TRADE AND OTHER STATISTICS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 89, 9 January 1935, Page 8

TRADE AND OTHER STATISTICS

New Issue of Year Book

NOTABLE ROAD TRANSPORT IN NEW ZEALAND

Some differences arc noticeable in the forty-third issue of the “Official Year Book,” which was published on Monday the principal changes being the placing of the latest statistical information in the forefront of the volume, while the official section is placed at the end. The Government statistician, Mr. J. AV. Butcher, explains that economy had to be exercised in the preparation of the book, this necessitating the elimination of special articles on important national topics. The edition, however, contains sixteen pages more than the 1934 Year Book contained. Every effort has been made to add as many details as possible about production,, trade, and finance. A foreword is included regarding the expression of monetary values in current statistics, this being done to check the tendency on the part of some people to err in the use of statistics of balance of visible trade.

Almost three pages are devoted to the latest statistical informations,’ the returns generally covering the period from January 1 to October 31, 1934. No comparisons are made with similar results in the similar period of 1933. Thus the casual reader will observe, for instance, that the exports for ten months last year were valued at £41,934,000 in New Zealand currency, or £33,569,000 in sterling, without knowing (unless lie looks up lhe previous Year Book) that the value represents a great increase for the period. For the same ten months of 1933, the totals respectively were £33,922,000 (New Zealand currency) and £27,137,000 (sterling). - One of the from the lack of comparative data, however, will be that pessimists may not know the items- which showed a decrease last year compared with 1933. The value of lamb exports between January 1 and October 31 last showed a substantial increase, the sum being £7,269,141, as against £5,813,239 for the corresponding period in 1933. Butter was down by some £728,000, but cheese showed an increase. Wool exports last year up to October 31 were worth £12,134,920, as compared with only £6,466,987 for a similar period of the previous year. Railways and shipping improved last year, and imports increased.

On November 11, 1933, there were 52,141 registered unemployed; on November 17 last, the number on the unemployment register was 46,638. For the first ten months of 1933 the imported motor-vehicles were valued at £373,497 ‘ for the corresponding period last year the value was £1,340,408. Among the 196,252 motor-vehicles on the roads at March 31 last, there were no fewer than 368 different .make* The Transport Department has estimated that the total vehicle-mileage for 1933 was in the neighbourhood of 700,000,000 miles. Road transport Iris become an extensive business. In the North Island alone during the year T.)“3 34, over 13,000,000 passengers were carried, the fares amounting to £519,372. The transport of newspapers by service cars cost £9384. Over £l,-3-10,000 was spent on the motor transport. of goods throughout New Zealand. During the past five years 86S parsons have been killed in motor accidents; of that total 207 were pedestrians, 222 were on motor-cycles, and 361 were on other motor-vehicles. Saturday appears to be the worst day for traffic accidents.