Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, MAY 28, 1891.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXV, Issue 125, 28 May 1891, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. THURSDAY, MAY 28, 1891.

Awbb tho diflappoiutmeut oreated' by theoenauß rovelationa, there is perhaps all tho more satisfaction to'be derived from the tiado returns,' whioh bUo^ that, despite the very bad season- experiouced by the farmera in the Sbttth, aud the consequent shortage iu their orops, the exports for tho quarter euded Muroli 31 wore withiu £7000 ot those for tho corresponding period of last year, the g ™ fo « fc £ a res P e otive quarters beins : -1890, £3,785,337; 18?1, £3,778,275. ICliere . is, too, very jgood reasou for boheviug that there would havo been au excess for tho 1891 quarter, as gold has evidently been held over for shipment, after the 31sp M^roh; on whfo» &fa the gold duoy expired. As it is, the export jW g «nl , WM ° ul 7 against T?5Aa f the corr espoading quarter oi 1890, and, there has beeu nothing to lead to fche belief that the produotiou has been lees. But for this oauso there would probably have been an excess of at feast £50,000 instead of the trifling falling off inentioned above. The prin. oipal increases have beeuj in frozen ■neat i £68,000; wool, £49.000; oats, £44,500 ;.■ kauri gum, £35,800; ehoep. skips. £15)000; coal, £12,600; and oheese, £12,000. This btter is a very satisfactory item, showiug as it does that more attention is being devoted to the dairying industry, of which we hope great ohinga in the oourse'ot a few years. Tho ohiet deoreases have taken place in, wheat, whioh shows tue enormoußfalliue otf of £109,000; phormium tenax, too, tells a ead tale of reduced prices in the home market, the total decrease iu tho oxport for. the quarter being £64,300 ; gold, no doubt for the reason slated above, shows a falling off to the extent of £58,600, and flour £14,600. It is ' satisfactory to 'find bn looking over the list of items that New Zeuland does not carry all her eggs in'one basket, but that her oxporta moliide a largo variety., Ohief among all the, sources of our wealth Btanda tap sheep with itß wool, gkin, and .owroaßß, tjiiea there are gold, grain, kauri J gum and rjhorraiiim, eaoh of whioh adda ; i largely to the aum total of the fiVoduction of the colony, Whether the meat freezing industry h oapablo of jtouoh further expansion ia a little doubtful, but seeing tho astounding progress it has made withiu.tho last five yearaib ueeui» difficult tb'asßign any li^itto it, par. ticularly now that the freezing works are brought to tho farmers' very door*. The imports for the quarter show a trifling inorease, having been £1,737,480 against £1,688,797 ior tho corresponding period of last yoar, The enormous disorepancy between." the, imports and oxports s^iowb that the. ool6ny : ls Htill f pertorunfig tlie unpleasant task ot paying for the oake that it has already eaten, and that to the uxtent ofßOmetwo millions sterling for thequaiter,