DECLINE IN EXPORTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 107, 13 January 1912, Page 8

DECLINE IN EXPORTS.

UNRELIABLE STATISTICS. Auckland, January 11. In reference to the reported decline of three millions in .the exports, a Star reporter interviewed Mr. C. V. Houghton, local manager of the New Zealand Shipping Company. Mr. Houghton considered that this particular form of comparison was not a fair criterion of the year's trade. "In fact," he remarked, "statistics such as these are not worth the paper they are written on." The point was, he said, that the Customs returns up to December 31, a time of year which was just in the flush of the season, and shipping companies made their calculations up to the slackest time of the year's trade in New Zealand; this was about June 30. As a comparison Mr. Houghton stated that in December last there were nine ocean-going steamers in New Zealand time-tabled to leave for overseas ports, whereas there were only.four scheduled to leave during June last; in December the cargoes were complied of the most valuable exports, such as wool, butter, cheese, etc., while in the winter season they were carrying Island products—flax, gum or anything which came along, and which might be discouraged during the busier export season. This went to indicate that if at the end of the year (December 31) the cargo at all ports was coming in with a rush and on account of labor troubles or other difficulties delays occurred in the despatch of ships expected to leave at the end of the month, the whole of the valuable products contained in their cargo would be thrown from one year into the next. Again, it was not so much the values of the exports that indicated the prosperity of a country's trade as the bulk of the export; the former were subject to market fluctuations, just as had occurred in regard to certain staple New Zealand products, to the disparagement of the returns. For the 1911 season there was no doubt that New Zealand had done well from > the viewpoint of quality. ,