The Dominion. FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 1911.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2006, 13 March 1914, Page 6

The Dominion. FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 1911.

TRADE AND EMPIRE,

The total trade ol New Zealand in the year 1912 was over &i?,OOO ) e0ft, and the amount per head of population was £39.3, that of Australia being £33.8 per bead, while the figures for th<> United Kingdom worked out at £32.15 per head. Three facte arc set out iu tbo second ihtorim report of t)ie_ Dominion!} Royal Commission, whkli also declares that "the trade position of Australia and New Zealand is remarkable, and, in some, respects, uncciiiiillcrl." New Zealand s trade

statistics for 101R sho* that the upward trend is being maiatainod, the exports (exclusive of specie) being £22,810, s>3, and. the imports £91,G51,G&7, giving n total of £U,m,m, or £41.3 per head of population. The British returns for 1913 were also of an extremely {satisfactory character, all previous records 'boing broken. The year 1007 was regarded as a very prosperous period, but things have gone ahead since then _at ;i satisfactory rate, as the following figures will show:—

Iβ 1913 the imports were £24,35*3.328 more than in 1912, and £88,87e!432 more than in 1011, while the- exports exceeded those of Ml 9 bv £5ft,237,9n and those of 1911 by £71>42 r i18. The 1013 record was referred to by Ms. AsQuiTit in a spe«eh at the Associated Chambers of Cbifl.in(srco banquet, a brfcf summary of wltiett will be found in. a cablegram publisHod in anothor coluein. He admitted, .Ijowover, that tliaro were at present signs of some slackness in the Heme artd overseas trade; hut he contended that business was being eondttetod oft sonndey lines, than, at any other period.,., ahd that there was little reason to. anticipate a serious depression. The slacking off mentioned by Ms. Aso.mfH appears to have commenced in the fourth quarter of 1913, wheii the . imports showed a tteetoase. fiero had been an increase, of £710,382 m October, but this wns mare tfean counterbalanced by the fallhig off of £3,514,353 in November .and of £2,950)651 ia December, and the figures for Jami&ry and February also show a decrease, in imports, though the upward fendoftcy of fee exports continued.. Thft progress of British trade is a matter that concerns Now Zealand and the other overseas Dominions very materially, f-or the whole Ea'pir« i-s to a largo extent ' inte?<fepoD<Jont i from the .commercial point of view; aad the latest statistics show that this teadency of the British eoajnwinitks to .intrcsise their reliance upon each other is growing. In 1898 the value of inter-Imperial trade totalled £1,066,000,0.0.0, and in 1012 it had increased to £3,030,000,000. The proportion of foreign trade in 189-3 was £75.3 and of Imperial trade £34. v, the proportions in 1812 being £?3.5 and 526.5. Coinmct'ce is one of tlifi great bonc : ts < of Empire, and it has created a tie which is besoming stronger every year. The recognition of this fact was one oj the causes which led to the sotti&g up of thc 4 Dwinians Uoyal ■Cotwinission which visiicd_ New Z'calaad last ,w>ar, and which is now soiling oiifc the information gathered diiring' jftg torn' and milking rccontroendat'itins and i suggestions for the bettor orand dovelopoKftt of the 'Einpiro. Vs Wo arc learning to ti'Jixte witli Qiiis aneth«r whencv&r and wherever wo tm in ■preference to trading with outsiders, and this ■ policy canaot fail to be a powerful factor in consolidating the British communities throiighWt the world, , • >'■: -

iNo responsible British statesman ■ wt>ttl<s in'those .days dare even to! : hint tha-fc Dominioas WO a btmteii to the United King- . (tan, and tJi-a-t <it bo & goorl thing jf tfe ,painter were cut; yet suel* views wmc oppkl.y proelaimod a'bont the middle 61 the 'niiietcciith ■: pcnttiry. But 'new tte trend of jniblie oiijriibn is <sntivc-ly in tfe ojypo-' site rlU'Gctiojli and the unifitotioin' of tte Empire is the goal to wlireh all: its jjarts are steadily tiiofing. Basial sentiment <tnd nititttal clefcncc are working in this direction, and so is ißterdapeßcKracc. iji trade. Eeterring Tceenily to the British posssssioas iii ~Ka,st and' West Africa autl the Sudan, LolH> MasER remafked that. d : epe.ni|cTieies of this clwracter were attaining aft importance' not dreafited al in the times erf our fathers. These countries now loohimcl largo on the Imperial hoi-kon. Tlieir economic import-aace was alniadj immewsc, and was sMil. 1 growing, for BritoJa was booorasng iiscMasifigly dependent on t-lism. for inclis.pensable raw iaaf:eria,ls, such as eettoa, vegc-. ■tabic flils, foodataffs; and so ok. And if Britoin has to. rely 5» many waj-s on the overseas Boroiflicws, these Dominions are equally def endeal oil tbff MotherlMid. !she is theit best ciKstefflfer. Nearly all tte wool, iratte*,' clieese, and nifi&fc wfiich New Zealand produces goes iq Jjoridoa, and Drijtain's prosperity is helpful te us bceaiise it means a keenei demaml iov these and tlie ether pro--duets which form owr external trade. On the other hand the deof the. British overseas communities ami ' the ' increase in tteir popiilation and wealth provide new openinpis for British extorts. This is why the I>o«irikms Boyal Corasnissioi) has. j3-aid so ninc'h attention to the' liiigration. riMorfion with tke ob-jeci; of keeping the overflow of the population of the United Kingdom within the Einpive. ■CrciwiJa, Australia, aacl Kew kealand Me- all Want-ing immierajits of the rigfht sort, and by peopling those .VouMg' eountvies with British folk the productiveness of tha Empire ?s increased, and at the same time the unifying h'iiids of eofeniftn interest and tsicial sentiment .are inado btpadoi' an.fl stronger. San-timent ■inigrat-ion, teade, and ctciencn Are all .playing a eteat, wart Jβ , tke solidification of the British Empire,

Imperts. Exports. £ .8 1997 815,807,942 425,035,083 inns £92,953,18? 377,183,824 I90» 024,784,957 3T8.^0,3ff ma ,. 078,257,024 43O;«.T72 1911 080,157,837 <54,il9.'299 1912 7«,flW,e3i 487,228 4?0 1953 7G9,033,85-9 525,461.418