NEW ZEALAND'S TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 319, 18 January 1908, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND'S TRADE.

RKCoRD EXPORTS. The Dominions ini [n^rt ~ for the year were valued ;!t £lfi,!>B2,lM6; the exports al tiil.miil.iiiMl. I 11,, value of exports is a rivoril. 'lhc values of the principal exports were:--

\V.h>l. ii;.:17ii.021. tru/fii mr.it. 13.438.538. Butter, £1.«15.t;22.

Hemp, £821.8118. Kauri gum. t.".">7!'.Bsi7. Cheese. UKUMh Oat,, £41,081. Cold. £2.027,4X1. Our import* in 1900 were valued at £15,211,403, >o that in the Vcar they have increased by Jt'1,7'.H).1i43. It is interesting tn observe that in ISflO the total imports uere but JC7.137.3211.

Turning to the exports the increase is verv gratifying. List year the export* were £18.«15.137. This means that [n the twelve months they have increased bv £l.!>7fi.si>3. As showing the extent of the strides we are making us a pro ducing tountry. one has but to contrast the ex|iorts of eleven years back. Then they were only £!1.321,105. We have, therefore, more than doubled our e\]*>rts in the short space of eleven . vears.

List year the North I-land exported 57.75 |K*r cent, of the total, and th. South I-hinil 42/2|).

For purposes of comparison we giv, the value of the principal exports of l!'i« ; Wool. Cti,783,655. Frozen meat, C2.877.b31. ilntter, £1,.VK1i35. Hemp. C77ti.WiKauri gnin, t'522,482. t'hee*e. t341.f102. Oata. t7fij)Bl.

Cold. £2,270.904. It will lie seen from these ligureti that there has lieen a material increase in all the articles of exports above enumer a ted, except in wool, gold, and oats. In j respect to Taranaki's staple products butter and cheese, it will lie seen that the increase is over a third of a milium expected, the increase in the butter exports is not very considerable I C5.i.3.5i I. S» many factories lurned their attentu n to the manufacture of cluese that ue liardlv expected to see last year's valu"s maintained. The cheese exports more than doubled themselves, the inerea-e amounting to t'.>22.30.5. In 18!* i. it is interesting to note, the value of butter exported was but U402.i)HS. whilst the value of the cheese was £150.517. It is to he observed that whilst the value of the exports of the country has increased by over a hundred per cent, in a period "of ten years, the population lus increased in a ratio by no means proiiortionately. The population on .11-t IJeeemlier. IBl>7. wa>< 7tS8,01O: nt the end of last vear. according tn the liegi-tnir-Ceneral. it had grown only to 1188.071 a differeii'-e in ten years of but 210.1 Hi. •flie-e ti'iures sjieak eloquently of the |irogre« New Zealand is making, and give justification for faith in the dominion** jiosition and future. What «e require most of all is population, and '.l our legi-lators turned their attention !o this vi7.il matter and took practical steps to attract and seenre immigration they would 1« doing their duty to the Stat \ and Would ensure for the dominion a continuance of the progress character'!--1