Title: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Otago & Southland Provincial Districts]

Author: Cyclopedia Company Limited

Publication details: The Cyclopedia Company, Limited, 1905, Christchurch

Part of: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand

License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 New Zealand Licence

Comparisons.

There seems to be considerable doubt as to the exact dimensions of the settlement of Otago in its infancy. The first records of the population may be gathered from the notes made by Mr. Burns during his first clerical visitation. From this is record it appears that during 1848–9, there were in the district eighty-eight houses containing ninety-three families, or 444 souls. In addition, there was an aboriginal population in the Otago Block of 166 Maoris. But before the end of the year at least 150 new colonists arrived. By March, 1849, according to Mr. Monson's figures, there were 444 residents iu Dunedin and thirty-eight at Port Chalmers; while a country population of 263 brought up the total for the settlement to 745. The live stock included thirty-five horses, 357 grazing cattle, 2340 sheep, and 132 swine. Forty-three acres of land had been cropped; and the total value of the houses and household property in Otago was estimated at nearly £10,000.

By the second anniversary of the settlement, the population of the province was 1182, living in 202 houses. About 220 acres were under cultivation, and 317 acres fenced in. The stock comprised 921 cattle, 3408 sheep, and 732 pigs. The first official census was taken in 1851, and the returns show a population within the Otago Block of 1452, 805 males and 647 females; outside the Block, 189 males and 99 females; in all 1740 persons, 994 males and 746 females. Within the Block 1036 acres had been enclosed; outside the Block, 113 acres. There were 333 acres laid down in wheat, twenty-eight acres in barley, 267 acres in oats, 237 acres in potatoes, and 168 acres in grass. The stock list includes 241 horses, 2954 cattle, 2309 pigs, and 33,932 sheep.

A contrast between these figures and the record of Otago's Jubilee year is suffciently instructive. By 1898 Dunedin had a population of 48,000. The unimproved value of Otage land was estimated at £15,270,154; the improvements

Protected. Princes Street, Dunedin, In 1860. Muir & Moodie, Dunedin, photo.

page 6 at £10,259,776—total £25,529,930; a gross valuation superior to that of Auckland, though slightly exceeded by Wellington and Canterbury. The last shipping returns then available showed that vessels totalling over 418,000 tons had been entered inwards at Dunedin, and that about 451,000 tons of shipping had been cleared. For the same period Otago's imports were valued at £657,824, and exports at £2,014,896.

The gold export of the colony at the same period was about 264,000 ounees, valued at £1,042,000, of which Otago clamed a large share; for since 1857, Otago has produced in all nearly six million ounees of gold, valued at over twenty-three millions sterling. In every department of production and industry Otage has taken a leading place; and the rapidity of her growth is as remarkable as her prosperity seems likely to be permanent.

Another proof of the rapidity of Otago's expansion may be found by a reference to the shipping returns. In 1857, when the population of Dunedin was 890, the value of imports was £65,401, of exports £22,908; while the Customs revenue was £8218. In 1860 the imports had risen to £325,162, the exports to £80,268, and the Customs revenue to £31,769. The returns for 1861, after the gold discoveries, show a marvellous expansion; imports £859,733, exports £844,149, Customs revenue £93,199. Succeeding years show no such sudden change, but a steady growth and advance. By 1887 imports had risen to £1,721,840; exports, £1,901,661; Customs duties, £309,584. This rate of progress has not been maintained to the present time. Between 1891 and 1901 the value of Otago's annual imports did indeed rise from £1,758,406 to £2,587,944. But in 1901 the value of exports from Dunedin had fallen from £1,478,071 in 1900, to £1,463,237—a decrease of £14,834. But it must be added that this was much the smallest decrease in exports from any of the great provincial ceatres. Between 1900 and 1901 there was a falling off of £33,442 at Lyttelton, £145,569 at Auckland, and £401,432 at Wellington. Besides, it must be remembered that Invercargill and the Bluff are now Otago perts; and there the export returns rose from £741,750 in 1900 to £1,005,278 in 1901. Taking the provincial district as a whole, the continuous progress in trade seems well maintained, and this is the more remarkable when contrasted with the marked decline at other centres.

As a further proof of the substantial nature of Otago's prosperity the increase in land values in the district during the last decade should be called in evidence. At the date of the latest returns (March,

Dunedin From The Town Hall Belfry: Looking South.Photo by Morris, Dunedin.

page 7 1902) the capital value of land and improvements in Otago was considerably over £17,000,000, showing an increase since 1891 of about £1,700,000. The unimproved value of land for the same period shows a corresponding rise of about £1,300,000, and stands now (1903) at over £12,000,000.