The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 1872.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 186, 6 August 1872, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 1872.

Statistics, as a rule, do not fnrnish very interesting reading matter, aad a return we now have before us of the Imports and Exports of the Colony for the year 1871 forms no exception to the general rule,; still, However, if the sifting proceas be applied to it, a good deal of useful information may be extracted therefrom; and with this view we have selected a few . items from the heterogeneous mass before us to lay before our .renders, many of whom will, we feel sure, agree wih us that the import list clearly shows that a vast amount of money find's its way annually out. of the colony, which, with a little more enterprise on the part of the inhabitants, misht be retained within our boundaries. Taking the items referred to fn alphabetical order, we find that, to begin with, for bags and sacks no less than £61,000 has been paid during the period above mentioned to foreign manufacturers; coals, with all our valuable mines, figure in the list to the tune of £121,000; eggs have been imported to the value of £1085; for fish (salted, potted, and preserved) we have sent away £23,000 ; flour has taken away £85,000; fruits (bottled, and. preserved, and dried) £18,000 ; ditto, green, £26,147; furniture, £23,000, While we export grain on the one hand, we are large importers »of it on the other, as will be seen by the following figures : Malt, £19,000; maize, £27,000; wheat, £47,000; of hops which grow here luxuriantly, we have been compelled to send elsewhere for over £21,000 worth ; printing paper has relieved us of £21,000.; grass seeds of £15,000; saddlery and harness of £30,000. Although we live in a richly wooded country, we have sent out of the country £39,000 for timber ; and, while growing the raw material in enormous quantities, and possessing every facility for working it up, we pay to manufacturers in other parts of the world £85,000 for woollen goods. Spirits msike a considerable show in the list, the figures heing as follows : — Brandy, £84,000 ; cordials, £2300 ; Geneva, £10,000 ; sweetened gin, £7000 ; rum, £16,300 ; and whisky, £22,500. Wines have been imported to the value of £62.000 ; tobacco and cigars to that of £79,000 *, the total value qf imports for the year being £4,078,193. We now come to the more cheering.side of the question, namely the export list, and here we find among others the following items : — -Flour, including bran and sharps, £15,300; grain— harley, .156,213 bushels valued at £23,785; malt, 10,599 bushels at £3294; oats, 594,149 bushels at £73,138; wheat, 271,941 bushels at £63,871. Kauri gum, £167,956; potted meats, •■•£l3l,l3o; whale oils, £12,300;---silver, 80,272 ounces valued at £23,145; . sheepskins, £12,726; tallow, £67,208;. timber, £20,500;' woollens only reach the modest sum of £1321. Our three principalaud most reliable staples of export we have, reserved for the last on the list, and these are as follows :— gold dust, £2,788,368; wool, £1,606,144, and flax £90,611. The total value of exports for the year 1871 is £5,282,064, leaving a balance lot.. exports over imports of £1,203,891. -o ,< -„ „ . VSSSSSSS ''' "' ILLii ' " ■". ■ ' ■. ", - '- r