SOUTHLAND'S YEAR

Southland Times, Issue 17232, 31 December 1912, Page 2

SOUTHLAND'S YEAR

TWKLVK MONTHS IN FIGURF.S. CONVINCING STATISTICS. The most comprehensive information concerning the progress or decline of a country’s commcricai importance is generally obtained per medium of statistics, | and for that reason any reliable figures j conveying details of any form of administrative activity are of more than passing interest. Southland has in the past furnished many evidences of the advancement being made in the direction of trade, population, etc., and the figures for the year 1912 are no less interesting than have been those applied to previous years. Progress is typified on every hand, and the figures are a true refiex of the actual position and the information given below can carry nr, other impression than that steady advancement is being made. CUSTOMS KKVKNTK. At the end of 1911 a record year was chronicled in respect to Customs revenue '• and it will be a matter of general satisi faction that the figures for the year 1911’ show a substantial increase in import trade. Fast year there was an increase I of £5856 over the previous-year, and Ibis j was characterised as a record year. An increase of £6142 hits now to be recorded, and in view of the many circumstances to tie considered this will he accepted as eminently satisfactory. In the first place a great deal of the revenue in 1911 was due to the importation of tramway construction material, hut this year no revenue has been derived from this source. Then again, there is no surtax to record, whereas in 1910 it made a total of £2OOO, and in 1911 £521, The removal of these amounts would, if the revenue was otherwise normal, mean a substantial decrease in the total, and the fact that they do not enter into consideration this year, makes the increase till the more significant. When the Licensing Act was amended in 1910 it was expected that the ! beer excise would decrease, and this it 1 did last year, when it declined as low as j £1707, but during 1912 it has advanced to I £1876. and these figures make it praetic--1 ally equal to the amount collected In this I manner two years ago. The position of i the year as compared with previous years is clearly indicated by the following figures:— Duties. Kxcise. £ £ I 1907 .. 92.720 1.597 ' 1908 .. 82.817 1.792 9.91 2 dec 1909 .. 78,154 1.95(1 5.019 dec 1910 .. 91!,341 1,765 15.016 inc ■ 1911 .. 99,252 1.707 5.856 inc 14U2 .. 105,296 1,876 6,143 inc Of the £6OOO increase £4OOO or thereabouts can be assigned to the March quarter, which, in consequence of the reaction after the 1911 strike at. Home, was j an exceptionally busy shipping period. Goods which had been held up for some I time came to hand in large quantities and consequently the Customs DepurtI ment was more busily engaged than or- | dinarily. The Increase being assignable ] to the March quarter creates a someI what peculiar position In regard to the 1 revenue. According to the records re--1 lating to the calendar year tVe increase ! has been about £6OOO. while according to the financial year, which ends in March, the increase is only about £IOOO, which shows that trade was. for various reasons, spasmodic in its movement. Taken throughout the figures may be taken to show that there is a large increase in ; general trade and indicative of advancement in many directions, j H. AND C.A. BOARD. ■ The Hospital Board has been one of the busiest local bodies, and a good deal of important work has been, done at the various institutions under the Board's control. The figures relating »o the Southland Hospital show an increase on ; the- uurnbe:' of patients under t.rgtment. Du mg the year electric light lias been ins ailed, and so far. has proved to be less expensive than gas lighting for an institution like the Hospital. The Board is also taking the necessary steps to have an up-to-dam isßHxry drainage system installed, and hope to have it well in hand early in the new y. ! ar. Owing to the Lege number of cases in the 80, id’s ..Institutions whose xiiqienta are of a chronic naV-tre. accomm»(&U>n ffor the treatment of such rates lourgently required, and the Board’s architect la at present going into this question, as well . , wetter of ii.’uiocsd laundry facilities At the c.-.'t HotpHal -ire ar has been a busy pne, and the accomnjooation lor male patients has been fuH,» taxed all the time. The ertetion ef an Isolation ward for me s-eria l cases is at preaent being proivtdcd with and jibouid relieve the presswfe senter.hat. During the year Matron Yeiin- wise has acted in that car?.city since the Institution was op-..-. id in 1999, r«e*g«ed. Sister Smaill of the sr.Te institution was appointed to fill '.he vacancy. The tests under treatment in the La>es HoacHr/.s show a slight decrease on "Le aanwes ot the previous year, so fa- as me rvnxallpu Hospital is concerned, white the Anew Hospital figures an about the same. During the T**r * ; new watt. - service from Lake Wakat*r<t I has been ’ ought in to the Wakalipu Hospital, f cd arrangements are being ; made to light boih Institutions with 1 gas. CL:s?wise no expenditure of a j capital nature has been incurred during 1 the year. Nurse Ferguson at Arrow 1 Hospital resigned, during the year, and | her place was filled by the appointment i of Nurse Spring, of Ashburton. and I Nurse Clare, of Wakatipu Hospital, has j also resigned, and so far no permanent j appointment b».s been made to fill 1 the vacancy. j The number of inmates accommeaaetd j at Lome Farm shows a slight decrease \ on the figures for the previous year, nevertheless, ihe staff has had a .r.'sy | yen*. The Board during the year ln--1 stalled an up-to-date .sanitary drainage system and the treatment of the sewage by means of a septic tank. This work was planned and supervised by Mr R. i Bleakley. the Board's Health Inspector, who must he congratulated on the satisfactory way in which Hi- system has worked since it was installed. During the year (he Board appointed Nurse .Somerville. District Nurse at Stewart Island, Iter services during the past 12 months while working under other control having proved satisfactory to the residents there. In connection wltti charitable aid, the figures for the year 1912 show a slight decrease on those of the previous year. This reduction in expenditure is largely accounted for by the coming into operation of the Widows’ Pension Act. which reduced the direct calls for assistance on the Board’s funds.. PUBLIC HUALTH. The following figures for the years 1911 ami 1912, and which cover the areas comprising the Counties of Southland. Lake and Wallace arc of interest, as showing the number of infectious case, notified to the Board during the periods stated; I9IL 1912. Cases Deaths Cases Deal Its Scarlet fever 7n 1 122 9 Diphtheria .. 5 J I 27 2 Bnleric fever 9 2 •! 1 Tuberculosis .. 22 14 22 1 6 Oth'T infectiousdiseases .. Hi 2 6 2 Totals .. 175 21 192 22 An accurate impl'e-sion of the work done by the Board, and in the Board’s insl i union-. may b,- obtained from the following 'cry satisfaetorv figures; --Sou i It 1,-; nd Hospital,— Patients Tt' ated. No. of I toaUts. i fas .... *>:;.• 1 909 .... 5 1 ’ 1910.. 5114 Hill .... 6u4 58 1 912 .... 7 28 6t —Gore Hospital.— 191 n ... . 1 HI 12 - 1911 .... 122 14 19)2 .... 109 1. j - Wakatipu Hospital.— 1910.. to 6 1911.. 70 4 1912 52 2 Arrow Hospital.— 1910.. to I 1911.. 72 1 1912 . . . . VI 4 New l-'cve.- Hospital.— 1 9 ! n ... . 9 1911 . . . . 'll 1912 2 1 Lorn" Karin.— Admitted during 191! 7 1 ; Died during 1911 8 . Admitted during 1912 45 i Died during 1912 8 I Remaining 21st, December, 1912 .. 100

