Trade Returns.

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 123, 23 November 1896, Page 3

Trade Returns.

The gazetted returns show that for th< first nine months of the year the export* of (he colony were valued at £7,536,634 M compared with £6,729,791 for the corresponding period of last year. Thu seems at first glance a very large increase, but it is noticeable that it nearly all occurred in the. first quarter, when the valuation rose from £3,729,35 c to £4,325,182. This, we fear, means that the late shearing especially in the South Island, threw into thcMarch quarter a large quantity of wool which ordinarily would have been shipped last year. This view is to some extent discounted by the fact that there was a slight fall in the price of wool, but that may be accounted for by lower valuations. Considering the activity in goldininlng it is rather surprising to find that during the last quarter the eiport of gold, £302,974, was an increase of only £20,051. The main increase was in agricultural produce, chiefly wheat, oats and flour, which rose from £74,183 to £162,451. There were also increases in kauri gum, bacon and hams, cheese, rabbitskins, timber, frozen meat and flax. There was the very large decrease of £48,772 (£25,704 —£74.746) in tallow, sheepskins fell off £13,625 (£36,474— £48,199), and butter, coal, wool and leather also showed decreases. The imports expanded with the exports being £5,126,935 for the nine months as compared with £4,647,012 for the corresponding period of last year. This is largely accounted for by imports of mining machinery, but there is a general increase, no doubs due to the replenishment of merchant's stocks, which had been allowed to get very low. — H.B.