TRADE WITH THE UNITED STATES.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11637, 15 August 1905, Page 4

TRADE WITH THE UNITED STATES.

The latest Trade Review gives some interesting figiires concerning the trade between New Zealand and the United "States. The value of exports •to the States, and imports from that "country are set out in detail for a period extending over four years, concluding with the figures for 1904, and all interested, in the great question of trade preference must look with certain alarm at the manner in which the colony is leaning to a greater extent each year on the armof Brother Jonathan. The value of exports to the United States during the years mentioned were as follow: — 1901, .£519,079; 1902, ,£489,964; 1903, .£669,649; 1904, ',£598,921. The principal products exported have been kauri gum (the value of which for the successive years mentioned" was ,£290,510, .£322,976, .£362,890, and ,£296.787), and hemp (,£20,424, .£64,129, J5125.425, .£106,871). These figures' indicate in both eases a decline for the past year. The import traffic is a large and steadily-expanding one. In 1891 tho colony imported goods to the value of .£1,415,260; in 1902, .£1,318,937; in 1903, .£1,441,358; and last year ,£1,527,915. The largest items are oils and kerosene, tobacco, and boots and shoes. During the year ended December 31 last, New. Zealand imported American oil and kero-

sene to the value of ,£140,055, an increase* of .£18,151 in three years; tobacco to the value of ifi1'6'5,931, a decrease from ' the 1901 figures of .£5021 ; and boots and shoes valued at £90,232, as. . compared ■ with =€59,419 in 1901. Taking last year's figures only, a big item was agricultural machinery (=£55,807), not so large an amount, however, as the previous year, and hardware accounted for .£45,543. .