THE TRADE OF OTAGO.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13206, 13 February 1905, Page 2

THE TRADE OF OTAGO.

A TEAR'S PRODUCE SHIPMENTS. "Drover," one of the leading contributors to the Otago Witness, writes as follows upon the question nf th'o trade of the port that is now engaging puUlio attention: — Mr Bolt, of the Taleri and Peninsula Milk Supply Company, has raised the question as to the Dunedin shipments of dairy produce going to Lyttelton for shipment, and the question is now occupying the attention of the pnhiic generally, as it has caused them to look at the perceptible decrease m our export and import trade- during late years. 1 shall not, however, deal with Hint aspect of the question; beyond faying that, with the exception of our logitimato trade in frozen meat, which we appear to have lost altogether, the trade of Dunedin is satisfactory. Not so very many years ago Dunedin was the leading town in the colony, Wellington then being comparatively smail. Our Dundein merchants have, however, opened out there, and have practically rebuilt the business part of Wellington, and the trade we did wil-h Wellington has gone. So also with Tiniaru, which has now a good harbour and a big export trade, in meat especially. Dunedin used to do this Timaru trade, but, of course, that is now -.mich reduced in volume. Oama.ru is in much the. same position, and then the Bluff also now docs most of its own.import and export trade, which largely eamo to Dtmedrn in days gone by. Dunedin is somewhat in tho position of a father whose family have loft and set up for themselves in tho world. Dunedin people must look at this development of trade as the father would do on the. exit of his sons and daughters from the family home. The people might, indeed, do more. Eor instance, they might tai-c morn .than the feeble interest thoy do in tho development of Otago Central and the Callins district. Just, a few men have done this in the past, but the Dunedin public have poorly supported them. With tho railway to Lake Wanaka, and a proper irrigation scheme in Otago Central, and tho railway in the Catlins district, Dunedin business men would have a very big trade yet, and on something like this they will have to rely, for the trade:gone, to Timaru, Oamaru, and Invercargill will remain there, as it properly belongs to those centres. Tho reason our butter goes to Lyttelton is because the fortnightly steamers go there reoularly. and make it the last port, of call in the South Island, and the reason of this is that Lyttelton lias a big export meat trade always, and during the dairy produce season Otago has little or none. Some say these steamers ought, to come to Port Chalmers. They could not come only for butter and cheese. It is absolutely necessary that every box of butter and-every case of cheoffl should go as soon as possible by the fortnightlv steamer, as the normal condition of the London market is a falling one of Is ner cwt per week from January to Juno. The coastal freight is "aid by "tho shipping comuanie?. Auckland. New Plymouth, and Paten ship their butter on ocean steamers at Wellington. Each of these has more than twice as much butter as Otago has. hut all recognise that concentration is necessary. One port in each island as a last port of call seems all we can expect. Tiytteltou is that, port at present, sirnplv because of its meat export trade. I would ask my readers to look carefully at th'o following statements, so that they may understand the position, and see if any of them eaii supply us with ft. remedy, for without doubt, as may be seen from theso statements, about two-thirds of the Otago and Southland sheep and lambs "o through the Dunedin railway station to Canterbury, some probably to bo finished in Canterbury, hut by no means the bulk of them, which go direct to the different Canterbury freezing works: —

A few things may bo seen in a glance at. these figures :-(l) The export meat trade from Dunedm is so small during the dairy shipping season-November to March-that the fortnightly steamers could hardly bo expected to come here in preference to Lyttelton, where a fair quantity of frozen meat is always Available. Up to date this season only 12,000 carcases have been shipped from Duncdin, and those were railed to Dimedin from Oamaru. Auckland has a first-class port, and more than double the butter of Otago, yet thev havo to ship at Wellington, because, like Otago, they have little or no frofen meat for export. (2) It will bo seen that the- Mataura Works, shipping at IJlulf, havo an output of nearly throo times as much as Dimedin, and the fattening facilities are surely no better there than in Olago. (3) It shows that Canterbury sends four times as much frozen mutton and lamb to England as Otago and Southland; also that Lyttelton sends W times as much mutton and lamb as Duncdin, the clear inference being that about twothirds of Otago and Southland's sheep and lambs go through Dunedm railway station to Canterbury. It cannot bo for the- good of farmers, or far the district, thivt such a state, of matters should continue. The railage on these sheep alone is a loss to Bonio one. This industry is not on business pines, and I hope farmers will interest themselves as. sooner or later it must touch their pockets. It is absurd to say that Otago is_sueh a howling wilderness that we canno? fatten a very large proportion of these sheep that go'through Dunedm Station, seeing that wo can grow the best turnips in any district, and .Brass is plentiful- 'I hope fanners will take an interest in this subject, and help to devieo a remedy for the existing rotten state of affairs.

