A—B

The main items of revenue for the year were stamp sales, £20,190; Customs import duties, £2,182 ; and income-tax, £1,581. The large amount of revenue received from stamp sales is mainly due to the philatelic demand for island stamps. Trade A record level was reached for both imports and exports in 1946. Contributing factors were increases in the price of copra, greater exports of plaited ware, and increased expenditure by the Administration. Comparative statistics for the last five calendar years are as follows :

Quantities and Values of Principal Exports

The large increase in total imports is notable, as is also the greatly increased value of imports from the United Kingdom. The latter consisted almost exclusively of cotton piece-goods of all kinds. The U.S.A. supplied some twist tobacco, and India some copra-sacks during the year. Copra. —Although there has been no increase in the average, annual production of this item, successive increases in the f.o.b. price have more than doubled the Island's income from this source in the past five years.

19

Country of Origin. 1942. 1943. 1944. 1945. 1946. Imports Values £ £ £ £ £ New Zealand 23,544 29,881 25,140 23,620 37,984 Australia 584 223 871 251 643 United Kingdom 235 115 2,453 2,935 6,503 United States of America 1,995 1,692 181 10 730 Western Samoa 140 1,106 116 21 Other ... 86 303 40 796* Totals 26,444 32,070 30,054 26,972 46,677 Exports Values New Zealand 18,644 29,908 21,909 27,674 29,721 Australia 828 298 1,307 1,662 6,142 Western Samoa 1,249 527 Other 1,620 "35 132 10 Totals 22,341 30,733 23,251 29,468 35,873 * Includes India, £585.

Item. 1942. 1943. 1944. Copra Bananas Kumaras Native plaited ware .. Tons. £ 338 4,091 Cases. 9,847 4,207 Tons. 474 6,509 7,434 Tons. £ 422 8,543 Cases. 15,473 8,049 Tons. 113 1,363 12,692 Tons. £ 617 13,274 Cases. 1,200 626 8,977 Item. 1945. 1 1946. Copra Bananas Kumaras Native plaited ware . . Tons. £ 415 9,986 Cases. 7,662 4,141 Tons. 10 141 14,683 Tons. £ 352 10,179 Cases. 9,346 5,335 Tons. 20 292 19,652