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1930. NEW ZEALAND.

DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIES AND COMMERCE (THIRTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

This report deals with the work of the Department of Industries and Commerce since the previous report was placed before Parliament, and covers generally the period ending 30th April, 1930. ORGANIZATION AND STAFF. Irt December last a decision was made by the Government to amalgamate the Department of Industries and Commerce with the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts, and at the same time it was decided to merge into the one organization the Publicity Branch of the Department of Internal Affairs. The late General Manager of the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts, Mr. B. M. Wilson, died in September, 1929, and at the end of the year Mr. J. W. Collins, the previous Secretary of the Department of Industries and Commerce, was appointed Trade and Tourist Commissioner in Canada. The amalgamated Departments have been placed in charge of Mr. G. W. Clinkard, M.Com., who previously occupied the position of Advisory Officer, and who, at the date of the amalgamation, was acting as Secretary to the Samoan Administration, on loan from the New Zealand Public Service. The amalgamation of these Departments is confidently expected to result in economy and greater efficiency of operation. The work of the Departments is closely allied, particularly in relation to New Zealand representation overseas, for the dissemination of publicity matter, the development of trade, and the encouragement of tourist traffic to the Dominion. Mr. L. J. Schmitt, previously Advisory Accountant in the Department, has returned to the Public Service, and has been appointed Trade and Tourist Commissioner in the Commonwealth of Australia, with headquarters at Sydney. GENERAL TRADE REVIEW. The 31st March, 1930, marks the close of a year in which, as far as overseas trade is concerned, there were two outstanding features —namely, a more or less continuous fall in the prices of some of our principal primary products in the world's markets, and a substantial increase in importations of all kinds of commodities. The result has had a marked effect upon economic conditions within the Dominion, and, in particular, upon our trade balance and our banking figures. The decline in the total value of our exports especially provides eloquent evidence of the effect that prices have on the spending-power of the community and on the general prosperity of the country. The value attained for. our exports was £49,045,817, which compares with £57,154,343 and £54,962,031 for the years ended 31st M '.ich, 1929 and 1928 respectively. Imports, on the other hand, totalled £49,167,914 during the past year, as compared with £45,105,865 for the year ended 31st March, 1929, and £44,419,357 for the year ended 31st March, 1928. The net result for the past financial year is therefore an excess of imports amounting to £122,097, which compares with excesses of exports amounting to £12,048,478 and £10,542,674 for the two previous years respectively. Taking the figures for the past calendar year —with which it is usual for this annual report to deal —a considerably more favourable position is revealed, owing to the fact that most of the decrease of £8,108,526 in the value of our exports for the year ended 31st March, 1930, occurred during the March quarter when the greater part of our seasonal primary produce was marketed. Exports for the calendar year 1929 totalled £55,579,063 —the second highest figure ever attained —and imports aggregated £48.797,977, giving a favourable trade balance of £6,781,086.

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