REDUCED EXPORTS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1227, 8 September 1911, Page 4

REDUCED EXPORTS.

< The New • Zealand Products Exports Leaflet, No. 119, issued by tho Department of Agriculture, Commerce and Tourists, which furnishes the quantities and values of the principal exports for the month of August, enables us to institute a comparison of the returns for the eleven months of the current produce year, which in New Zealand extends from October 1 to September 30. The total of exports for the eleven months-is £17,848,275, as, compared with £19,693,593 for the corresponding period of 1909-10. The figures for each month compare as under: 1910-11. 1909-10. £ . £ October 720,333 822,248 November ... 1,041,183 1,070,401 December .... 2,101,709 1,850,025 January .... 3,026,016 2,815,421 February ... 2,31G,744 -2,902,778 Starch 2,492,318 2,009,221 April 1,459,331 2,213,209 Slav 1,824,211! 1,500,947 Juno 1,038,173 1,494,587 Julv ~.; 1,05:1,887 1,295,187 August 084,253 896,549

17,815,275 19,693,593 Of the decrease of £1,545,318, no less than £910,308 has been registered in the last three months, and during the eleven months the returns for December, January, and May are the only ones to show improvement. In the Departmental return the figures for the twelve months ended August 31 are given, and these show a total of £18,501,890 for 1910-11, against £20,407,605 for 1909-10, the decrease being £1,815,709, which is just _ a few pounds more than the deficit shown in the comparison of the eleven month's given. When the current month' 3 figures arc added to the total the deficit for the produce year will approximate to two millions sterling. Taking the figures as presented by the Department for the year ending in August, the exports of butter were valued at £1,677,190, against £1,G91,934; cheese £1,037,903, against £1,260,427: frozen beef, £333,354, against £064,377; mutton, £1,150,836, against £1,225,018; lamb, £1,913,853, against £1,902,196; hemp, £329,647, against £153,109; hides, £175,102, against £231,849; skins £785,003, against £872,090; tallow, £641,857, against £778,983'; wool, £7,156,127, against £7,949,431; and gold, £1,848,141, against £1,964,971. Unless, there is a substantial rise in prices it can hardly be hoped that the next produce year will give any better results, if we may judge from the reports from several districts. The weather has not been favourable' in some parts of the South Island, and the absence of rain is being felt also in parts of the North Island. There are fewer sheep in the Dominion, according to the sheep returns recently issued, consequently the wool clip will bo less, the exports of mutton and lamb will probably decline, and the same may be said of skins and tallow. The dairy industry, it is pleasing to note, gives promise at the moment of satisfactory the output of butifjr and cheese may help to repair the situation.