TARANAKI.

Wellington Independent, Volume XV, Issue 1408, 24 February 1860, Page 3

TARANAKI.

By the Overland Mail we have received Taranaki papers up to the llth inst We extract the foilowiug from ihe Herald of the llth Inst: — Statistics. — The Registrar General's statistics of the colony for the year ended 31st December, 1858, comprise iv addition to the descriptions of information {riven in previous compilations, the Census taken simultaneously throughout the colony on the 24th December , in accordance with the Act of the General Assembly. The previous general Census was taken in 1851, and during ihe intervening seven years the white population (excluding the population of Stewart's island, the Chatham islands, and the military) increased from 28,707 to 59,277; the aggregate numbers of live si-jck from 299,115 to 1,727,997; the land under crop from 29,140 to 140,965 acres, and the land fenced from 30,470 to 235,488 acivs. This gratifying increase of the population has beeu attended by a corresponding diffusion of education, the centesimal proportion of the entire population able to re id and write in 1851 was 54 43, and in 1858, 6351, being an increase of 10 per centum. The tables relating to trade and interchange will not fail to be interesting to all readers. The total value uf imports has increased from £597,827 : 14 : 2 in 1853 lo £1,141,273 :6 : 10 in 1858, and the exports from £303,282 : 1 t 10 to £458,023 : 5: 9> Chief amongst the exports wool has increased from £66,507 : 19 to £254.024 : 10. The tot il value of native gold in 1857-58 was £92,886 2s 3d. Flax, of which so much has been talked about and so little done, yields the place to potatoes, the value of the latter export during 1858 being £33,056 : 13, and the former only £1510 for the whole of the colony ! The share of our own province h the above figures is for imports £32,503 t 12 : 10, exports .£11,023 14.3 — the chief ite ns consisting of potatoes £4,350 : 10 wool, £3016 :8 ; butter £852 ; oats, £552 : 2 : 6; and bacon £480 : 16. These iigures, however, afford no true criterion of the trade of the province which is considerable coastwise, chu fly with Auckland. A census, us far as could be ascertained, of the aboriginal native populatiou, taken between September 1857 and September 1858, places it at 56,049 (including that of Stewart's island aud the Chatham islands.) Of the<e, 11,134 are under the age of 14 years, leaving an adult male and female population of 44,915. The previous estimates of the natives were, as is well known, Rfeatly exaggerated making every allowance for their visible decrease in numbers, Euquiries into the cause have led to much speculation, but without eliciting any satisfactory solution of the problem. We should add ibat this province has a native population of 3015 — 1385 males over, 366 uuder 14 years of age, 964 females over, 300 uu.ier 14 years ot age. Ample testimony is borne lo the salubrity of the climate of New Zealand by Dr. Thomson, 58th regiment, and other gentlemen. The average temperature of the coldest month during the year in Taranaki was 4t>, and the warmest 64. The registered biiths were 2272 against 582 deaths, 179 of these under 2 years and 70 from drowning and other accidental causes. The deaths iv our own province with a population pf 2650 was 15 against 124 biniis. For details and information hey.md the brief outline we have given, we refer our readers to Dr. Ben- . ueits' valuable publication. , .

Steam.— At a Public meeting held at the Masonic- Hotel on Saturday last for thepurpose . of considering the best means of making steam communication available for the requirements of this Province, Dr. Neild was voted into the chair, and briefly stated the object of the meet-' ing. A desultory discussion ensued in which Messrs. Hnlke, Watt, R. Brown, C Brown, J. C. Richmond, A. King, W. Bayly, T. Hirst, and GU'dhill took part. It was stated that the J JJou fulfilment of an engagement entered into with one of our Farmers to convey his fatstock to Manakuu by the Airedale last trip was not properly attributable to any doubts respecting the we;. ther the captain having stated on his passage from Nelson, that he would serve the Taranaki people out for having deceived him on the previous trip. It was also stated, that when asked if the cattle could be shipped next tiip, he replied that if there were more cmi grants coining from Auckland to Otago, he would not take them ; and when remonstrated with, he cooly remarked that the Company had a monopoly for six years, and would carry what best suited their convenience. It was argued that a steam service dependent on the Cum pany's captains was not only highly unsalisfac tory, but constantly entailed* pecuniary loss on purchasers of fat stock for the Auckland market and that as the Coleman steamers failed to a fiord that regular steam communication wl'ich the hen C. W. Richmond hud promised the steam deputation should be secured to this pro. yince in the event of its being deprived of direct inter-colonial steam communication, even if the ' colonial government had to charter v vessel expressly to run between Mamikau and New Plymouth ; a representation to that effect < should be made to tbe coloi-ial Executive ' accompanied by a request that this Province i may be placed on the same foiling as Ahuriri, < and a steamer subsidised to run bi-monthly be- ' tween Manuka u, Taranaki and Wellington. * The agent of the Company stited that the < General Manager might be i-h >rtly expected I here, and if, on his arrival, a proper represen- < tation of the grievance complained of were 1 made to him, ho felt convinced that immediate I steps would be taken to afford this province its i full share of the benefits of steam communica- \ tion. Finally, it was resolved that the best ( method of carrying out the object of the meet- 1 ing, was to endeavour to procure a steamer to 1 run between Mannkau and the West coast i settlements southward of that port On the t motion of Mr. Hirst, seconded by Mr. Hulke, t Messrs. Gledhill, Watt, Weston, 'R. Brown and 1 Looney, were appointed a Committee to con- \ sider the question of steam communication for - this province, to make enquiries respecting a t suitable steamer, and to report to an adjourn- 1 ment of this meeting. 1