TRADE STATISTICS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2136, 30 April 1914, Page 4

TRADE STATISTICS.

IMPROVED SYSTEM: ADOPTED

Owing to tho iistrochretion of a wir j system in the collection and compjlaj hon <jf statistical information, relating io trade, spine delay lias -recently oseurred i» tha' pn&Jicstion by the Customs Department of the particulars, of imports which are usually made available shortly nftor the end of each montb. A reporter who made inrpiiricS on tlio subject yesterday was informed that tho delay was ef a. temporary character, and that'the'matter would, soon right itself. It is anticipated that the Customs Department will very shortly ho in n position lo issue the statistics of trade aip-to-date. Tho statistical particulars in their new form should Lo very ranch more useful than in tho form wliicl) is. being superseded. One j of tho principal improvements relates to iui]K»rtii. Hitherto only the port from which go<\ds wero dispatched to the Dominion has bean slunni, but henceforth the country of origin will also bo .indicated, lu the past Gci'maii goods coming tq New Zealand, via Australia and transhipped in the Commonwealth, have- bcon shown as imports fnjni Australia. Under tho uejv system the Australian port of shipment and Germany as the country of origin will both be shown in tbo case of such goads. In addition to this more, heads of infdrniiitiou will be given, and tho imparts will be classified ■ and the related itemsi grouped. Thus all animal food imports vrill he shown not only separately, .but as a- group, and tho same will apply to vegetable goods, machinery, and other heads under which.. imports can bo conveniently grouped. Hitherto, in ord-er to ascertain the amount of, say, machinery imported in a given period, it has been j necessary to take out the details from i the sWtistic's. This was always a tna> i ter of dilSculty. and not always posj sible. The decision to compile the trade statistics on the new plan was arrived at by tiro Govenummt only towards tho end of last year, and tho system had to be put into operation quickly in order that the improved record wight date from the beginning of the year which I opelted jit January last. Showing tho' I country of origin of imports is a- fa» Uiro which involves in itself practically, twice' as much work as formerly.. Tho computation has been extended to cover additional items, and the port at which imports arrive will bo shown. In tho past tliis information has not been wipplicd in tho. case of individual articles..' Xttfcitrally' the intradiictibn of tho new system involved' n great deal of detail work' by tho officials concerned. .Arrangement's bad to be made with tlm j importers, and books ami papers had i.o be prepared and printed. When tho new system is in full working order,/it will. mean that statistical information will lie made available upon a mom comprehensive and useful scale and much more quickly than ever before. Preparations are being made to issuo ;i, statistical digest, every month, ant] it is expected that eventually ihc- figures (including detailed trade figures) for one j month, wili bo published by tlio middle <if the following ciiontli. It is intended' that tho monlhly disost should include nimulativc .fisures, ao that the figures for tiio year will lie available in tho middle nf the month following that ou which the year ends. I