QUARTERLY RETURNS OF NEW

Otago Witness, Issue 490, 20 April 1861, Page 10

QUARTERLY RETURNS OF NEW

ZEALAND. (From the Neiv-Zealander, April 6.)

The usual quarterly returns for the colonyhave been published by the Commissioner of Customs, bringing down the account to the close of the year 1860- The Customs' receipts throughout the colony show a steadily progressive increase. The total revenue for the December quai'ter amounted to £51,358 19s. 2d.; as against £44,607 6s. 10d., for the corresponding quarter of the year 18.39, — the increase being £6781 12a. 4d. The total of Customs revenue for 1860, reached .£189,167 15s. 10d., that for the preceding year having been £168,315 18s. 4d., thus showing an increase of £20,851 17s. Sd.

The Provinces have not, however, contributed equally to swell this total. In some the revenue for the last quarter exhibits a decrease. Wellington and Napier respectively show a slight falling off, whilst at Otago the receipts have nearly doubled ; the comparative increase at NNcrw r Plymouth has also been great. The Auckland contribution for the quarter, reached £15,805 17s. 10d.; increase, £924 2s. 1 d. ; our total for the past year — being £59,131, as against £55,054 os. lid. for 1859— is less than one-third of the gross total for the colony by the sum of £3224 18s. 7d. only, whilst our increase upon the j-ear docs not amount to onefourth of the gross increase.

The value of Imports in the quarter was for the colony, £299,090 ; of this Auckland took £105,637; that for the year is £1,548,133, against £1,555,030 for 1859; of the former ninount the Auckland share was £460,030, of the latter £412,001.

The value of Colonial Exports for the quarter is £47,873, (one-half of which nearly is to credit of Wellington), as against £04,984 for the con-epponding period in the preceding j'ear ; the total for 1860 is £588,953, as against £551,484 for 1859. The Auckland contribution for the last quarter is £12,657, and for the year, £91,152, against £19,189, and £106>28 respectively for the December quarter and the year 1859. From the ports of I-lokianga and Kaipara (in this province), the exports for the lattei' period were of the value of £31,(510, whilst in the year 1860 they were £9517 only.

Roundly then, the whole value of the export of the colony last year, as shown in the returns, amounted to more than one-third of the whole value of the imports. At Auckland the value of the exports was less than one-sixth of that-of the imports ; at Taranaki it was less than one-tenth ; at Wellington it was more than one-half; at Napier the value of the exports was to that of imports a<* three to one ; at Nelson the exports reached nearly to onehalf the value of the imports; at Canterbury to more than one-third, whilst at Otago the proportion was over one-sixth.

Weighed in the " balance of trade," New Zealand, as we fear, would be found wanting, some of its ports might even be declared to be, economically, " nowhere." If it were proposed to ascertain by what test the relative conditions of the several provinces,' the true believer in its virtue would be sorely puzzled if he found, as indeed he might find, that in those places Avhere, a priori, according to his rule the greatest prosperity ought to prevail, a very different condition of things obtained. As we are at present merely summarizing facts aud figures, we have no time for expounding colonial paradox.