LATEST NEWS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12707, 31 July 1919, Page 1

LATEST NEWS.

STORJIY 'WEATHER. SHIPPING AFFECTED. NAPIER, July 31. The weather continues very stormy. A heavy gale, accompanied by rain, commenced last night and . continues to-day. The Arahura, from Gisborne and Auckland, was unable to berth at the breakwater and her passengers were not Ended. Th© Tarawera is also in the roadstead. The Tangaroa- left fox Wanna last night but returned- to Napier after a couple of hours, Receiving a severe buffeting in the bay. The rivers are in high flood and are still rising rapidly.

A CENTENARIAN. NAPIER, July 31. William James Carroll, a native of Canada, an inmate of the People’s Home, celebrated bis hundredth birthday to-day. He has been a moderate drinker and a smoker - all his life. The following were the entries at the Addington Yards on Wednesday, last week’s figures being given in parentheses: Sheep 7561 (1994), cattle 445 (397), pigs 260 (426).

CUSTOMS DUTIES. WELLINGTON, July'3l. The Minister of Customs supplies th■: following information regarding Customs and excise heer duty collected per head of population during each calendar year for the last ten years: 1909, Customs £2 11s 7d; excise beer duty 2s 3d. 1910, £2 16s 4d and 2s 3d. 1011, £2 19s and 2s 3d. 1013, £3 0s 7cl and 2s 3d. 1913, £3 0s 6d and! 2s 2d. 1914, £2 19s and 2s 4d. .1915, £2-15s Sd and- 2s 4d.1916, £3 Gs 9d and 3s 3d. 1917, £2 18s -10 d and 3s XOd. 1918, £3 Is 6d and 4s 6d. It will be observed, said Mr Myers, that the Customs revenue per head, shows a gradual advance from 1909 to 1913, due to the increase in the value of imports, which in 1909 were valued at £15,674,719 and in 1913 at £22,238,302. Owing to the disturbing influence of the war on trade generally, the imports decreased in 1914 and 1915, and as a consequence the Customs revenue for those years also shows a decrease. The year 1916, however, was a .record one for Customs collection, the rise in the prices of imported goods and the increased rates of duty, which included primary duty imposed by the Finance Act, 1915, being responsible. In 1917 further increases were made in the Customs tariff. The extra duties collected per head, as a result of Unaltered rates, compared with the total Customs revenue per head are: 1913 (previous year), £8 Os 6d am blank. 1914, £2 19s and blank. 15fi5, £2 15s Sd and Is Sd. 1016, £3 6s 9d and '7s 9d. 1917, £2 18s lOd and 9s. 1918, £3 2s Cd and 18s 7d. It will bo seen, continued Mr Myers, that the average annual Customs revenue for the last four years has kept up to a pre-war level, the average per head for 1915-16 being about £3 la Sd, as against £3 Os 6d for 1913. Excise beer duty increased by about 100 per cent in 1918 compared with pre-war years, due almost entirely to the increase in the rate of duty from 3d to nearly 6d per gallon. NON-SUITED. The Efficiency Implement Company (Mr Purnell) was non-suited in its case against the John Swinson Company [Mr Johnston), in the magistrate’s cotirt before Mr T. A. B. Bailey, S.M., this afternoon. Plaintiff claimed £167 13s 4d for alleged breach of contract. Defendant, it was alleged® had contracted to show a picture film advertisement of a patent plough lift throughout his circuit blit the film was not what had been contracted for and was not shown the requisite number of times. Mr Purnell was unable to produce the original contract, and the magistrate said he could not go on with the case as it stood. Costs were allowed to defendant.