The Star. (published daily.)

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XX, Issue 2421, 9 May 1893, Page 2

The Star. (published daily.)

TUESDAY, MAY 9, 1893. TRADE RETURNS.

The trade returns for the first quarter of the current year have been published in the Gazette. They show a considerable falling off in the value of produce expprted. The figures for the March quarter of 1892 were £'3,956,293 ; those for the March quarter of 1893 were £3,636,990. So that the falling off is no less than £319,303. The decrease is more than accounted for by the falling off in the value of wool and frozen meat. The former, it seems, iB now being officially valued lower for export purposes than it has been for some time past, but we may hope that, although the official valuation has been markedly reduced, there is not such a difference as is here shown between the receipts of

farmers in the two quarters. Nor can the quarters' returns, we presume, be looked upon as the best basis of comparison ? A few heavy shipments a week or two later or earlier than usual would destroy the value of the figures for comparative purposes. Meat also shows a falling off, but that was quite expected. Generally speaking other lines of export remain steady, and, taken as a whole, even the reduced figures show aremarkable volume of export trade. It is worthy of note that in round numbers £2,900,000 of the £3,636,000 comes from animals and their produce, The imports show a decrease approaching £200,000, but experts attribute this to accidental oauses, such as tbe detentions of two direofc 6teamers with their cargoes. We append comparative figures Ehowing the position of leading lines of esport3 for the two quarters : —

£. Coal 15,949 Gold ... ... 211,577 Fish 2,175 Fnngua 1,857 Gnm (kanri) ... 146,195 Timber (Bawn&hewn) 29,338 Bacon and hams ... 1,738 Butter 103,696 Cheese 52,347 Hideß 2,847 Live stock 10,306 Meats (preserved) ... 6,711 „ (frozen) ... 327,469 Skins (rabbit) ... 12,688 „ (sheep) ... 49,181 Tallow 54,146 Wool 2,276,786 Oats 39,694 Wheat 94,889 Maize 5,557 Leather 16,619 Phorinium 96,109 Woollens 2,991 £■ 23,620 244,028 2,636 1,223 112,147 27,491 4,052 96,842 45,450 5,151 5,700 13,071 355,310 10,930 44,523 54,735 2,550,891 105,718 33,788 869 15,324 84,414 5,720