AUSTRALIA PRIOR TO 1893 75 an industry, a bank, a company, or business of any kind, scarcely even a private individual who was not subjected to severe strain and painful loss.” * [t constituted a difficult situation that called for both economy and exertion. Resolute national economy, and efficient management of the country’s resources, slowly and painfully made up the leeway. Even during a period of falling prices for primary products commodities to the value of nearly three millions sterling in excess of the annual average for the four previous years were exported. Thus, by the time that Australia was entering the Slough of Despond more or less precipitately, New Zealand had triumphantly re-established herself, Tare VIII New Zealand : Population, Trade, Borrowing, and Banking, 1872-91 Year 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 L879 L880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 Popula~ tion. Millions. 0-280 0-296 0-342 0-376 0-399 0-418 0-433 0-464 0-485 0-500 0516 0-538 0-559 0-576 0-589 0-602 0-605 0-617 0-626 0-634 Imports. £m. 5-14 5-47 8-12 | 3-03 390 | 397 3.76 3.38 316 7.46 3.61 1.97 7.66 7-48 576 5-25 5-94 3-30 3-30 8-50 Exports. £m. 5-19 5-61 5-25 5-83 5-67 3-33 5-02 5-74 5-36 3-06 5-66 7.10 7.09 3-82 5-67 5-87 7-77 3-34 3-82 2-57 Per cent. Exports over Imports. 109 87 64 72 82 90 69 88 102 81 7 R9 92 91 98 109 131 148 156 Public debt. £m. 10-0 10-9 134 174 187 20-7 22-6 24-0 28:6 29-7 30-2 31-4 32:9 35-8 37-6 38-2 38-3 38-6 38-8 29.8 Reserves of banks. £m. 3 1-8 1.6 ‘6 6 9 9 9 2-2 2-0 9 RY 2-0 21 72 23 2.3 2 2.5 "YT Percent. Deposits |Reserves of banks. over De- £m. 208il8. 3-8 4-7 56 6-0 6-2 72 £.9 R-0 R5 9-1 9-0 8-7 9-6 10-1 10-6 11-0 11-2 11-5 12-4 12-6 34-5 33-6 28-4 27-4 26-0 25-8 21-0 23-9 25-4 22-7 21-3 21-6 21-0 20-8 20-5 21-3 207 19-2 20-4 19-0 In their bearing upon our main purpose, there are certain features presented by this conspectus to which attention may be usefully directed at this point. If capital loans do enter the 1 Pulsford, ibid... 9.