RECORD EXPORTS

Taranaki Daily News, 13 September 1940, Page 6

RECORD EXPORTS

PORT OF NEW PLYMOUTH ONE MONTH TO SPARE BIG AUGUST SHIPMENT In eleven months of this financial year the New Plymouth port has sent overseas more produce than it did in 1937-38 which was the previous record. Total trade, import and export, may not quite reach last year's record figure but will f all little short. A record shipment of butter and cheese was made last, mo'nth through the port when a large vessel lcok 27,000 crates of cheese and 34,000 boxes of butter, a total of about 3000 tons. Exports for the first 11 months of the 1939-40 year, which ends on September 30, were 68,478 tons compared with 61,348 tons in the whole of 1937-38 and 60,300 tons last year. Last year's record total trade of 238,964 tons is 23,246 tons ahead of the figure for the first 11 months of this year, but a good September will not fall far short of that. Two Records Created. Last month for example the total trade exceeded 26,000 tons. As that included not only the record Shipment of produce but also record imports of petrol some diminution is certain, although already this month there has been one particularly large export cargo, the ship drawing 28 feet two inches when she sailed compared with the record for the port of 28 feet seven inches. That the total trade of the port should be so close to the record is remarkable in view of exchange control and war conditions which have had a restricting effect on imports. The buoyancy is partly due to the large increase in exports, but another important factor is that imports are only about 5 per cent. lower than

they were last year. Petrol imports are higher and fertiliser imports have kept up well. The effect of this is shown in the following fieures: —

Frozen Meat and Cheese. The largest increase in exports has been in the- case of frozen meat which is more than 4000 tons greater than they were in the previous record year. Cheese also shows a good increase. Comparative figures of the principal commodities for the 11 months' periods of the last three vear.c are: — '

A siight increase m coastal trade is shown this year, 64,144 tons compared with 63,547 last year and 59,283 in the previous year.

1940. 1939. 1938. Tons. Tons. Tons. Fertilisers .. 54,057 67,158 64,724 Petrol, etc. .. 18,380 15,723 4,571

1940. 1939. 1938. Tons. Tons. Tons. Meat 27,014 22,311 23,153 Batter .... 10,210 10,073 13,278 Cheese .. .. 20,799 18,312 18,064