AUSTRALIA’S TRADE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 621, 25 March 1929, Page 10

AUSTRALIA’S TRADE

BALANCE SLIGHTLY AGAINST NEW ZEALAND (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) SYDNEY, Saturday. Australia transacted business with overseas countries last year valued at £291,000,000, compared with the previous year’s value of £310,000,000. Export values dropped last year by £17,000,000 to £143,000.00. The United Kingdom supplied 42 per cent, of the total imports. During 1927-2 S imports from New Zealand totalled £3,366.000, while the exports to New Zealand totalled £3,854.000. The operations of the Post Office Department last year resulted in a loss of £230.663. Working expenses increased by 617,124, or 5.91 per cent, totalling £11,028,632. The earnings were greater by 5.79 per cent. The postal branch showed a profit, but the telegraphs worked at a loss. Increases in salaries and in superannuation practically were responsible for the department’s unfavourable balance-sheet. Of the 97,657 persons admitted to the Commonwealth last year from overseas, 15,401 were foreigners. Of these 5,720 were Southern Europeans and 387 Russians. MARKETING BOARD VOTE £65,000 FOR N.Z. MIGRATION (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) LONDON, Friday. For the third successive year the full amount of the £1,000.000 subsidy for the Empire Marketing Board does not appear in the civil estimates. This year £550,000 is the figure set down, making £1,550,000 short in the votes for three years. It is explained that the full amount can be voted in the supplementary estimates if needed. In addition to the present vote there is a sum of £350,000 of an unexpended grant carried forward, making available £900,000. From that sum the chief expenditures estimated are: Research and marketing, £482,000; publicity, £360,000. The gross estimated expenditure on overseas settlement is £1,470,000, an increase of £50,000. % The chief provisions are: Land Settlement development, £615,000; assisted passages, £692,000; settlement of migrants, £55,000; preliminary training, £ 53,000. The provisions affecting New Zealand include a renewed vote of £5,000 for advances to settlers on their own farms, £ 40,000 for assisted passages, and a grant of £20,000 for child migration.