FINE WOOL—EUROPEAN IMPORT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4370, 23 March 1875, Page 2

FINE WOOL—EUROPEAN IMPORT.

Sir, —The following statement is made up from circulars which have appeared in your journal, together with the last, or annual circular issued by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Ageney'Company, and will afford more information than my letter of last week.. These circulars are annually improving, affording more information, but still are very incomplete. I have taken that part of the heading "fine wool”from Windelcr and Bowes’ statement, though it is not strictly correct in reference to the wool to which it refers, and does not include even all the fine wool which goes to Europe annually.. I have altered my last arrangement, and corrected some facts-at least, have changed them Total Eivopeau import from .. Australasia, the Cape,, and 1573 1374 Rio Plato .. ' *;;■ v PCS,SB7 .. 1,060,500Total import to England from v the colonies.. . 707,810 .. 816,684 257,777 .. 243,816 Import direct to the Continent from Rio Plate, to June 30 138,892 .. 176,909 Import direct to the Continent from Rio Plate, between June 30 and December 31 118,882 .. 66,907 Total import direct to Continent from Rio , 1874. Plate ... 243,816 Import to the Continent from England of colonial wool (Jacomb and Son’s statement).. .. .. .. .. 862,000 605,816 Left in England of year 1874 importation from the colonies 454,C54 Total import, as stated by AVindCler and Bowes.. .. 1,060,500 I have examined a statistical table in Mr, Latham's work on Rio Plate States, and the bales average SOOlbs, I will assume that the colonial bales average 4001b5., and the following will show the proportionate number of bales of fine wool taken by the Continent and by England:— 1874. Rio Plate bales .. .. .. 243,816 .. 487,732 Colonial bales .. ~ .. ~ ~ 362,000 Bales of 400 lbs. taken by. the Continent .. 849,732 Bales retained In England T ... ...489,684 Total in bales of 4001bs. .. ... .. -1,289,416 According to first statement above, the Continent took nearly 50 per cent, 'more than England, and by this last nearly 100 per cent, more of the fine wool imported to England in 1874,’ It is of imporUuce that wo should get information as to the relative weight of colonial and Rio Plato bales of wool t a*

their supply must influence our prices considerably, and will continue so doing.'the States cm that river being in nearly similar latitudes with the Cape of Good Hope. We ought at least to have tho annual export, not only to Europe, but to tho United States, which import largely therefrom. , The following stocks are so given in Wmdeler and Bowes’ circular that they appear as if intended for all Europe : but I suspect represent London, or possibly that and the manufacturing districts: — January Ist. 187 L 137,(587 ” 1573 ■ " 63.2(53 ” ISM .. «-' B4 ” 1875 .. “2,015 The deliveries now given are from tho same source. 1873, 977,071 bales ; 1874,1,003.009— excess of last year over the prior 0598 ; but at will bo seen by tho reduced stocks at< commencement of last year, that the deliveries exceeded theamportations both years, large as the importations had been.- ' ■ , , , Tho increased supply furnished by each colony last year over preceding, is as follows; -New South Wales, 9000 bales ; Victoria. 54,000 (doubtless including Kivcrina country) : South Australia, L 1.300 : Tasmania, 2,500 ; New Zealand, 22,850 ; and Cape of Good Hope, 8545. . ... . . I will now give the Loudon Customs statement, in pounds, of import and export:— 1 1873. LS74. mpdrt of Australasian , __ ... w 001,.. .. ... 136,281,953 .. 225,420,101 Total import, colonial and foreign.. ’. . 313,061,244 .. 338.800,431 Export, colonial and foreign .. .. 123,236,636 .. 144,802.350 Left /or home use, <tc... 189,824,003 .. 194,438,122 Export of British wool.. 7,034 .. 10.047,333 Increase of colonial wool Decrease of foreign wool .... • ■ 14,000,000 Total increase on 313 - • millions of pounds .... .. 20,000,000 The average minimum bank rate was in 1873, £4 15s. percent. ; in 1874, £3 145., or less last year than the previous by nearly 25 per cent. More gold, by three millions, remained in England last than the prior year, though the demand had been so great for German and French currencies. The cotton crop of the United. States is estimated at millions of bales, or within quarter of a million of the largest crop ever gathered in the United States, and that was just prior to the rebellion which destroyed slavery. This recovery in ten years,, contrasts strongly with what so long attended the cessation of slavery in our West Indies and other parts.—l am, &c., Samuel Revaxs. Woodslde, March 21.