H.—24

12

Statement of Prevailing Peices of Stores and Cost of Living on Gumfields. Floue, 13s. to 17s. per hundredweight; tea, 2s. to 3s. per pound; sugar, 4d. to sd. per pound; tinned meat, Is. 4d. per two-pound tin; fresh meat, 4fd. per pound. This applies alike to Crown and private lands. The variations in price depend partly on quality and partly on facilities of conveyance. Cost of living: Generally 10s. to 12s. weekly.

Price of Gum. In many instances we have found that the price given by the storekeepers for gum was as high as the Auckland quotations. This may be in part explained by the practice of picking the gum after buying it, by which means the storekeeper can make a profit on the better qualities. But the more usual custom seems to be to give 2s. less than the Auckland prices.

Statement of Gum License-fees collected for Digging on Crown Lands. £ s. d. To 30th September, 1888 ... ... ... ... 254 10 0 31st March, 1890 ... ... ... ... 105 10 0 31st March, 1891 ... ... ... ... 125 6 6 31st.March, 1892 ... ... ... ... 171 0 6 31st March, 1893 ... ... ... ... 83 10 0 30th June, 1893 ... ... ... ... 8 10 0 £748 7 0

Total Export and Value of Kauri-Gum from 1856 to 1892 (kindly supplied by Mr. H. Edmonds).

Approximate Cost of Paper. —Preparation, not given; printing (1,400 copies), £8.

By Authority: Samuel Costall, Government Printer, Wellington.—lB93. Price 6d.~)

Year. Tons. Value per Ton. Year. Tons. Value per Ton. 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1,440 2,521 1,810 2,010 1,046 865 1,103 1,400 2,228 1,867 1,943 1,989 2,157 2,640 3,940 5,226 4,684 2,619 2,196 £ 13 14 11 10 9 11 10 20 28 24 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 3,133 2,192 3,450 3,421 3,273 4,775 5,276 4,899 6,375 6,537 5,646 4,560 6,453 8,396 6,973 7,.517 8,661 8,404 £ 30 to 39 22 to 33 26 to 32 28 to 36 31 to 70 25 to 65 30 to 48 40 to 49/10 40/10 to 62/10 41/10 to 57/15 25/10 to 50/10 26/10 to 53 34 to 59 26/10 to 46/10 33 to 46 42 to 57/10 40/10 to 63/15 46/10 to 73/10 No record. a 23 to 28 22 to 27 18 to 30 30 to 45 144,345