OUR EXPORTS FOR MARCH QUARTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 956, 16 May 1889, Page 22

OUR EXPORTS FOR MARCH QUARTER.

I ' The particular's of the exports for tMe March quai&r having been now published in the Gazette, we are enabled to tabulate them as follows:— ••.•*•. March quarter, March quarter. 18S9. • ■ 1888. Total exports ... £3,417,734 ' £2,983,650 Less specie ... — . 31,903 £3,417,734 * ' £2,951,747 The increase this year is therefore no less than £465,987. The chief items that show an increase are : — ' 1889. 1888. W001... ...£2,194,885 £1,972,771 Tallow ... 43.324 25,846 ■ Meat* (preserved) 22,348 13 093 M<-at» (frozen) .., 216,962' 178,535 RabbltskiM ..-, 11,475 6,751 Butter ... 49,251 30,967 Agricultural pro- , ducts' ... 264,843' 84,376 Of these /the principal items are — Wheat, £104,059^ £19,288 ; oats, £68,902-^31,885 ; barley, £7057 — £325; potatoea, £12,232 — £1227; flour, £35,702 -£4521; bran and sharps. a 618.177 —£4521. ' . Leather ... £18,079 „ £10,289 Phormium ... 46,258 .10,497 Miscellaneous ... 76,643 54,180 On- the other, hand, the following- show decreases: — G01d... ... £213,64J £285,585 Kauri gum ... 88,83* 101,963 Cheese ...■ 20,735 24;388 The increase in wool almost exactly makes up the decrease on last year's return, and ' turning to the weights for the corresponding quartets, we find that 58,809.1641b were shipped in March 1889, as against 54,958,1671b in March 1888, and 51,296,7211b in March 1887: so that we may ; conclude that the lateness of the clip was the chief cause of the apparent deficiency for laßfc year, and that the whole clip exported was about 87,000,0001b as against 88,824,3821b for 1887, and it is probable that more wool has bfen used up in our woollen mills than in the previous year. The falling off of £71,943 in > the gold returns is, no doubt, owing to larger shipments having been made in December tban in the previous year; and this will reduce the increase for last year to £95,000. The increase in frozen meat of £38,000 is very remarkable following on an increase for the year of £172,000. Adding the total increase of £722,434 for last year to the increase of £465,987 for the first quarter of this year we have an enhanced value in 15 months of £1,188,421, which cannot but be regarded as highly satisfactory.