The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, JULY 25, 1901. PROGRESS OF THE DISTRICT.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 166, 25 July 1901, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, JULY 25, 1901. PROGRESS OF THE DISTRICT.

A g kkat deal of attention must always of necessity bo given to the records of our staple exports, meat and wool, and we arc pleased to note that the district is steadily forging ahead in that direction. Though the prices are low, the volume of exports is increasing. We have before us the interesting statistical returns carefully compiled by Messrs Common, Shelton, and Co., and also those by Messrs Dalgety and Co. (of Napier). By Mcssrs'Common, Shelton, and Co’s returns we find that there was a substantial increase under every bead of export for 1901, and at the same time the flocks in the district show a largo increase. The following is tho record prepared by Messrs Common, Shelton, and Co. : Statement of Wool and Frozen Meat shipped from Gisborne each year, and the total of Live Sheep depasturing in tho Gisborne district at each year’s census :

B.y the foregoing it will be seen that wool export increased from 8,872 bales in 1890 to 28,114 in 1901 ; in the same period the export of mutton and lamb increased from 2,264,0781 b to 12,870,288, whilst from 1801 the beef export increased from bto 2,040,238. This is a splendid testimony of the advantage to the district of the freezing industry, and it is interesting to further analyse the records from

the period when there was additional competition in that line by the establish- ii ment of the Gisborne Freezing Works. That company evidently gave a fresh a impetus to the industry. We find that a the export of meat from Gisborne for 1895 amounted to 8,390,5061 b. At the beginning of the next year the second ‘ works were started, and six years later tlio 1 total export of meat had reached the sub- * stantial total of 15,010,5261b5, or nearly five 1 times as..much as it was in 1895. A reference to the tabulated form given 1 above will show how this increase was t made up. It is of great importance that ; in dealing with the comparative exports j accuracy should be strictly adhered to, j and we regret to noto that our local contemporary of last evening has an article | tending to mislead. It is made to appear j that Gisborne occupies third place on the list of exports. It is true that Gisborne was ahead of Napier in the matter of the export of mutton for the past six months, but as regards lamb and beef it was a long way short. During the last six months 11,658,5061bs of meat was sent from Napier, whilst only 9,636,4241bs was sent from Gisborne. In the previous halfyear Napier Deat Gisborne under the three headings. However, the true position is obtained from the summary of frozen moat exported from* New Zealand for the twelve months ending Juno 30, 1901. Here it is seen that Lyttelton is on top with 45,367,65’21bs of meat. Wellington is high up for second place with 4*2,771,2291b5. Napier has the proud position of being third, but is well down on the list with 19,529,2G11b5, Timaru comes fourth with 17,192,5081b5, and then comes Gisborne with 15,010,5261b5. Wanganui is sixth, but is over 4,000,0001bs behind Gisborne. Other exports from colonial ports show :—Port Chalmers, 7,059,793 ; Bluff, 0,107,334 ; Waitara, 4,005,009 ; Auckland, 4,370,958; Oamaru, 3,001,093 ; Picton, 1,902,705 ; the grand total for the colony being 178,379,9231 b ' of frozen moat exported. It will therefore bo seen that Gisborne exports over one-twelfth of the frozen meat sent away from the colony, and, what is specially pleasing, this progress is steady, the increase going on from yoar to year without any depletion of the ilocks, for thoy also are on the increase all the time. What the position would have been had there been greater expedition in the opening of tlio Crown and native lands lying idle, and with better facilities in the way of roads and railways, can fairly be judged. Let the Government look to those figures, for while there has been a decline in- the total meat exports for the colony, Gisborne has steadily continued to increase its quota towards the prosperity of the colony in the way of increased trade. The total export of meat from tho colony for the yoar ending Juno 30,1901, was 178,189,023 lbs, whilst in the previous year it was 214,836,8821b5. The growers of this disis trict arc therefore to bo tho more heartily 11 congratulated, and wo hope that prices ;s may soon take a turn for the better. P ■

Yisar. WOOL. WOOL.. 1 FROZEN MEAT (in Pounds.) Bales. lbs. MUTTON. LAMB: BEEF. SHEEP. 1800 is;) i 1802 1803 1804 1,805 isdo 1807 1808 189'.! 11)00 11)01 8,872 8,1*33 10,731 12,201 18,252 11,431) 15,115 17,527 21,405 23.321 21,72(1 28,114 ' 3,(170,1)1)3 3,741.525 1,054, 81(1 4750,810 4,1*45,001 5,113.1128 (>,270,280 7,830,008 8.504, 018 8,128,823 8.820,008 2.208,50!) 3,087,01)3 2.011,771) 1.052, 131 2,503,440 3,318.15] 4,774,257 4,870,354 0,870,007 0,824, 22(1 8,221,280 il 1,077,458 50,104 00,230 08.827 81/503 12/480 14,102 28,717 52,023 170,405 278,078 302,885 3oo’.oio 441,400 00,205 225,587 132,855 755, 5( )0 1,500,101 1,705,002 2,040,238 500,803 512,800 715,080 800,084 870,288 877,327 002,528 001,582 1,007,272 1,152.000 1,172,24 I 1,218,140