—Hospital and Charitable Aid Statistics. — Local Bodies Levy .. .. 1003 £5066 Local Bodies Levy .. .. 1010 £6343 Local Bodies Levy .. .. 1011 £5784 Local Bodies Levy .. .. 1913 £5099 Total cost outdoor relief 1909 £954 Total cost outdoor relief 1910 £IOO3 Total cost outdoor relief 1911 £llOB Total cost outdoor relief .1913 £934 Xo. of persons relieved .. 1909 313 Xo. of persons relieved .. 1910 196 Xo. of persons relieved .. 1911 175 Xo. of persons relieved .. 1913 101 Average weekly expenditure on outdoor relief (1911), £u, ns Bd. Average weekly expenditure on outdoor relief (1912). £l3 Hs Cd. BANKRUPTCY. The statistics relating to bankruptcy are no less interesting and by comparison with the figures for previous years show that 19)3 was by no means abnormally large in the way of bankruptcy. In only one instance was any considerable amount involved, and the total for the year, while being somewhat larger than that for ’the previous year, is small when compared with tito figures for 1910. The statistics for the past four years are as follow : 19011 .. .. .. .. 38 1910 41 191] 11 1913 .. ' 16 VITAL STATISTICS. Perhaps the most interesting statistics of all are those concerning the number of births, deaths and marriages which lake place in the province during the year. The returns for 1913 show that there were fifty-four more births than in 1911 and that the marriages were six less than during the 1911 period. Deaths, however, increased to the extent of thirty-six. The figures for the past four years are as follow : Births. Deaths. Marriages. 1909 .. 688 217 198 1910 .. 674 234 219 1911 .. 718 239 338 1913 .. 772 275 332