THE DOMINION’S EXPORTS

Taranaki Daily News, 19 February 1931, Page 11

THE DOMINION’S EXPORTS

EFFECTS OF LOW PRICES INCREASED PRODUCTIVENESS. DP FAT VARIATIONS IN VALUES. f ■ ■ - (From Our Own Correspondent.)* Wellington, Feb. Id ; • The details of the Dominion’s foreign trade, export and import, for 1930 given in the latest Monthly Abstract, and provide some interesting reading. The exports for the year totalled £44,-. 940,692 as compared with £55,579,063, a decrease of over £10,000,000, .of which about £7,000,000 is due to wool. Whilst; there has been an increase in the ex-, ports of many products the fall in values coupled wi.h the holding back of wool has resulted in the shrinkage in the aggregate value shown: above. , ', The quantity of butter exported during the period was 1,884,237 cwt as compared with 1,653,807 cwt in 1929. The quantity exported thus shows a substantial and satisfactory increase, but notwithstanding, this the . value. of . the larger shipment as declared is placed at £11,854,056 as compared with £13,228,027 in the previous year, a decrease of. £1,300,090. To put it in another.- way, while in 1929 the average price was about £8 per cwt, last year it had receded to just over £6;. Cheese, shows the same movements. The quantity exported last year was 1,812,951 cwt against* 1,779,093 cwt, and the values were £6,438,438 against £7,017,463 an increase in quantity has not been sufficient to. make, up for the fall in prices) - .. j FROZEN MEAT IMPROVING. ? Frozen meat shows to better advantage. Beef shipments totalled 345,437 cw°t against 328,508. and the values were £586,523 against £534,529. Thus there was an increase in quantity as well as in value. The lamb exported-last year totalled 2,145,651 cwt, valued at £7,200,863 against 1,849,397 cwt of the value of £6,786,053. The figures for mutton were 1,259,951 cwt valued at' £2,365,709 against 877,457 Cwt valued at £1,790,628. There has been a deMine in pork shipments, the quantity exported last year being 144,165 cwt valued at £491,735 against 169,721 cwt of the value of £543,904. The pork trade does not seem to be developing as well as expected. i There was a very substantial increase in the export of apples, for last year 01,452,164 lb was exported valued at £641.124 while in 1929 the exports were 37,871,151 lb valued at £542,578. Prices last year were obviously not as satisfactory as in 1929. It is doubtful whether the shipments this year will be as large as last year because-of the unfavourable climatic conditions. . Dried milk is assuming proportions and is adding to the national income. The quantity exported . last year wqs 12,895,423 lb and the value £302,258 against' 11,560,887 lb, valued at £301,208. The export of sausage skins increases both in • quantity and value". • The shipments last year totalled 4,483,019 lb' valued at £780,073 as compared with 3,677,965 lb valued at £653,033. i HIDES AND SKINS. Hides and skins contribute largely to the volume of exports. The number, of . calf skins last year was 656,802 and the value £166,780 against 667,915 worth £211,635. The number of hides' exported was 290,964 of the value of £343,903 against 290,804 worth £456,290. Thus it will be seen that although there was an increase of 160 in the number exr ported the valfic shows a shrinkage of over £112,000. The number of sheep skins without wool exported last year was 9,477,561 and the value £1,190,718, while in -1929 the respective figures were 8559,739 and £1,423,606.- The wool figures are most -disappointing. In 1929 we exported 688,642 bales of wool .and the value was placed at £15,359,206, wliile last year the quantityshipped was 591,225 bal.s and the value declared was £7,604,362. Of course one ■ must be careful in considering the wool figures to remember that a considerable quantity of wool was held over last season, and that will be increased by the withdrawals in the current season. Exports of flax were less both in quantity and value. - Last year the exports totalled 8009 tons valued 'a-t £.198,213 against 12,317 tons of the value of £340,588. The price of New Zealand hemp has fallen very seriously during the past few months owing to the increased competition of sisal, which is the product of .cheap coloured labour. Tha • gold exported last year was 133,849 oz, of the value of £550,678, against-116,-348 oz worth £480,212, and silver also shows increases, the figures being 566,063 oz valued at £44,534 against^4l Q,262 • oz and £41,47*5. Silver has depreciated in value to a marked extent. Coal exports have'declined. Last year 126,118 tons were exported and the value wa« £168,210, while in 1929 the exports were 205,457 tons valued at £284,711.. Kauri gum is another shrinking export, the figures for last year being 3818 tons worth £189,635 against 4937 tons of the ' value of £265,610.