The Hastings Standard Published Daily. SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 1897. A STATISTICAL STORY.

Hastings Standard, Issue 276, 20 March 1897, Page 2

The Hastings Standard Published Daily.

SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 1897. A STATISTICAL STORY.

For the cause that acks assistance, For the wrongs that need resistance, For the future in the distance. And the good that we can do.

Are the circumstances* of the colony improving ? If we sought answers from the opposing camps of politicians to this very pertinent question, we should get colored statements of little or no value. Thus if Ministers were appealed to for information we have not the least doubt that we should be told that the outlook was magnificent, that real estate had increased in value, interest rates were low, work plentiful: that our pastoral industries were improving and that generally the people were happy and contented, disturbed only by the dim prospect of a return to power of a Tory administration. The other political camp would say that the outlook was anything but promising, that industries are languishing, trade fiat, speculation dead and that the people instead of being happy and contented are fretting for a change and are anxiously looking forward to the time when the " spoils to the victors " system of (lovernment will be. at an cud. Political views on such an important matter, must necessarily be unreliable because of their partisan character, and those who take any interest in the subject and desire to know whether <>r not the circumstances of the colony are impro\iiig, must look to other "sources for reliable data and then perhaps a fair conclusion maybe arrived at. Figures may, it is said, he used to prove anything, yet in dealing with a question of this character there is an eloquence in numerals that is not to be slighted, and in probing the matter we are indebted to the New Zealand Trade Review which deftly handles in no i>essimistic humor a mas?* of otlicial figures. The statistical story disclosed by our esteemed contemporary is far from"assuring though not alarming, the opinion* of politicians notwithstanding. The- He\i< w thai- with the figures ; for ,~e*,en years ending with the [ HOth September, IMMi, the periods best : calculated for statistical comparison, ' and shows that the exports of New ' Zealand produce which was valued at ; £9,611,082 in IHS',I'JO, receded to a ■. faiiie of A"y,205,055>, a decline g^j

£435,873 or about 5 per cent. In the year 1894-95 the value of the produce exports was returned at £8,557,069, so that last year there was an appreciable recovery. It is of course ivell to remember that there has been a steady fall in prices more particularly of frozen meat and wool, but the decline in value is more than compensated by the increased production. Thus the export of wool increased from 102,522,1551b5. in 1880-90 to 128,809,6781b5. in 189596; frozen meat from 852,753c-wt. to 1,087,229cwt. last year. The greatest decline was experienced in grain and hemp, the value of the former fell from £1,156,795 to £374,009 and the latter from £152,602 to £88,507 in the two extreme periods of comparison. But as we have said, this is more than made up in the increased output of several other lines which go to make up our export trade, thus the increases of the following for the year 1805-96 compared with 1889-00 are as under Wool and sheepskins ... ... .£208,816 Frozen meat ... ... ... 288,584 Gold 328,709 Kauri gum 108,799 Butter and cheese ... ... 156,559 Total 1,085,967 Against this must be set the decline in the value of grain amounting to £782,786 and hemp £418,095, making together £1,201,881 or £165,914 more than the net increase given by the five lines of produce enumerated above. But the total loss in the export trade amounts to £435,373, so that our minor products which do net admit of classification shrunk to the extent of £269,459. The statistical story fails to show any enterprise upon the part of the people of the colony, no new industry is being started or developed and we are relying upon our pastoral and mining industries to furnish us with the means for paying our way. We must continue to increase the output of wool, frozen meat, butter and cheese, kauri gum, and gold to balance the inevitable fall in prices, or 'seek the aid of new industries to prop us up. The Review, commenting on the unsatisfactory position, „ays: "It is thus shown that in spite of the increase in some lines, our trade whether considered as a whole or apart from any or all of the more important products, is not not only making progress, but actually not doing so well as in 1889 and 1890. We are not pessimists, but there is no wisdom in blinking at facts, and it is only right to draw attention to the position. What is the reason for this retrogression '? If sheep and grain are not so profitable as of yore, how is it that new industries are not taken up by our farmers'? The statistical story is not completed without referring to the balance of tiade. The excess of our exports over our imports goes to discharge our obligations to the foreign creditor, and here again a comparison shows a lamentable decrease. Thus the balance of trade in 1889-90 was £3,955,714, and in 1895-96 only £2,601,174, a fall of £1,354,540. This surely is sensational enough to make us sit up and contemplate the position with all seriousness.