New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, March 9, 1850.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VI, Issue 480, 9 March 1850, Page 2

New Zealand Spectator, AND COOK'S STRAIT GUARDIAN. Saturday, March 9, 1850.

In the division of the Statistics relating to Interchange, in Return No. 18 is a statement of the value of the Imports and Exports of the different settlements of the Southern Province for eight years from 1841 to 1848 inclusive. The following is an abstract for the five years ending with 1848 of the Imports and Exports of the Province :- —

The following is an abstract of the Imports and Exports of the Port of Wellington during the same period :—: —

The principal Imports are flour, tea, sugar, live stock, beer, wines, spirits, and tobacco. The value of flour imported at Wellington is for 1846 £7570, for 1847, £4646, for 1848, £4496, The value of live stock imported is for 1846, £12,244, for 1847, £24,120, for 1848, £25,358. These two items comprise in round numbers about one-third the annual value of the Imports of this settlement, and under these heads in future returns we may expect a considerable diminution, as the flour used in Wellington, ."instead of being as heretofore imported from the neighbouring colonies, will be almost entirely the produce of New Zealand. We believe the flour to be used this year in the contract for supplying the troops with bread swill be entirely supplied from Taranaki, in which district also the greater part of the flour used in Auckland is produced. From the present price of stock, and the number of headin this settlement, the amount imported at Wellington will be considerably less than it has been in the period we havebeen considering. Theprincipal Exports from this settlement are oil and bone, wool, flax, pork, and timber. The value of the oil and bone exported from Wellington in 1848, was £10,031, of wool, £7674, of flax, £403, and of pork £336. The flucturtions in the Exports from this settlement have been chiefly in the varying amounts of oil and bone exported, as may be seen by reference to the abstract published in our last number. From the above statement it is obvious that while the greatest proportion, if not the whole, of the flour and meat consumed in the settlement will in future be the produce of New Zealand, instead of being imported from the neighbouring colonies, thereby considerably reducing the amount of money sent out of the colony, the yearly value of Exports, with the exception of oil and bone, which are likely to vary in amount as in previous years, will progressively increase in value. This is still further shewn in Returns Nos. 22 and 23 of the articles of New Zealand produce imported coastwise into Wellington, and of the value of the Imports coastwise at this port for one quarter (from Oct. 1, to Dec. 31, 1848), -which amounts to £13,714. Of these the principal items are beer £240, flax and rope £686, grain of various kinds £1,752, bacon, hams, and salt pork £1,078, butter £215, potatoes £248, timber £494, oil and bone £8,364,

and wool £237. The articles above enumerated shew the impetus which the coasting trade has received, and lead us to expect a considerable increase in the amount of exports for the past year. These are but beginnings which cannot fail to be rapidly augmented in amount and importance in proportion to the amount of emigration to this colony, and to the increased facilities of communication, The number of vessels belonging to the ports of New Munster at the end of the year 1848, were, — Wellington, owned by Europeans, 21 vessels, 700 tons ; owned by natives, 4 vessels, 76 tons ; — Nelson, owned by Europeans, 10 vessels, 144 tons; owned by natives, 3 vessels, 45 tons.

Imports. 844 £74,381 845 £44,066 846 £69,333 847 £1 '5,216 848 £109,412 Exports 1844 £38,644 1845 £24,374 1846 £34,350 1847 £26,762 1848 £22,875

Imports. 1844 £48,718 845 £37,755 846 £59,414 847 £94,409 848 £75,764 Exports. 1844 1845 £22,725 1846 £31,280 1847 £23,186 1848 .".. £20,902