Ports of Auckland Handle Big Trade

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 361, 23 May 1928, Page 16

Ports of Auckland Handle Big Trade

IMPRESSIVE FIGURES NEARLY 2,000,000 TONS Auckland’s claim to b© one of the principal ports of the Empire is fully borne otit by the returns of trade for the year ended September 30, 1927, yvhich were placed before the meeting of the Harbour Board yesterday. The total quantity of merchandise, inward, outward and transhipments handled at Auckland and Manukau * amounted to nearly 2,000,000 tons. Compared with the previous year, imports at Auckland show a decrease of 25,633 tons, transhipments a decrease of 1,181 tons, and exports an increase of 4,588 tons. At Manukau there was an increase of 1,421 tons in imports, but a decrease of 1,432 tons in exports. Auckland cargo shipped to the overseas markets comprised 90,515 tons to Great Britain, 16,676 tons to Canada and the United States, and 24,257 to Australia. VALUE OF CARGOES The return of value of imports and exports shows that the total value of goods imported at Auckland was £15,690,921, and of exported £12,007,158, of which by far the greater part came from and went to the United Kingdom and other British possessions. Compared with the previous year th© totals show a decrease in the imports of £1,389,396, and an increase in th© exports of £388,446. Exports to the American market constituted a record, the total of 18,869 tons being more by over 5,800 tons; Auckland cargo increasing 4,560 tons and transhipments 1,261 tons. In the dairy group an increase of 1,924 tons, or 77 per cent, in butter, was offset somewhat by a decline in cheese and milk powders totalling 460 tons. Frozen and preserved meats are more by 760 tons, the former being nearly double and the latter four times the 1925-26 figures. America and Canada took less wool by 448 tons, but more sheepskins and hides by nearly 800 tons. • TRADE WITH BRITAIN Imports during the period totalled 1,552,585 tons, Great Britain with 202,897 tons, being the greatest contributor from overseas. Australia was next with 170,841 tons, and then came the United States with 160,626 tons. The import trade with other New Zealand ports was 723,786 tons. Shipping returns presented by the harbourmaster, Captain H. H. Sargeant, showed that the inward shipping totalled 7,578 vessels, of which 826 were large steamers. The local coastal shipping totalled 6,752 vessels. Compared with the previous year, the larg© merchant shipping was greater by 58 vessels, but the local coastal returns were lower by 1,046 vessels. On the Manukau Harbour, the arrivals comprised 295 vessels, a decrease of 45. ________