WHERE IMPORTS COME FROM

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21335, 30 November 1934, Page 12

WHERE IMPORTS COME FROM

Unexpected Origins THE WORLD SUPPLIES NEW ZEALAND Many unexpected facts about the origin of New Zealand's imports arc contained in the annual report of trade and shipping. Of last year's imports half came from Great Britain, an eighth from Australia, an eighth from the United States, a twentieth from Canada, one twentyseventh from the Dutch East Indies, and one-fortieth from Japan. These are the first six of the list in order of value, the next six being India, Ceylon, Germany, Sweden, France, Nauru Island, and Belgium. The exports to Great Britain and France were three and a half times the value of the imports from those countries, and from Belgium two and a half times the value. The exports to Australia, the United States, and Canada were worth only half as much as the imports from those countries, to Japan threefifths, and to Sweden one-sixth. Makers of Clothing One of the remarkable features of the imports is the number of unexpected countries—unexpected; that is, to the man with no special knowledge c' the trade—from which articles of clothing and boots and shoes are obtained in substantial quantities. These include not only the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and the United States, but Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and Japan, with all of which the trade in these goods runs into many thousands of pounds. The origin of many imports is different from what would be expected. Olive oil, for example, comes from France, and not from Italy, and its value is more than £SOOO. Macaroni and vermicelli come from Australia and Canada, each country providing about £BOOO worth, and sago and tapioca from Malaya. Almonds come from Italy and Spain, peanuts from the Dutch East Indies (peanuts, by the way, grow underground like potatoes) and walnuts from China (£13,000 worth of them). Opossum Skins from Brazil New Zealanders drink 100 times as much Ceylon tea as China tea, the imports being £400,000 worth of the one and £4OOO worth of the other. British West Africa supplies cocoa beans worth £21,000, and India and the Dutch East Indies raw coffee worth £IO.OOO. Very little beer is imported, but of this 10 times as much comes from Great Britain as from Germany. Opossum skins, with a total import of £3OOO, come not from Australia, whose contribution is only £7 worth, but from Brazil and the United States. Cork comes from Spain and Portugal, hemp from the the Philippines, and kapok from the Dutch East Indies. France supplies red clover seed, Poland seed of other clovers, and South Africa lucerne seed. Very little dairying machinery comes from Denmark, but a great deal from Sweden, although Denmark supplies £SOOO worth of other machinery. Germany and Switzerland supply the greater part of the import of clocks and watches, although the chief items from Switzerland are such manufactured articles as drapery, silk, satin and velvet piece goods, boots and shoes and hat-maker./ materials. Dates come from Iraq, figs and raisins from Turkey, and "nuts, edible," from Italy, China, Spain, and—naturally—Brazil.