The Evening Star SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 1873

Evening Star, Issue 3261, 2 August 1873, Page 2

The Evening Star SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 1873

A GENERAL summary of import, export, and shipping returns has been laid before Parliament, containing the usual statistics of articles and their value, the tonnage of vessels employed, and the revenue derived during the year 1872. Although at Dunedin, as the chief port of Otago, the Customs revenue, which indicates foreign trade, is the highest of any port in the Colony, the shipping returns show that there is an amount of maritime activity in the North, which we have not yet attained to. During the year 109 vessels, of the aggregate tonnage of 52,500, entered inwards here ; the number that arrived at Lyttelton was 95, measuring 56,057 tons; while the number that visited Auckland was 195, with an aggregate of 84,286 tons. Even the Bluff and Camara added to our tonnage, do not bring our shipping returns up ; the Bluff only showing 35 vessels, measuring 17,439 tons, and Oaraara 12, with a total tonnage of 1,989. The export totals bear a like proportion : they show that Auckland sent out 216 vessels, 84,309 tons; Dunedin, 85 vessels, 41,782 tons; Bluff, 36 vessels, 16,769 tons; Oamaru, 9 vessels, 1,535 tons; and Lyttelton, 95 vessels, 37,099 tons. The tonnage of vessels leaving Auckland andDunedinin ballast does not materially differ, the return from Auckland being 17,264 tons and Dunedin 16,772. It will be seen, however, that much of the trade of Auckland is done by a much smaller class of vessels, and the fair inference is that the coasting and interprovincial trade is larger, owing in part to the necessity for importing provisions. A careful study of the list of imports by our merchants and capitalists would repay the time given to the task. It would point to many industries that might be profitably entered upon in New Zealand. A few instances, taken almost haphazard, will be sufficient to show this. Bags and sacks might be made here of indigenous fibre, yet last year we imported 809 bales and 5,301 packages of them, of the value of £92,032. Boots, and shoes cost us £195,878, yet we sent Heme 35,122 hides—probably sufficient to provide leather for the lot—and received for them only £31,763. Of coals, 108,749 tons were imported, at a cost of £162,549, although there are thousands of square miles of coalfields in the Middle Island alone, that only need opening to render New Zealand an exporting instead of an importing country. The probability ft), were this done to a greater extent, the cost of fuel would be reduced at least a third, and a large profit on our export trade would be added to the savings. There are many other articles smaller in amount, for which, possibly, there is not yet sufficient demand to justify the investment of large capital. We pay, for instance, about £IO,OOO annually for cordage, and £6,000 for glass bottles. But there are some imports that surely should be rendered unnecessary by Colonial effort. With coasts teeming with fine fish, we import preserved and salted fish to the value of £25,764, and bottled and preserved fruits valued at £B,OOO. Attention is already turned towards the manufacture of paper and woollens, for both of which there is ample room, taking into consideration the abundance of raw material we possess. In 1872 printing paper alone cost us £26,000, and woollen goods £122,000 in round numbers. It seems very absurd, with raw material in our possession, to pay double freight, and no one knows how much in commission and profits, for the pleasure of using our own products in a manufactured form. Surely there must be a wide margin for profitable investment in converting them into useful articles.