THE WOOL AND HEMP TRADE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1202, 15 March 1895, Page 6

THE WOOL AND HEMP TRADE.

Some interesting statistics in reference to the shipments of wool and hemp during last year are given by c the engineer to the Harbour Board in his annual report. He says : .‘ • , ■■ ' ' The shipments cf hemp have shown a material falling off during the past twelve months, and there is every appearance that the present small, export will still further: dwindle away., The , decrease... of 25,827 bales of hemp from 35,675 "bales in 1893 to 9848 bales in the past year has been somewhat compensated by a large increase in the export of wool and skins, which have increased 24,603 bales from 80,175 in 1893 to 104,778 bales in the past twelve months. A large portion of this increase is probably due to an early clip and quick shipments during the . early portion of the present season, and it does not follow that the wool export of the port has increased to the extent shown by* the figures, for the year tvhich closes in the middle of the season. %The shipments of wool and hemp have been : 1894. 1893. ,1892; ■Wool, &c. ... 104,778 80,175 72,788 Hemp: ... 9,848 35,675 36,373 Totals 114,626 115,850 109,161 Taking for comparison consecutive periods of ..twelve months ending with June, thus obtaining unbroken wool seasons, the shipments have been : 1893-4. 1892-3. 1891-2; Wool, &c. ... 93,726 76,415 70,543 Hepp ... 18,593 42,802 40,256 Totals ... 112,319 119,217 110,797 The number of bales of wool and hemp stored maintains the proportion shown in previous years ’as compared with the total shipments, and. amounted -for 1894 to 75,205 bales, being 65 per cent, of the shipment, but owing to the plentiful ship tonnage available' this year the average dictation of the storage has been less, with a consequent slight decrease in income from the storage. The number of bales of wool received from. the. railways continues to show an increase year by year, amounting to 40,747 bales (with 3147 bales of hemp, or together 43,894 bales) for 1894 as compared with 33,937 bales, 32,507, 28,786, 24,813 and 21,970 bales of wool for the five preceding years.The, number of bales dumped show a slight decrease, having been 79,834 in the past year as compared with 88,026, 85,870 and 91,929 bales in the previous three years. This decrease is largely due to the decrease in the-hemp trade, and partly to the yearly increase in the number of wool bales that' arrive ready dumped from the outlying ports. As to the tonnage of goods passing over the wharves, Mr Ferguson points out that there has been a partial recovery of the decrease in the general goods imported from foreign ports Which occurred in 1893, the tonnage amounting to 53,205 tons as compared with 50,400 in 1893, and 57,106 tons in 1892. The imports from colonial and coastal ports - show a. large increase, amounting to 71,998 tons in 1894 as compared with 63,172 in 1893, and 57,358 tons in 1892. The transhipment of general goods, on the other hand, has decreased to 47,823 tons last year, from 50,097 ton<i m 1893, and 48,909 tons in 1892. Summarising these lines, -the imports ’ and transhipments handled over the wharves amounted to 173,026 tons in 1894 as compared with 163,669 tons in 1893, and with 163,373 in the previous year. In exports of general cargo there has been an increase both to foreign ports and colonial and coastwise. The fines of tallow and pelts and of butter and cheese show a greater export than in any previous year. -