THE ADVANCE IN EXPORTS.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVI, Issue 115, 13 May 1912, Page 4

THE ADVANCE IN EXPORTS.

The/.statistics of , the exports f<v the month of-.April mnst be re^nrdod »s -e'ininently- satisfactory, the figures . standing ■.;f15:;:£:1,999.,80 J B i less than a tlioi^sand ohoi-t of two•..■millions' ■.sterling, «s again&t £1.459.331 for tiie. coiTesponding period of, last ye-vr T?hjs isi ir^ally.-exc'ellent progress, up'jn ■wiiich.-'the,producers o;f the Dominion must ,be con^ratnlated.- The" figures completely,- justify tho prediction, made early iin: January, if Aye renieni • ber rightly, riliy.>.tlie jjirosent Prime. Minister,.•":-who'., declared 'that1': ths present year..-.. Avould witness i\, yew subs.ta,ntial advance, in tlie value..i-f our staple products for export. Thero is still much, to be done in the way of increasing the a.nnual volume <. f our exports; but as closer settlemen* progresses ajid the land is put .'o mo re p rofita ble i use we sh-n 11, we I; elieve, see. our exports rise to en amount vastly in excess of what they are valued a.t _ now. What- the Dominion wants is a. widespread subdivision of the larger propertiesl, the opening up. to close settlement of '.the ms.ny large; .areas of niitive land jji the Nortli Island! at present, lying comparatively idle, ajruli the introduction of more immigrants of. y^ne: farmer and farm-laborer class. Onr cities nnd! towns are already quite tupenough for a iotal popi\l?.tion of three to five millions. What is wanted ia no increase in tho number of middlemen,, of distributors, find dealers, bnt a very m&ieriul augmentation of ifo PCoductave;• capacity of the country The fiz-st step to this muoh'-desir^d end is the provision- of small faj-rii holdiinfss and the multiplication of the snuill farmer. vSo far: the new members of tlie Government have not said vory much as to the Inndl progrnnune of the Oabiiiet;. but when the House meets it is (to be hoped that the omission will be rootified, and a bold1 vlm] well-tbou^ht-out programme of clo^j" land settlement be put forward.