The Star. WEDNESDAY, 28th JULY, 1880. NEW ZEALAND TRADE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 31, 28 July 1880, Page 2

The Star. WEDNESDAY, 28th JULY, 1880. NEW ZEALAND TRADE.

Two facts have recently been brought very prominently before the country : the one is that we have to export annually money or goods to the value of £1.500,000 to meet the interest on the public debt; and the other is that since 1877 there has been a considerable falling off in the value of our exports. Within the last year it is true there has been also a decline in the value of the imports, but this we regard as a highly encouraging indication of the re-estab-lishment of a more healthy condition of trade. The imports during the past two years have reached the astonishing total of £8,755,000 in 1878, and £8,374,000 in 1879— altogether, in round numbers, £17,130,000. Of this amount no less than £4,338,000 either was or has to be paid for clothing, as ag-unst the comparatively small sum of £636,000 for railway, bridge, and telegraph material. With a view of ascertaining what prospect there is of the colony being able to meet the liabilities incurred by traders and by the State during the past two years, we have prepared the following table, showing the total value of the exports during 1877, 1878, and 1879, and have divided the list into classes, illustrative of the position of the more

important colonial industries in each year : —

It will be at once seen by the above that the balance of trade against the colony during the last two years amounts to about £5,472,000, and also that, judging by the returns of the value of our exports during 1879, the interest to be paid on the public debt will absorb more than a fourth of the total income derived from our exports.

Fortunately, the value of the grain exports of New Zew Zealand, according to a very moderate estimate, is this year likely to amount to at least half a million sterling more than in 1879. Again, the diminution in value of the exports is, in a great measure, due to a decline in prices, and not to a falling off in the quantities produced and sent away. This will be clearly seen by the following short table, which shows at a glance that the decrease in value is attributable, not to a falling off in the main products of industry, but chiefly to a diminution in the market value of wool, and to a diminished yield of gold :—

We find by calculation that in 1878 the wool exported was valued at 13£ d. per lb., as against 12d. per lb. in 1879. Exports of wheat were valued at 4s. lid., and of oats at 3s. lid. in the former, and at 4s. Id. and 2s. 7d. respectively in the latter year. It is no wonder that with such a great and sudden fall in prices the total value of the export trade should show a considerable decrease. In respect to wool, allowance must also be made for the rapidly increasing quantity manufactured and consumed within the colony. In new countries, working under quite novel and exceptional fiscal and financial conditions, we believe that a careful study of the state of trade is incumbent upon any one who desires to form an intelligent opinion upon the great problems which are now practically before the country. This being the case, we think that it is scarcely necessary to offer any apology for troubling our readers with, such a long array of figures and statistics. Upon the present occasion we have carefully refrained from drawing any deductions from the facts illustrated by those figures. They speak for themselves in the plainest language to all those who care to devote a little thought and attention to the lessons which they teach.

Goods. '1878. 1879. Vool rrain and malt. . . . lb. 59,270,256 bushels. 2,112,214 ,tons. ' 4,542 3,445 lb. 62,220,81' bushels. 3,470,32. tons. 1.90' 3,22! "lorn* and meal... Zhmti gum . oz. 254,10< told '. I oz. I 311,439

1877. 1878. 1879. Wool Tallow Hides Sheepskins ... Leather * 3,658,938 156,552 18,486 27,361 24,294 je | £ 3,292,8073,126,439 178,502 145,595 9,590! 15.729 16,346' 21,302 18,550 36,199 Class I. 3,885,631; 3,515,7953,349/264. GoW Silver Coal 1,476,3V1( 7,55i5 2,071 5,755 4,512 5,139] 6,208 Class 11. ... 1.455.939 1,255,0861,145,421 Flour, meal. &c. Wheat, barley, malt, oats ... Potatoes 26,898 283,403 14,205 54,211 31,847 519,856 660,557 36,908 8,829 Class 111. ... 324,511 610,975; 701,233 Butter cheese... Meat 40,171 69,039 21.4S4 1 93,112* 2,300 61,325 Class IV. ... 109,210 114,596 63,635 Kauri gum ... N.Z. hemp Timber 118,34S 19,832 50,901 132,975 147,535 11,851: 8,4-14 39,411 36,16S Class V. ... 188,8811 134,237| 192,147 Miscellaneous - Class VI. ... 335,011 291,376 |6,015,700 5,743,126 333,300 Gross totals.. I i i 6,327,472j Foreign prod' ce 248,988 235,192| 179,671 Net totals N.Z. produce 6,078,4' 4 5,780,508 5,563,455