AUCKLAND'S EXPORTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15496, 1 January 1914, Page 8

AUCKLAND'S EXPORTS.

TOTALS FOR 1913. if ALL ■ RECORDS BROKEN. INCREASE OP £760,780. HUGE OUTPUT OP BUTTER. VALUE OF DAIRY PRODUCE. The great prosperity of Auckland Province and the rapid expansion of its industries, especially agricultural, ate told in eloquent figures by the returns of the Customs Department for the year just closed. The value of the ,principal products shipped from Auckland during the post 12 months was £3,627,807, which, compared with £2,867,047 for the previous /year, represents an increase of £760,760. If it be objected that the value of the exports for 1912 was lowered by the Waihi strike and the comparison be made with 1911, the expansion shewn is hardly' less remarkable. Despite labour troubles during the past year, the value of the principal exports from Auckland was £723,380 in excess of that of 1911. For the first time in the history of the province, the value of the butter ship; ments reaches seven figures, being £122,906 greater than the previous year,. and no less than £425,736 greater than in 1911. The gold export, which suffered a declension of £48,047 between 1911 and 1912, regained nearly half the difference. . The cheese industry shows satisfactory expansion. Frozen meat shows a. very big increase, and to get anything like a comparison one has to go back to 1910, when the export reached a value of £99,883, against this season's figure of £140,560. The export of kauri gum, though rather small for the punt three months, shows a satisfactory increase over the 12 months' period, and not since 1904 has the production been equalled. During December 848 tons of gum were exported, and the production' for the year is about 9596 tons; against 10,273. tons in 1904. . ( /•-'■; s The value of flax exported is' between three and four times that of the previous year. *'. ..;/>. /'/'.;';.. /;' r4 /',' .... . Hides and skins show a very large increase, and the returns of wool, tallow, and silver are satisfactory. It is indicative of the expansion of Auckland's industries that the only decrease shown is in th<i export of timber. ; Thi> following ' are the •. values of the principal exports during the past three years::— '"■ • - '.'■'• t- "-.. :f>v,^:* ; v,. -' 1919. 1912. !l -19111.' "*."• V ■- . ■ ..(;'.,- £ f ,£■,' ' • ~-;;., £ Buffer ... ...1,056,871 '. 933,965 631,185 Chee« .... v -.... = 47,176 •' 86.796; 08,860 Frozen Meat ... .: 140,560 .;. ,; 89,779 - 67,631 Kauri Gum ... 549,106 410.307 396,705 Flax ... ... 127,800 '36,636 ' 81,469 Hide* and Bkinß> 1.15,065 ■ 71,035.--' 40,798 Timber ... ■ ... : 143,491 209,785 170,833 Wool "-li. ; 449.110 .'>;,jr 867,275 306,298 Tallow":;..::-'..., 59,788 55,725 -1,697 Gold ;• ... >i- ... 835,387 '•<623,670*■ 1,056,004 &Uv« ■'• £<:'■<& 103,853 I ,84.07* r 131,587 ''. Totals '• 3,627,807 = 2,867,047 > 2,904,427 This customs- and excise collated at Auckland , during the year amounted v to £907,158, ; an increase of £16,482 over the previous 12 months. Tho Strike Period. Coining to the monthly figures, ■; the December returns show .an:' enormous' expansion in the export' trade. The principal lines l ! reached a value of r i no less than £601,114, against £353,810 for December of 1912, and);; £336,679 for/; December of 1911. The increase last month over the corresponding month of thoprevious year [was, therefore; 5 :£247,304. SThe export of most value to the province was easily buliUir (£289,538), followed by gold valued rat £128,421. ,

The export of butter for December of i 1912 was £178,445, and for December, 'Mi', \ £128,654. v- There were big increases ;in . most of the principal lines, including cheeiie, kauri gam, and frozen meat. These were, no doubt! partly accounted for by '. the accumulation of exports while the tort was closed during the strike in November. To compare the figures for December of 1913 with those of the same month in previous xtm would be a* unfair as to com* ' pare 'the: respective 1 figures for November ■; and , October, which are unfavourable ; to the present season owing to the port being - closed by the strike -for portions of each • month. To get a fairer comparison it is ■ necessary to summarise the figures for the last three months. These afford tha first ■ definite' evidence that the province ; has outlived the effect df the strike, so far as* the eiport trade is concerned. The com- • parison of value of exports is as follows:— , ' 1913. ' 1912. ' 1911. I ££. £ • ' October ... 242,000 277,348 135,078 November ... 152,948 237,005 > i 238,152 December ' ... 601J14 ; ; .353,810 838,679 , - Totals ' ...V 996,060 ' 168.164 . 807,817 V Tfcre* Decembers. „ In increase of £127,896 is shown for the last quarter of the year over the last quarter of 1912, despite fiat two months of the 1913 v period .-. were affected, - by, the strike. This !is a remarkable evidence of the,progress of the province. One of the most Striking totals in the detailed figures . -for the two quarterly -periods is that relating to butter. :In the last quarter of 1913 the: export of this produce showed an increase of ? £69,684 in value, compared with the corresponding period of the previous year. The '• figures for the last quarter; of the three years arel9l3, £484,165' 1912, £414,571 1911, £291,389. The quantity 'of butler shipped last ; morith>froin Auckland was no less than 52,796|cwt. and cheese ' reached 4825cwt. i The quantity of gold was 34,55005s 12dwt, land of silver 133,2410z. • The details of exports for December for the past three years are as fellow, the values of the principal lines being given in each case ■ •-.>■ . ; « l- .•'.;•; Deo., Dec., Dec, 1913. 1912. 1911. I,j ' £ £ £ ■ Butter ... ... 289,538 178,446 128,654 Cheese ... ' ... 18.8«* 4,192 4,667 Flax • 5,294 5,077 787 Meat (frozen) ... 2,672 - ■ .301 -126 Kauri Gum ... 54,673 25,482 27,970 Hides and Skins 8,874 5,388 6,842 Tallow ... 2,919 4.670 3,145 Timber 12,371 27,011 9,938 Wool 68.883 50,135 60,593 Gold .. ... 128,421 ■ 50,747 94,717 Silver .., ... 14,072 ' 2,456 10,590 Totals ... 601,114 353.810 336,579 The net Customs duties collected at Auckland last month were £70,374, com■pared with £52,220 for November, and £69,859 for December of 1912. The net beer duty was £3694, compared with £1266 for November, and £3928 for December of 1912.