AUCKLAND'S TRADE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14644, 1 April 1911, Page 8

AUCKLAND'S TRADE.

■ '■" —■ "*' : ''' ■ ■ . . ■ ' ■ CUSTOMS AND EXPORTS. INCREASE IN REVENUE. The net Customs duties collected at the Port of Auckland during the month of March, 1911, amounted to £67,892 8s lOd, the surtax being £1535 Is lOd. The figures for the • corresponding period last year were:—Not Customs duties £69,071 6s 7d, surtax £1549 18s 4d, and primage (since abolished) £8 9s 6d. The beer duty for March, 1910; amounted to £2347 9s, and for February to £2347 2s 7d. The chief point of interest in these figures is the decrease in the net Customs received, which is accounted for by the fact that as from to-day the surtax will no longer be charged, and importers have been "holding back" as fat- as they can in order to avail themselves of the reduced tariff. The total Customs duty, including the surtax, collected during the year ended yesterday was £738,850, as against £647,744 last year; the beer duty was £27,332, as against £26,469, and the total Customs revenue, including the above figures and other sources of income, was £809,259. as against £721,696—an increase of £87,563. This figure is distinctly gratifying, since it shows an increaae of more than 12 per cent, over the ajmount received in Customs revenue in the preceding year, and- that sum, again, was just about equal to what was paid into the Customs in 1908-9. The net Customs duties received during the quarter ended yesterday amounted to £167,761 8s 6d, the beer duty to £7152 13s 4d, and the total revenue of the Department at the port to £204,937 17s 2d. The Customs duties collected yesterday amounted to £885 3s 3d, the total revenue of the Department for the day being £973 10s lOd. The figures for the week ended yesterday were :—Customs duty, £11,068 8s 2d beer duty, £342; gold duty, £332 6s 6d; total receipts, £12,043 7s 3d. THE PRODUCE RETURNS. BUTTER STILL INCREASING. The Customs returns of tho exports during the last month and quarter are also available. In both tables it will be seen that there are fallings off in many of the items. The reductions in cheese and frozen beef are, perhaps, attributable in part to the past unfavourable season. There is, however, a gratifying and remarkable continuance of the increasing magnitude in the butter export, which during the quarter amounted in value to £305,709, as against £242,973 during the corresponding period of last year. With regard to the other important commodities in which decreases are shown, it is not to be concluded from the monthly, or even the quarterly, returns that the diminution indicates a continuing condition. The actual state of the trade can only be arrived at by a study of the year's figures. The following tables show the values of some of the most important products of the province exported from Auckland during last month, with last year's corresponding figures for comparison :—- March, 1911. March. 1910. £ £ Butter 43,125 92,600 Cheese ... ... 6,181 39,671 Flax 3.603 8.408 Beef, frozen ... 2,425 7,282 Lamb, frozen ... 9.522 12,937 Mutton, frozen ... 343 295 . Kauri gum 47,438 54.205 Grain 153 no - Hides ... 3,888 2,183 : Slums 2,81,1 1.655 Tallow ».. ~., 5.183 7.122 Wool ... 53.487 212,759 Timber 11,262 34,757 ;.,- Gold 96,806 67,330 3? Silver 11.588 11,029 The returns for the past quarter, with the comparison with last year, are as under :— March, 1911. March 1910. £ £ Batter 305,709 242,973 Cheese 14,919 50,204 Flax ... . 15.452 30.450 Beef, frozen ... 3,376 12,181 Lamb, frozen .. 22.052 18.903 Mutton, frozen ... 470 485 Kauri gnni ... ... 109,029 125,254 Grain 373 244 Hides ... 7,065 8,654 Skins .. 7,305 5,422 ' Tallow 12,890 19,011 , Wool 167.480 348.778 Timber 36,276 45.352 Gold 229,591 254,605 Silver ... 28,525 40,995