TRADE WITH CANADA.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 144083, 30 April 1913, Page 2

TRADE WITH CANADA.

Mr. W. A. Bed doe, Canadian Trade Commissioner in Now Zealand, has furnished the Auckland Herald with some striking figures relating to this Dominion’s trade with Canada. The extraordinary growth of our export trade to Canada cannot bo hotter shown than by comparing it with our imports from the latter country, as shown in the following table:—

Year ending Imports Exports March 31. from Canada, to Canada. 191 X ... £281.720 £151,944 1912 ... £301,338 £293,445 1913 ... £416,861 £588,701 Much of this inctease is due to the development ' of the trade in butter, of which New Zealand sent 71,000 boxes during tho 12 months ending March 31 last. A new line that has only lately entered into tho business is beef, of which ono firm alone in Vancouver bought 10,000 quarters from December, 1912, up to and including what is going from New Zealand by the Niagara next month. This is equivalent to 2500 head, and in addition 400 carcases of veal were shipped. During the year ending March 31, 1912, Canada imported hides to the value of £1,744,947. of which New Zealand’s contribution amounted to £118,298. Hides to tho value of £676,707 were imported from the Argentine, and the balance of £1,049,942 from other parts of the world. The figures for the year ending March 31, 1913, are not yet available, but they will show an increase even on this huge total. As to the possibilities of continuation and extension of trade with Vancouver, Mr. Beddoe observed that the immigration to Canada at present taking place is simply enormous. Every two years a imputation equal to one and a-half times the population of New Zealand is added to the great Dominion in addition to the natural increase of 8,000,000, and of the former a large proportion are flocking to‘the West, induced by tho free grants of land from the Government. This land is so eminently adapted for wheat-growing that dairy farming is practically neglected, and even the farmers themselves are amongst the consumers of Now Zealand butter. As regards the Eastern States, there is certainly more dairy farming carried on there, but Canadian cheese has such a reputation ‘on the English market that butter is to a great extent neglected, Canada being the greatest exporter of cheese in the world. As a matter of fact, any surEhis of supplies that might ordinarily e made into butter for the local market is exported into the United States, owing to an anomaly in the American Customs tariff. By a mistake in the Payne-Aldrich tariff, butter-fat is allowed in at a less duty than hatter. The consequence is t]i at the Canadians calmly export their hutter-fat and let the Americans manufacture it into butter, getting a better price for the fat per pound than they require to pay for New Zealand butter. Mr. Beddoe also mentioned the heavy importations of eggs into Canada. During the year 1912 there wore imported no less than 7,552,222 dozen from various countries.