The Daily News. TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 1901. IMPORTS AND EXPORTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXIII, Issue 66, 2 April 1901, Page 2

The Daily News. TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 1901. IMPORTS AND EXPORTS.

| The stoady growth of the imports and exportß at the Breakwater is very pleasing. Indeed, the increasa is not confined to the port of New Plymouth, but all the ports in Tvanaki show a marked advance in trade that is very pleasing and proves that the prosperity is of a substantial and solid character. Io the interesting returns for which we 1 are indebted to Mr Bedford, the Collector of Customs, it will be seen that the Customs Duties colleotsd at New Plymouth for the quarter ending 31st March show an increase of £269 5s 5d the receipts being £5769 Os 8d as against £5499 15s 3d for the corresponding quarter of 1900. It is satisfactory io notice, and somewhat remarkable considering the number of holidays, that the beer duty has fallen eff to the extent of £45, no less than £3l 5s of which is the falling off for the last moDth of the quarter. The total value of the imports for the quirter was £18,552, as against £13631; increase £4921. It is, however, when we tome to the experts that the enormous productiveness of Taranaki is shown. The value of the experts for three months being the large sam of £188,462, as against £168,640, an increase of £19,822. Tbe increase at Wajtara is proportionally even larger, the figures Jbeing £39,160, as against £31,533, an increase of £7,<J3O, shewing an increase for the two ports, as compared with the corresponding quartets of 1900, of £27,452. Of these exports, butter to the amount of 36,480cwt., valued at £154,670, and chtese 15,097cwt., valued at £31,526, make a total of 51,577cwt,, valued at £186,196. It is latiefactery to notiee that wool is an article of export from New Plymouth of "some importance, 43,2121bs (about 100 bale*) valued at £9os, being exported during the quarter in question, as against 34,604 lbs (about 300 bales) valued at £B3O ia the corresponding quarter last year, No doubt the absence of a dumpingplant and sheds at the breakwater prevents much wool being dealt with there, as at Waitara, where there is a very somplete plan% 845,9281»s (over 2000 bales) were dealt with, valued at £21,147, as against 883,8241b?, valued at £22,067 last year. There can be no deufajfc but that the absence of dumping plant and prflpftr sheds with facilities for handling and sorting goods at the Breakwater means a loss of trade to the Port; still the progress made is cheering, and if the Harbour Board would only devote their revenue to providing proper facilities for the growing trade, instead of experimenting with ms& pumps, a great deal of trade

would be attracted to New Plymouth, that now goes elsewhere.