TRADE WITH CONTINENT

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 71, 24 March 1928, Page 12

TRADE WITH CONTINENT

GROWTH IN FOUR YEARS.

PROPOSED DIRECT SERVICE.

BELGIAN REQUEST REFUSED.

(By Telegraph.—Special to "Star.")

WELLINGTON, this day.

An attempt to obtain a regular direct service between the Dominion and chief ports of the Continent of Europe has been made recently, but with no success. The. effort came from M. Armand Nihotte, the Consul for Belgium, who wished the service to be between Antwerp, the great Belgian port, and New Zealand direct, but the Overseas Shipowners' Committee has refused his request. The conmiittee's statement is that ships are sent from New Zealand to European ports direct whenever this is necessary. An examination of the figures of the Dominion's exports, however, reveals a different position. The trade of New Zealand with European countries is much larger than is generally appreciated. The following official figures show how much produce sent from the Dominion to London was re-exported from 1921 to 1925: — Year. £ 1921 2,700,000 1922 4,l>Ut>,(AJO 1923 3,443,000 1924 7.300,000 1920 7,41*5,000 Practically all this, states the official report, went to the Continent of Europe, lhus it will be seen that our trade with Europe through Loidon has grown by almost 200 per cenc in four years, and while the 1926 figures are not yet available, it was stated that they are expected to reveal a further increase. Most of the European trade, of course is wool. The following figures give tin total value of our wool exports for the years 1922-26 and the amount which was destined for Europe, and included in the re-exports given above:— Total European Year. Export. Export. £ £ 1922 U,552,000 * 2,790,000 10, f 104,000 4,103.000 15,287,000 5,467,000 17,739,000 4,749,000 11,830,000 Not available. Ihe shipowners state that there has been no request from European shippers for direct carriage of the exports from J*ew Zealand to European ports. It is inferred by them that the exports are small, but it will be seen by the above figures that in 1924 Continental buyers took over one-third, and in 1925 over one-quarter of the total wool exports. In addition to one-quarter of our wool exports in 1925, they took £2,500,000 of other goods. Mr. Nihotte intends to attempt to induce other lines to enter the New Zealand trade.