Shjmnents Butter, Cheese, Mutton,, and Lamb From Oamaru, January to June, 1904. Butter. Cheese. Mutton. Lamb. Cwt. Cwt. Carcases. Care's. January .. 423 — — 5,875 February .. 889 — 1,740 12.996 March .. 448 — 1,203 7,401. April .. 407 — 3,480 12.804 May ..144 - 10.001 23,537 Juno .. — — 1,000 0,515 2,311 - 17,484 72,203 Shipments Butter, Cheese, Mutton, and Lamb from Oamaru, July to December, 1904. Butter. Cheese. Mutton. Lamb. Cwt. Cwt. Carcases. Care's. July .. - - 3.533 7.031 August .. — — 305 1,833 September - - 5,721 635 October .. — — — — November.. 120 — — — December .. E84 — — — 710 — 9.554 10,364 Shipments Butter, Olieese, Mutton, and Tjiwib from Dunedin, January to Jiuie, 190-i. Butter. Cheese. Mutton. Lamb. Cwt. Cwt. Carcases. Care's. January .. 4,021 301 - 9S2 February. .. 2.008 1.131 6,614 4,504 March ' ,.' 3,591 1,487 1,090 5,010 Arn-il .. 1,751 41 2,901 7,820 May ., 378 1,18S - 4,210 June .. 7417 330 2:033 4.5S9 12,516 5,133 33,838 27,175 Shipments Butter, Cheese, Mutton; and Lamb from Dunedin, July to December, 1901. Butter. Cheese. Mutton. Lamb. Cwt. Cwt - . Carcases. Care's. July ;. 1.0 62 3,528 7,331 Argust .. 282 68 3.000 2,02S September .. 351 31 5.721 ' 595 October .. 895 37 — — November .. 2.482 111 3,311 239 December .. 2,422 '054 90 CG 6,352 963 15,633 10,839 Shii-ments Butter, Cheese, Mutton, arid Limb from Bluff, January to June, 1904. Butter. Cheese. Mnttou: Lamb. Cwt. Cwt. Carcases. Care's. January. ' .. 520 3,578 - - February .. 500 2,172 481 3,000 March .. 565 ,2.520 4,523 13,717 April .. 333 3.225 . 4.047' 13.534 Mnv .. — 1,752 2,089 12,723 Jiiiw .. — 1.782 10,945 33,411 1,918 15,035 22,085 79,065 Shipnr.Ftils Butter, Cheese. Mutton, and Lamb from Bluff, July to December,-1904. Butter. Cheese, Mutton. Lamb. '■' Cwt. . Cwt. Carcases. Ca.rc's. July .; - 28 12.232 21,002 Aupist .. — ' 23 S.454 10,739 September .. - 03 15.502 '8,9!)* October ... — " 24 9,931 252 NoVember ... 52 9 11,705 169 December .. 434 3,648 -858, ■ 30 466 3,795 58,6& 41,166

Shipments Butter, Cheese, Mutton, nnd Lamb from Lyitelton, January to June, 190i. Butter..Cheese. Mutton. Lamb. Cwt. Cwt. Carcases. Cave's. January .. 2.077 960 35,573 72,818 February .. 3,600 519 21.820 80,722 March ., 1,543 8S0 40,502 150,499 A.uri' .. 316 150 27,557 81.338 Hoy .. ..37 73 43,901 118,307 Jimo .. 80 452 01,401 102,212 7,713 3,010 230,757 611,924 Shipments Butter, Cheese, Mutton, and Lumb from Lyttolton, July to December, 1904. Butter. Oliecae. Mutton. Lamb. Cwt. Cwt. .Carcases. Cure's. July .. _ 0 49,519 33,201 August. - .. - 21 35,382 33,348 September - 4 15,845 0,847 October ..■ ' 253 — 20.327 3,523 November ., 2,800 212 22,050 573 December .. 1.636 1,004 9,423 3,541 3,8S9 1,307 149.157 80,041 Shipments Butter, Cheese, Mutton, and Lamb from Emavn, January to June, 1904. Butter. Cheese. Mutton. Lamb. Cwt. Cwt. Carcases. Care's. January ..278 - 4,036 7,010 February .. - — 12,240 3S.307 March ..101 _ 17,345 56,757 A Pnt .. — - 12,123 48,0(7 H«J' .. - - 19,: 40 5S.818 Juno .. - - 22,551 G0.2-S2 439 — 88,103 209,231 Shipments Butter, Cheese. Mutton, awl Lamb from T'nriru, July to December, 1904. Butter. Cheese. Mutton. Lamb. Cwt. Cwt. Carcases, Care's, July •• — — 35.023 48,384 Audits! .. _ _ 361)33 04,810 September .. — — 27,920 16,737 October .. — _ 18,192 7,741 November ,, — 1450 '_ December (t 127 127 _ 120,426 97,732 Summary Shipments Butter, Cheese, Mutton, mid Lamb during 12 months, January to December, 1904. Butter. Cheese. Mutton. Lamb. Irom Cwt. Cwt. Carcases. Care's. Oanwrn .. 3,021 _ 27,038 82,572 Dunedin .. 18,858 6,101 29 521 38 034 Bluff ., 2,404 1S.S30 80,707 120,'«51 24,283 21,931 137.320 240,857 LytleHon .. 11,602 4,347 385.014 697,905 limaru ,,- 500 _ 300,9i3 12,163 4,347 594,443 1,06-4,878 * 6100 boxes went to South Africa, reducing Dunedin London shipments to 12.458cwt. Shipments Butter and Cheese per fortnightly steamer Matatua, sailed from Wellington, February 2. 1905, fairly representative of average from each port. Cases Cheese, Boxes Butler. Shipped at All Shipped , „ . Wellington. at Wellington. Auckland: ..362 13,714 New Plymouth — 13 017 Palca. .. .. _ " , n ; ou Wellington ..2,500 20,600 Shipped to Shipped at Wellington Lytlellou. (occasionally Lyttellon). Lytte'ton .. 309 4,346 Dunedin .. 470 5O0G Bhlff ;. 2,194 '_