ISLAND TRADE

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12355, 27 January 1926, Page 6

ISLAND TRADE

CONDITIONS IN FIJI BIG ANNUAL EXPORT OF SUGAR DEVELOPMENT OF INDUSTRIES (By Telegraph.—Special to ‘‘Times.”) AUCKLAND, January 26. “Trade conditions in the. Fiji group during 1925 were quite good, the sruear crop, wjth the exception of one year, constituting about a record,” said Sir Maynard Hedstrofe, senior elected member of the Fiji Legislative Council and managing director of Morris Hedstrom, Ltd., , who arrived in Auokland on holiday by the-Tofua this morning. Sir Maynard supplemented his observation by providing the trade figures for the year. The total exports amounted to £2.000,000 and the imports to £1,200,000. making a total of about three and a half million pounds. The total amount of sugar exported was 91,000 tons, valued at £1,300,000, while 24,000 tons of copra, representing £500,000, went out of the islands. Speaking generally of the island trade, Sir Maynard said that owing to the excellent shipping facilities in existence the tendency was to deal mainlv with Great Britain. On a great many lines the charge for freight was less from London than it was from Auckland. BRITAIN GETS THE MOST “We have six vessels a year trading with Glasgow and Liverpool, and four with London,” said the visitor. “There is a preferential tariff on British goods so we are getting very little from foreign countries. As far as trade with America is concerned, it is falling off. The tariff acts as a big protection.” Three industries were in an interesting state at the present time, said Sir Maynard. The cotton industry was being developed experimentally by_ the Government, assisted by the British Cotton Growers’ Association. An expert had recently been imported from Australia and he was touring the islands picking out favourable spots, while a grading and packing expert had been employed for some time past. There was a small production of sea island cotton. The export last year was just a little over three tons, which showed that the industry was still very much in its infancy. It was, however, being developed aa a peasant industry for Indians as a means of combating the labour trouble. PINEAPPLE EXPERIMENTS . The pineapple experiments were also at an interesting stage. The Government had agreements with a Canadian ■ company by which it was growing a small area of Cayenne pines—a variety not seen in this country. The group would be ready about,September of this year, when the Canadian company will send out a small plant and a representative to see how the fruit compares with the Hnwaiian pines. DAIRYING INDUSTRY As far as tha dairying industry was concerned, Sir Maynard said that it was hampered to a certain extent by n shortage of cattle. Some had been imported from New Zealand, including a few heifers, but mainly stnd bulls, to help to build up the industry. “There is an opening in Fiji tor.a small number of mer. interested in dairying,” statid Sir Maynard. “There is a considerable area of EiiroMan land available in the Navua district where a Canadian sawmill once existed. It is now dosed and the land cleared. The men would have to work on an export basis because the local need is limited.” Speaking of trade with New Zealand, Sir Maynard pointed out that -here was so little that could be done hetween the Dominion and the islands. For instance, our flour was useless in the tropics.. At the same time imports from 'Australia had f&llbn off. Relatively, the trade had been ttarkferred to Great Britain because of the good facilities offering.

Dr R. Allan, who left Dunedin over two years ago for England, and who took his degree at Edinburgh, returned by tho steamer Waiwera from London. He mado tho passage as ship’s surgeon.