The Wanganui Chronicle. TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 1941. EXTERNAL TRADE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 11, 14 January 1941, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle. TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 1941. EXTERNAL TRADE

DECAUSE prices of exported produoe are fixed and the quantities of imports are controlled, there is a general lessening of interest in the external trade of the Dominion. This should not be, because a lack of interest leads to a lack of knowledge, and a lack of knowledge leads to general misconceptions which generally encl up by working real harm. A consideration of the trend of the Dominion’s external trade position is therefore in the nature of a duty. The statistics for the eleven months of the year provide encouraging reading. Exports for the month of November totalled £4,305,389 compared with £3,229,171 in November, 1939, an increase of 33.3 per cent. The percentage increase for the eleven months is not quite so high, but at 21.9 it is a very satisfactory improvement, the figures being £69,561,102 as against £58,340,368. Imports during November of this year were 13.7 per cent, in excess of the corresponding month of 1939, namely £3,276,765 as against £2,881,351, but for the eleven months there was a slight decline of 1.6 per cent., from £46,335,216 in 1939 to 145,596,128 in 1940. The excess of merchandise exports over imports was £8,276,881 in 1939, but rose to £10,964,974 in 1940. It is to be seen from the above-cited figures, however, that the satisfactory increase in the excess of exports has been brought about hardly at all by the curtailment of imports, but almost wholly by the increase in exports. The expansion of exports has in large measure been due to improvement in prices and in weather conditions. In the ease of butter, where the. fixed price has remained the same, the exports totalled 2,147,607 cwt. in the 1939 period and 2.187.874ewt. in the 1940 period of eleven months, the values being £14,070,893 and £12,201,585 respectively. Cheese exports in quantities and values were 1,512,812 cwt. valued at £5,204.439 in 1939, and 1.701,327 cwt. valued at £6.888,423 in 1940. Lamb shows an increase in quantity and value from 2,753,222ewt. valued at £9,066,385 to 3.035,196 cwt. valued at £10,733,106. Mutton carcases also register an increase in quantity and value, from 1.210.682ewt. valued at £1,925,936, to 1,527,906 cwt. valued at £2,832.227. The biggest increase, however, is registered in frozen beef, which moved up from 666,545ewt. valued at, £1,117.256. to ],203,106cwt. valued at £2,338.509, which represents a 100 per cent, increase in quantity and value. Frozen beef is very convenient for handling under wartime conditions and for that reason can be expected to continue in strong demand while hostilities last.