IMPORTS AND EXPORTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2320, 18 August 1898, Page 4

IMPORTS AND EXPORTS.

The export returns for the June quarter show as follow, deducting specie and comparing with the previous year; — Juno quarter, 1808 £2,359,467 June quarter, 1897 .. .., .. .. 2,251,055

Increase ... .. £108, il2 The difference in the totals as published in the Gazette, which include specie, arises from the fact that while £200.675 was the value of specie exported in June quarter 1897, the amount for last quarter was only £2105. The principal items of increase and decrease are as follow : — Gold, increase, £41,779 (£255,707— £233,928) ; silver, increase, £2677 (£7892— £5215) ; kauri gum, a very remarkable increase of £85,858 (£158,792— £72,934), which seems to indicate either a great rise in price or that shipments had been kept back for some reason ; timber, a decrease of £4131 (£41,690— £45,821) ; butter, a very considerable decrease of £25,358 (£65,548— £90,906) ; cheese, also a large decrease of £18,309 (£36,184— £54,493), wLich Are find it difficult to account for ; frozen meat, also a large decrease of £47,388 (£469,935— £517,323) ; sheepskins, an increase of no less than £32,568 (£83,188— £50,620) ; talloAv, an increase of £29,396 (£108,162— £78,766) : wool, a marked increase of £80,547 (£830,937— £750,390). These last j three items were no doubt affected by the large shipments of mutton in the previous quarter, tbe by products of which have come into this quarter. Agricultural products show a decrease of no less than £79,455 (£102,652— £182,107). The only item under this head of substantial increase is in potatoes, £31,208 (£34,245— £3057), [ largely accounted for by fche high prices in Australia. Leather shows an increase of ! £6316 (£29,554 — £23,238), and phormium jof £2629 (£8540— £5911), the American ! occupation of Manila having caiised a de- . mand and a rise in prices, which will no doubt cause more production next quarter. The four quarters of the two past years now show as follow : — 1897-98. 1896-97. September quarter .. ..£1,492,589 £1,325,723 December quarter .. .. 1,876,477 1,760,93! March quarter 4,561,003 4,122,361 June quarter ..,, .. .. 2,359,467 2,251,055

£10,292,536 £9,460,070 And it is satisfactory to note that notwithstanding the extremely heavy shipments of steep and lambs our flocks still keep up to nearly the same level — rather over 19 millions and a-half. The North Island has at length ovei'aken the South, and slightly topped it in the numbers of sheep, and to a ; considerably larger extent in total exports. I Wool shows up well for the year, both in weight and value : — Wool shipped, 1898 149,788,7121b, value £-1,732,542 Wool shipped, 1897 132,436,9811b, value £4,357,214 It still remains, after all our efforts to promote other industries, our great staple export. The imports for the quarter are as follow : — Juue quarter, 1898 .. .„ „«, ..- „ £1,517,025 Juue quarter, 1897 .. ... .. .., .. 1,485,007

Increase . : -. . « . . . . . £32,018 which nearly makes up for the decrease of £36,233 in ]S-arch quarter. It cannot, however, be said that imports keep pace with the buoyancy. of our exports.