WHERE MONEY GOES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 146, 8 July 1937, Page 5

WHERE MONEY GOES

Prosperity in Dominion Shown By Purchase of Luxuries CARS & CONFECTIONERY Motor cars, confectionery, pickles and sauces — so the money goes round. The Dominion is enjoying more prosperity and a greater spending power than for many years past, and the old qu. » mn "Where is the money going" has an illuminating answei in the itn- * port figures of 1937. Believe it or not, New Zealand is buying luxuries m quantities that intimate that luxuries are going in greater or lesser degree into every hoino. Almost everyone has sweet tooth — to be replaced later by a false one if dentists' warnings nre not heeded. At the moment the Dominion is indulging its sweet tooth. You can have that statement verified by the sweet skop keeper or the Government Statistician. In the abstract of statistics it is shown that from January to April, 1937, a total of 432,9271b. of confectionery was imported into New Zealand, of a total value of £32,932. That is in contrast with an importation in the first tour months of last year of 202,2211b. of a value of £21,672. Pickles and sauces totalling 5168 gallons were imported in the first iour months of 1936 ; this year the total at the end of Aprfl was 10,113 gallons. Racing Taxation. From day to day. as race meetings have been held, increases in totalisator inv^stments have been notedj but here is an lnfcerestiug aspect. For the year ended Mareh 31, 1936, racing taxation amounted to £368,850. For the year ended Mareh 31, 1937, that total had swollen to £510,897. Motor-car dealers have had an exceptionally busy time. They felt the reacbion immediately there was an increase in the wool and butter cheques, and hundreds of new cars went into the country. Ificenees for motor vehieles of one sort and another have grown from 167,009 in 1936, to 255,748 at the end of Mareh, 1937; and in the t'our months of this year 11,441 mptor vehieles were imported, in comparison with 9734 for the same period las.t year. The amount of motor spirit imported totalled 28,086,348 gallons. in comparison -with 23,773,361 gallons at April, 1936. Similarly, radio sets have come in or beeu manufactured here in tremendous numbers. Local radio manufacturers have been constantly increasing their output, oft-en working overtime to keep paee with the demand. It is stated that the time is rapidly approaching when there will be a radio in every home in the country. Another Reflex. Imported spirits show another reflex of the country 's spending. In contrast with 72,730 gallons of whisky imported in the first four months of 1936, this year there were 103,678 gallons imported. Gin, Geneva and schnapps incrcased from 29,271 gallons at April, 1936, to 38.877 gallons at April. 1937. Even ale, cider and stout showed a big increase — from 16,060 galjons to 26,955 gallons. All these things come under the heading of luxu'ry lines, but the increase in commodity importation is general, New elothing as absorbing a lot of the extrn spending power of the people. General drapery showed an increase in the importation figures for the first. four months this year. the total value of the imports for 1937 being £115,470, in contrast with £90,922 in 1936.