EXPORT POSITION.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20333, 4 September 1931, Page 12

EXPORT POSITION.

THE DECREASE IN VALUE. Customs returns permit an analysis of the extent of the drop in the value of our exports of primary produce. Those relating to butter; compared with , tlie preceding season, ai'e: 1930. ■ 1931. . | ££ ■ I Milk Products 19,633,708 15,266,926 Pall for 1931 in value .. 4.366,732 Jt is interesting to note that the returns from.the export of. dried milk or powder (omitted in tho figures) were actually rather more this year than the total value of 1930, the: increase iu the returns being. £4279; .but the quantity exported' was greater, theYG was' more dried milk given for the money this year. Quantities of some other produce exported were decreased this year when compared with last, and did not, therefore, give an increased return, and among these may be included butter, phormium tenax, coal, timber, hops, sausage casings, potatoes, preserved milk, fish, pork, kauri gum, beef, rabbit skins and honey, and some of them were substantially reduced in quantities. On the other hand produce that was exported in greater volume but which returned less included silver, cheese, mutton and lamb, preserved meats, dried milk, apples, sheepskins and pelts, tallow and wool. As to wool and sheepskins and pelts, the position was :'.s follows: — 1930. 1931. •' £ £ Skins and pelts 1,670,039 882,716 Wool •• 8,156,309 6,195,127 Tallow ! .. 686,261 505,979 10,512,609 7,583,822 The fall for skins, pelts, wool and tallow for 1931, in value, was £2,928,787. In considering wool export value returns it should be remembered that at Juno 30th last, on the authority of Dalgety and Co., the quantity of wool withheld from sale in New Zealand amounted to 209,727 bales. Presumably this wool could have been turned into money, had its owners been. prepared to accept the low prices that were current at tho sales. Some of the wool was of the 1929-30 clip, but most of it was wool grown in the 1930-31 local sales. In any case, it was exportable. Some of this wool, it is commpn knowledge, was saleable at the time it was held back at prices above , those that wore current at subsequent sales; in other words, it was held back for a rise, whereas tho market fell and the opportunity to sell at the better price, low as it might have been, was missed. Tho falling-offi in the roturns from lamb and mutton is not so great in comparison with that of .some other products. The returns for tho two years were as follows: — 1930. 1931. £ £ Lamb . .. 6,884,717 6,523,543 Mutton .. 2,042,301 1,810,760 8,927,018 8,334,309 lieductiou in value of return for this year 592,701 But the quantities of each of these products exported this year were greater than those for the 12 months of 1929-30. A rough valuation of produeo available for export at Jnjpo 30th last is a3 follows: — fe Wool at £8 per bale .. 1,677,816 Butter at 108s per ewt • .. 1,016,388 Cheese at Cos per cwt .. 437,030 Total exportable produce, 3,131,234 If-the value of this held-over produce is deducted from tho £9,947,374 decrease in the value of exports for twelve months ended June 30th, 1931, it will show a shortage of £6,818,140—in New Zealand currency. Leaving out "of consideration imports and the exchange factor, the point to be remembered is, this, that the various estimates of exports of our main: prdduets / this season, so far from being worth anything from £10,000,000 to] £80,000,000 less this year than last, are, stated by the Customs to J>e reduced to under £10,000,000, and that in some instances,- not only the values but the ] volume or quantities of some of the products exported were less this year. The Customs returns of values of exports for,, the years .ended June 30th, 1029-30 and 1930-31 compare, as under:— Value- ■ Less this JT.Z. 'Produce 1929-30. 1930-31. year. • ■ £ ■■ £ £ Butter v 13,022,957 9,916,260 3,104,097 Casein .. 302,558 09,005 93,558 Cheese . 6,361,829 5,226,600 1,184,729 Fish .. 79,974 56,525 23,449 Honey .. 20,772 11,832 8,920 Beef, frozen 577,120 884,410 192,701 Lamb, frozen 6,884,717 6,523,548 861,171 ■Mutton, frozen 2,042,801 1,810,766 281,685 Pork, frozen 467,475 882,844 84,681 Other frozen meats .. 281,282 820,083 Beef, Baited 6,630 5,163 e 1,467 Meats preserved .. 143,277 334,919 8,058 Sausage casings .. 779,651 500,555 279,116 Milk, preserved 86,864 28,061 83,808 Milk, dried .. 285,837 290,116 Peas .. 101,700 61,061 ... 40,639 Oais .. 2,323 1,111 1,212 Apples, fresh 724.595 649,799 74,80" Hop;; • • 16,235 8,207 8,028 Potatoes .. 13,007 6,440 6,367 Live-stock .. 121,267 61,061. 60,206 Calfskins .. 201,233 103,567 37,731 Hides, lioife and cattla 874,646 285.166 76,646 Kabbitskins - 315,193 130,251 184,947 Opossum skins ■, 102,461 29,429 78,032 Sheepskins, with wool .. 383,5K 234,818 98,697 Sheepskins,-"with-out wool .. 1,336,5-M 647,898 688,626 •IVool .. 8,156.809 6,193,127 1,961,182 Phormium fibre 278,778 05,724 208,054 Seeds .. 167,781 186,491 Tallow .. 656.261 505,979 1 80,282 Coal 215,563 131,290 81,278 Kauri gum .. 067.954 124,168 133,796 Gold .. 544,939 519,795 25,204 Silver .. 46.110 83,810 12,270 Leather .. 8,722 7,607 1,115 Timber, sawn .426,505 185,€84 237.821 Other products 593,547 387,476 . 256,071 Totals ' £46,223,057 36,275,683 Reduction in the value of total exports New Zealand produce (excluding- re-exports) for 1931, compared with 1930, is £9,947,874. The item "Other products" in tlio above tablo includes tho folio - ,vin? for the year 1930-81: —Bacon and hams, £6032; meat cxtraot, £15.254; pears, £28.087; oniosjs, £849; tow. £10.909; linseed £1183; neatsfoot oil, £3166; fungus, £10.531; gelatine,' £1685; eqrgs. £142;- Imir, £3183; seeds, other (incluflinsr Vegetable and flowers), £3279. These returns do not include "invisible" nxports, such as money spent by overseas tourists and visiting ships' companies, and moneys received from beyond New Zealand.