MONTHLY SHIPPING SUMMARY.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3213, 2 November 1867, Page 6

MONTHLY SHIPPING SUMMARY.

Foreion shipping business has been dull during the month, but in the coasting trade we have considerable briskness to report. The weather has been unusually boisterous and squally for the season of the year, and it was nob until the past few days that auy seasonable change was observable. The foreign arrivals have been twelve, and the departures thirteen, representing a tonnage register of 4,501. Of the arrivals five have been from Sydney, o'ue from Kiohmond River, one from Hobart Town, one from Adelaide, one from England, and four from the South Sea Islands. Six have brought general cargo, three cotton, one breadstuff's, one produce, one fruit, and one maize. The departures comprise three for Sydney, two for Newcastle, one for Richmond River, three for SoutfrSe i Islands, one for Callao, one for Uobart Town, onefor New Caledonia, and one for Lyttelton. Of these, eight have left with general cargoes, timber, &c, and the remainder in ballast. A further analysis of the arrivals and departure! foreign will l>e found below. In the coasting trade considerable briskness has been exhibited, an impetus having been afforded by the opening up of. the Kawakawa coal miues. Six vessels having been ' taken up for the trade, and the number is expected to be largely augmented in a few weeks. The,cattle trade on the coast has likewie afforded increased employment for vessels, and both have served to diminish our foreign imports to a marked extent, and consequently le«aen the number and tonnage of foreign-going vessels at thi^ port. The Thames-trade has kept three steamers and a perfect fleet of coasters in constant employment, with every prospect of a permanency. A General Government Gazette of the 21st ultimo contains the shipping returns for the quarter ended the 31«t of March last, from which we compile our usual analysis. ' The returns from all the ports show a decrease over those of the previous quarter, arising from the fact that the period represented comprises the dead season of the year ; whilst another cause for the decline in the foreign trade at this port is^ found in the gradual development of our own re-' sources, as evinced in the rapid increase of our coasting trade. The latter, of course, takes no part in the register of shipping chronicled in the Gazette before us, but goes far to lessen the number and tonnage of foreign vessels arriving here with imported produce. The decrease in the number of coal and grain-laden vessels is an example of this, the former having been supplied from mines opened up on our own coast, and the latter attracted elsewhere by an augmented demand and more remunerative markets. Auckland has invariably stood foremost amongst the ports of New Zealand, not only in the number and tonnage of vessels freighted with export goods, but in the number and tonnage of vessels entering the port j but the present returns show * slight decline on both. If, however, they were not exclusive of the local and inter-provincial tr«ffio, of which there is no record, the totals would be greatly iu our favour, as the foreign trade cannot be said to represent anything like the actual business of the province. In no New Zealand port is there to be found so numerous a fleet of coasting vessels— a fleet which will vie iu number i and excellence of build with the registered shipping of »ny Australasian port j whilst the constant inI create of the number, by additions from our building ' yards, ii evidence of the profitable employment

available for this class of vessels. The ports of Russell, Kaipara, Manukau, Mangonui, and Hokianga have their independent returns, trhioh. ouehttobeaddedtothose of Auckland in order 131 3 arrive at the actual exports of the province. There are a!eo timber mills *fc ofcber places along the coast than those enumerated, which freight vessels from Southern and foreign ports, for which Auckland is ■ot credited. An example ia point has come under our observation during the present week. The 'Thane of Fife,' which cleared out from Whanganui, is taking in about 100,000 feet of sawn timber at the Mercury Bay Mills for Dunedin, and of this no record will be made by the Customs, in consequence of the place— like many others on the coast from which timber is constantly exported not being a port of entry, or otherwise under the Burveillanoe of the Customs authorities. These facts servo to render unreliable the data from which the growth and prosperity of the place is read at a distance, and have not unfreqiiently shown us to a disadvantage in comparison with other places. The returns before us show that, from those places on the coast which are declared ports of entry, no less than thirteen foreign-going vessels are notified as having cleared, without mentioning the large inter-provincial and Auckland trade, which is carried on with the whole of them. Of the above one only has left in ballast, eleven with cargoes of timber and produce for British possessions and foreign countries, and one with a similar cargo for the United Kingdom.