The Star. SATURDAY, JULY 21, 1883.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4750, 21 July 1883, Page 2

The Star. SATURDAY, JULY 21, 1883.

Thb Quabibblt Bbtubms of Customs* Be venue, and from the Savings Banks, both tell the same tale of oommercial depecseion. The Ouitoms' Bevenue for the quarter jost ended was, in round numbers, £3_5,000. For the same quarter in IBS 2, the revenue wae a ew hundred pounds more. Thus, instead of that increase whioh our constantly- growing population ought to produoe, we find a small decrease. On the whole, we may congratulate ourselves that matters are no worse, fcr if the other large ports had shown the same diminution as has ocourred in Lyttelton the returns would have looked muoh more gloomy. For the spring quarter of last year the Customs' revenue in Lyttelton was, in round numbers, £59,C00| this year it is only £52,000. In Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin, there has been an ioorease, amounting in the whole to about £10,000. Thi« would seem to show that commeroial depresiion in Canterbury is greater than in the rest of the Colony. Among the seoond-class ports, Grey mouth and Invercargill show a decrease.

The Savings Bask aooount is the moat serious indication of the wave of depresiioa whioh is passing over the Oolony at pmcnt ; the amount deposited was, in round numbers, £809,000, while the amount withdrawn was £329,000. Thus £20,000 more was withdrawn than was deposited. When we contrast this with tho corresponding quarter last year, we find a most serious difference ; in that quarter £341,000 were deposited, whilo only £274,000 were withdrawn. Thug there were £67,000 more deposited than were withdrawn. Thiß shows that the savings of the peoplo have been most seriously diminished.

On tho other hand, the Postal revenue of the Colony has inoreased by over £11,000. And the revenuo from telegrams has inoreased £1200 during the past quarter, over the cor-i«-ponding quarter latt year.