COMMERCIAL

Evening Star, Issue 7650, 28 June 1888, Page 3

COMMERCIAL

The amount of revenue oolleoted at the Cuatonhouse om eoods cleared to-day for consumption was L 1.072 1E« Gd. Mr J. Robertson, late of Lawrence, in his second letter to the «Tapanui Courier,' stitcs that he believes it would bo to the inter"t of New Zealand to establish a firm in Australia who would deal in nothing but New Zealand produoh. He gives the following instance of what tool: p!ace in Sydney to show what New Zealand produce bis to contend with :—" A grain merchant advertised New Zea'and long Tartar oats for seed. I called ai a purchaser, inspected said o.its, and found them to be worthless rubbish, although in bags marked New Z»a'and. I spoke out very plaiD, and told him that I had been nearly all my lifetime in New Zealand, but never saw a sample ot bits grown like that. He took me to another lot in baxs, marked similar, that 1 could recognise as New Z'aland-grown oits. Now, tho conclusions I dre-.v from whit I saw here, and by what I learned from others, wt re that they u ed New Zealand as a draw, and pawned nfl* to the unwary all the rubbish thr-y could at New Zealand price and as New Zealand grown ; and those that boujht the worthless rubbish weuld net deal in New Zealand grain again." The quantity of iron and steel imported by the United States troubles tho manutecturers and producers of that country. In snits of enormous protective duties the Americans are our lanrest customers. The ' Bulletin Of the Aroc-ican Iron and Steel Association, in commenting on the statement of the imports and exports of tho United State 3 for the fi-caJ year ended June 30, 1887, says:- " The figures relating to our imports of iron and steel have never been exceeded in magnitude except in 1880. The total imports in 1887 were nearly 100,000 tons greater than in 1885 and 1836 united. In 1887 we imported 1,524 CO4 gross tons aga'nst 1,445 941 tons in 18S5 and ISB6. Our imports of iron Oro in 18S7 were also larger than in both 1885 and 1886, amounting in ISB7 to 1 141,774 ero-jB tons, : against 1,127,113 tons in 18?5 and ISS6. Tho foreign ] value of tho abovo imports in 1887 amounted to j 42.251,f>35d01, but to this must be added tho cost of freieht and insurance, the duties and brokers' profits-a probable addition of 50 per cent.— makinsf a total of about 63,C00,000d0l as the actual cost to our people of one year's imports of iron and steel It must 1)5 noted, too, that the fieures we give do not inc'ude imports of machinery, firearms, and ether manufactures of iron and steel, tho value of which, if given, would very considerably increase our last year's contribution to the iron and steel manufacturer of Great Britiin and the Continent."—' British Trade Journal.'