The Star. FRIDAY, AUGUST 2, 1895. To-Day.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5326, 2 August 1895, Page 2

The Star. FRIDAY, AUGUST 2, 1895. To-Day.

The honourable gentlemen of the Legislative Council busied themselves yesterday with routine work, including the passing of the Cemeteries Act Amendment Bill through its final stages. In the House, it was announced that the debate on the Financial Statement would be begun on Tuesday, and then various local Bills were forwarded. When the Criminal Code Bill got into the Committee stage, interest centred in the clause which expressly stipulates that the convict Louis ' Chemia shall have the right to apply to the Court of Appeal for a new trial. This was opposed by two legal members, Sir R. Stout and Mr Bell, as an interference with the administration of justice, and by the Premier as establishing a dangerous precedent. Toe passing of the clause, however, was a foregone conclusion, as Mr Seddon himself admitted. When the Bill for amending the Coal-mines Act was under consideration, the member for Biccarton wanted to introduce a system of coal-mine nationalisation, and in connection therewith there was an amusing scene, wbich will be found described . by Our correspondent among the Political Notes. The House declined, by 38 to 14, to entertain Mr Russell's idea in connection with the Bill then before it — which, deals with the reporting of accidents and matters of that kind. There wbb an unlooked-for denouement in connection with the Defamation Bill, which waß hotly opposed by the Hon J. G. Ward on the ground that it would strengthen the hands of certain scurrilous writers-; and after a long debate the Bill was thrown cut by 32 to 20 * the labour of the Hon H. Feldwick, who framed the measure, thus being wasted. Finally the House passed the amending Bills, relating to the Criminal Code, the Counties and the Coal-mines Acts*

In view of the projected reciprocal treaty between New Zealand and Canada— the Dominion that occupies moat of the northern half of North America, that is sufficiently vast to possess within its borders a "Great Lone Land/ that has an area of close npon three and a half million square miles:; that has a population of approximately five millions, and that has given to the world evidence of unlimited faith in its own resources and of unbonnded enterprise, some statistical information will be of interest. The official statistics , at our disposal are, for the most part, to the end of 1893— sufficiently *'°up to date" to enable a fairly accurate idea to be formed of the resources and requirements of the Empire's greatest' colony. Taking, first, the population, we find that in the last census year, 1891, it waa found to be 4,333,239 ; so that an estimate of upwards of 5,000,000 to-day is perfectly safe ; while on the same basis the land in cultivation may be set down approximately at 29,000,000 acres. The railway mileage has grown from 2380 in 1868 to 15,060 miles in 1894; the famous transcontinental line having added appreciably to the total. The imports have grown in value, to more than 130,000,000d0l (the conversion rate being taken at £1 equalling 487dol), and the exports to upwards of 1 19,000, 000d0l in value; while tha shipping entered and cleared may be taken at about 11,000,000 tons per annum. "The trade ot Canada during the past ten years has been steadily progressive." The greater portion of its bulk is with the United Kingdom, for "the protective tariff of the United States has tended to restrict the imports from Canada, but has stimulated Canadian exports to the United Kingdom."

A summary of the principal articles imported by Canada during; the years 1889 to 1893, shows certain prominent features. The imports of flour and meal have steadily decreased, and grain of all kindß, which was valued at 9,000,000d0l (in round numbers) in 1892 had dropped to 6,000,000d0l in the following year; while the value of imported provisions, such as butter, cheese and lard, had dropped from 2,000,000d0l to 1,000,000d01. Wood and manufactures of wood remained fairly even, while the value of imported woollen manufactures has been on the increase in recent years, standing in 1893 at 10,967,091d01. The principal amount in 1893 was for iron and steel, and manufactures thereof, 10,140,050d01. All the foregoing items are dutiable. Among the free imports of 1893 were— coal 6,355,285d01, raw hides 1,947,836d01, and wool 1,651,140d01a. Turning to the 1893 list of the principal articles exported, we find lumber, 19,000,000dol; cheese, 13,000,000 dol; cattle, 7,000,000401 ; square timber, ftc, 6,000,000301 ; wheat, 7,000, OOOdol ; meats, 3,000,000dol ; coal, 3,000,000d01| codfißh and lobsters, 5,000,000d01. Then to much smaller values, salmon, horses, flheep, flour, barley, potatoes, &c. Of the total export value in 1893, 64,000,000d0l went to the United Kingdom, and 43,00Q,,000d0l to the United States, leaving

only about 10,000,000d0l for all other countries put together.

Ik the compilation from official sources published by the Imperial Institute in May, 1894, we find, with regard to wheat, that "From the exports of the past two years (1892-3) it appears probable that Canada will soon rank high among the wheat-growing countries of the world, i the increasing occupation of land in the ' Weßt having led to a corresponding in- ; creass of production." Aa to minerals, the ' coalfields of Manitoba and the North-weßt Territories alone are estimated in extent at 50 ; 000 square mileß. The position of i the Canadian coalfields on the Atlantic atid j Pacific coasts makes them even more im- i portant from a political than from a com- I mercial standpoint. The export trade, ! which consists chiefly of coal taken; from British Columbia to the United j States, amounted in 1892-3 to 308,232 1 tons. On the other hand, the imports [ amount to nearly three million tona I annually. The nickel produced in 1893 represented a value of 3,500,000 dol. Ores of iron exist almost everywhere, though as yet they are worked only on a very limited scale. Ab to petroleum, we are told that of late years the production has not been equal to the local demand, and large quantities of American oil are consumed annually in the Do* minion. As against this is an official statement that "the most extensive petroleum field in America, if not in the world, is believed to exist in the Athabasca and M'Kenzie Valleys in the north-west, and the committee of .the Senate appointed in 1888 to inquire into the resources of the M'Kenzie Basin, says in its report that this great petroleum field will assume an eaormouß' value in the near future, and will rank among the chief assets comprised in the Crown Domain of the Dominion."