BOARD OF TRADE RETURNS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 1052, 4 May 1865, Page 4

BOARD OF TRADE RETURNS.

The Board o£ Trade Returns for the month of December were issued on the 2.Tnl of February, but have necessarily lost much of their interest o«"ing to the unjustifiable delay which has occurred in th<-ir publication, in spite of all mercantile remonstrances. We subjoin a statement of the total declared raiiie of the exports of Uritish and Irish produce and manufactures for the month of December, and also for the whole of tiie last three years :— Kor the mnn'h. For tho who!* year. 1802 ... £10.807,033 £123.992 2Gt 1805... 14,3"»1 400 NM;tJu2 3J-2 18u4 ... 12,09)437 IG-J,436,302 Tlic month's exports are shown to have been less by T,2,258,9G3 than in the same month of 18G3,"but larger by L1,285.4i.it than in December, 18G2 ; while as regards the 12 months' comparison, the increase is L13,833,9G0 over 18G3, and L3G,444,038 over 1862.

The state of the Money Market seems to have contributed to check the export trade in December, but the business for the 12 months, it will be seen, presents a remarkableincrease. The import trade during the past year was likewise extraordinarily active. The computed real values of the principal articles imported in the first 11 months of the last, three years are stated in these returns as follows :—

18G2 .. jEU9 o'3 438 1&33 .. 173,.'.7.i.5!5W 1801 ... 197,413,4-2(3 There was, however, a sensible falling off" in the imports in the month of November, the value being L1G,1G4,570, against L 1",014,07.0 in November, 18G3, and L1fi,G88,414 in November, 1802. It is a great pity that these returns are not brought down to such a date as would render them of practical utility to mercantile men in this country.

LONDON WOOI.. HEI'OKT.

25th February, 18C5.

There has been a fair inquiry since our last report for most descriptions of coloniivl wool. Medium Sydney and low priced Cape have sold at an advance on November rates of about Id to'in some instances I^l advance.

The announcement of the sales to commence on the 2nd March has for the moment checked business, all parties preferring to wait till the opening of the first series of the year. There will be a good show of Port Phillip of the new clip, which, so far as the samples have been seen, shows well, the only fault being shortness of staple, and a greater prevalence of burrs than last year. It is not expected there will be any advance In pneas Eradford trade is dull, and even in the Leeds and Huddersfield markets thero is less buoyancy than was exhibited a few weeks since. The arrivals to data are—9Ss4 bales,

Sydney; 29,391 bajes, Port Phillip ; 403 bales, Van Diemen's Land ; 142 bales, New Zealand; GlOl bale?, Adelaide; 53 bales, Swan River ; 18,573 bales, Cape ; total. W. 517 bales. »■»*-»