IMPORT AND EXPORT RETURN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2513, 14 May 1902, Page 11

IMPORT AND EXPORT RETURN.

The export returns for the March quarter, 1902, as compared with the corresponding quarter in 1901 are as follow: — 1902. 1801. £ March quarter ... £3,853,245 £4,584,689 '? Showing a decrease for the quarter of v £721,444; but, as we shall presently show, fa. good deal of this is due to lower valuations. The details are as follow: — Coal ?*hows a decrease of £20,254 (£28,480!*£48,734); gold, a rather surprising deorease *cf .£73,401 (£376,699— £450,100) ; kauri gum, 'in increase of £40,370 (£101,495— £61,125) ; (timber, a decreasa of £28,353 (£47,015— 9875.370), no doubt due to the Australian ehihea; butter, a very important increase "of £101,449 (£486,428— £384,979) : cheeee, a •j&screaae of £48,693 (£74,172— £122,865) ; preserved meats, an increase of £10,670 "U£32,753— £22,083) ; frozen meat, a decrease jof £20,860 (£648,122— £668,982) ; sheepskins, im increase of £5443 (£82,233— £76,790) ; tallow, an increase of £49,127 (£139,333— £90,206), which is remarkable, as the meat exported shows a decrease, and is probably ■'fctue to a good deal of the stock being over if*t- wool, a decrease of no les3 than I £580,922 (£1,516,337— £2,097,259), but this is ! largely due to reduced valuations ; the valuaition this year is rather over 4-id per lb, ! against a little over 6d in the corresponding I Quarter last year, which nearly accounts for V*he difference. Agricultural products show i'the very largo reduction of £227,589 »3£70,513— £298,102), the chief decline being {in oats (£160,000) and: wheat (£41,000), pro•'bably largely due to holders asking prices [too high for export at present. Phormium Vnowß the very respectable increase cf i£72,592 (£110,330— £37,733), but the valuation this year is £25 per ton, against £16 10s last year, no doubt; justified by the s-emarkable rise at Home, but not to be depended on for any long period. If we are correct in supposing that the holders of agricultural products will, in fact, get higher [prices by holding, the falling off on this head i 3 not to be regretted, and the rest is accounted for by difference in value of .wool rather than any considerable falling off in quantity. The imnorta for the quarter show a falling off of £211,736.

.. March quarter ... £3,030,091 £3,241,827 - But wo have again and again pointed out y ■" ->t the import returns would be of moi'O ? •-'if the specie included were stated, ij : we might add also the amount of im- )' pcr.s of railway material, etc., on GovernS H>ent account, which we believe have been considerable. There has been a decrease in iAuckland imports for the quarter of £17,000. an -Wellington of £64,000, in Lyttelton of J873,000, and in Dunedin of £144.000, which shows to some extent how trade is trending northwards.