an increase of £34,134 at the Auckland Savings Bank, tho total deported for tho 11 months being £733,709. At the Post Office Savings Bank branches in Auckland there was a decreaso of some £7000 or £8000 in the deposits, and at both banks the withdrawals wero larger than usual owing to tho higher rates of interest and better opportunities for investment outside. The rate of interest at the Post Office Savings Bank was advanced to 3i per cent, towards the close of the year, and" with the beginning of the new year tho Auckland Savings Bank will -pay 4 per oont. on deposits instead of 3£ per cent, as formerly. The dairy industry is flourishing, and in spitir of a late season the first tlireo months show the quantity of buttor exported to he increasing at the rate of 1000 boxes per month. For tho general agriculturist tho year has been an avorago one, marred only by the appearance of tho potato disease, which played havoo with the early crops just at the time, when good prices are usually available, Tho kauri gum industry has got tt set-back during,the year, and' gold mining has not been so productive as in recent yearn. The output of kauri gum has been largor than usual, but tho export!) have met a bad market in London, and values aro from 18 to 20 per cent, less for ordinary quality and 30 per cent, less for poor quality than at the beginning of tho year, although tho stocks held in Auckland to-day aro estimated at just double tho quantity held at this time last year. Tho yield of gold from the Auckland mines for the year totals £834,880, compared with £902,503 at the same dato last year—a, decrease of £67,623, in spito of thy fact that the big Waihi mine, which contributed' £632,256 of tho total, shows an increaso of £13,557. Tho timber and building trades bave been good, with a slight slackening in building activity towards tlie eloao of tho year/ The factory industries have bcon mostly busy and on the increaso, but tho boot trade shows no sign of reviving, and' the effort to establish a glass-blowing industry in the city suffered a bad collapse during the year. Shipbuilding has lieen busy, and trade generally has been good, but it could hardly bo said that the progress of 1904 has been anything like so marked as was the case in 1903. There is still a deal of interest in tho discovery at the Waiotalii. gold mine at Thames, and there was quite a boom in Thames mining shares when tho 6haro market opened on Thursday last after tho holidays. Vvaiatahi shares, which in tho middle of December were valued at about Bs, sold this week at £20, but this was the turning-point in the market, for immediately that figure was reached thero was a gradual casing off in prices, no doubt owing to the lack of information from tho mine as to the actual value of the find. All reports agree that the show is a splendid ono, but there will bo no breakingdown for some little timo, the reason given being that the stone is too rich to break down indiscriminately, and Iho drive has first to be cleared up and other precautions' taken against losing any of tho rich stuff as it is shot down. Meantime the battery is running one shift on general oro from tho drive. There are 6000 shares in the mine, but these are to lie subdivided into 60,000 shares of a value of 6? eacli, tho object being to make them easier handled an the share market. It will • take quite a month, however, before the preliminaries in connection with this scheme can be carried through. Ancklanders are still wondering when summer is coming. At Christmas time everybody was rejoicing. The brightest of bright summer weather had' arrived after weeks of storm and" gale and rain, and it came just in time for the holidays. For two days the weather was of tho best, but before the old year died there was more galo and more wet,. and tho first sample of weather that the New Tear dealt out was bitterly cold and wintry, such as Auckland is seldom accustomed to oven in the Season when it might lie expected, not to speak of the period of the year whon Ancklanders have beon accustomed' to look for bright balmy days, is a. general wail from the drapery trade that their business in spring goods this year was a failure, and their summer goods aro now getting bad stock. For some years past the Auckland Volunteers have been handicapped in their shooting practice for want. of a suitable rifle range. The Mount Eden range has served its day, and*'in recent years has become so closely surrounded by houses that to continue it as a shooting range was really a source of danger. Only practice at tho safest ranges could be indulged in, and the Government was slow in providing another ranjo. Penrose was fixed upon after much delay, but the department had to go through the Compensation Court before it acquired tho necessary land. These formalities have been gon© through, and the range was hurriedly made available for tVs year's shooting meeting of tho Auckland Rifle Association, which took place on the second and third days of'tlie year. The new range will afford ample elbow-room for many years to come. It -is about a mile from Penrose station, and, considering tho necessity of getting away from the thickly-populated suburbs, it is conveniently situated for the Volunteers. Theiv 20 targets, with the waters of the Mu...i!;au Harbour behind thom, so that stray bullets will mostly find their way into the sea, There has, as yc-t, l>een no formal opening of the range, which will probably take place after the work has been completed. The Volunteers this year had to be content with some makeshift, arrangements, but they found this more convenient than having to hold the meeting at an inconvenient distance from town, as has been the case in tho Dast few years.

The returns of births and marriages in Auckland during the past year show a idecjded increase. The number of births registered in 1904- was 2540, compared with 2375 in tho provious year, and the marriages numbered 955, compared with 898 in 1903. The number of deaths in 1904. was 1015, compared with 1190 in 1303. With an increased birth rate,-a .decreased death rate, and: a large surplus of immigrants over emigrants, the population of Auckland should show a fairly largo increase for.the past year..

—It_ is expccted _ to rcach a speed of 150 miies an hour in the new tests which .will be made'on the high-speed electrio line ncr.v ; Berlin. ' The last experiments which "were made on the specially-laid tract from' Eerlib (Marienfeld) to Zosscn resulted in ,a speed o£ over 130 miles an hour. It appears 'that the project which has been .laid before the Prussian Minister of Public Works for constructing a high-speed electrio line between Berlin, and Hamburg is not considered as sufficiently praotical in the present state of experience. The authorities, do not wish to allow such a road tote"built without making a further seriei .of trials on .a smaller , scalp. .: Accordingly) ;it is 'proposed l to'carry on a new set otos. 1 oiy:thg :jjjje s - ; v: