EXPORTS DOWN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 December 1938, Page 5

EXPORTS DOWN

THE TRADING POSITION TO OCTOBER IMPORTS STILL AT HIGH LEVEL. VALUES FOR PRODUCTION YEAR. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The overseas trade returns for the Dominion for 1 October, which were issued yesterday by the Customs Department, show a further decline in export values. Imports, though slightly lower, continued to run at a high level. October was a poor month for exports, which were valued in New Zealand currency at the low figure of £2165,000, a decrease of £738,000 on the’ total of £2,903,000 for October, of last year. Imports during October were valued at £4,270,000, as against £4,623,000 for October of last year, a decrease of £353,000, but £274,000 in excess of the £3,996,000 for October, 1936. There was an excess of imports for October of £2,105,000, as compared with £1,720,000 for October, 1937, and £1,429,000 for October, 1936. October is seasonally a slack month for exports and a fairly busy period for imports. For the ten months of this year to October 31,' exports were valued in New Zealand currency at £50,262,000, as -compared with £58,187,000 for the corresponding period of last year, a decrease of £7,925,000. This years figure is only £1,653,000 more than the export total of £48,609,000 shown for the ten months of 1936. Imports for the ten months of this year were valued at £45,874,000, as against £46,605,000 for the corresponding period of 1937, a decline of only £731,000. This year’s total is nearly £10,000,000 in excess of the £35,881,000 of imports for the ten months of 1936. The excess of exports for the latest ten months’ period is down to £4,388,000, as against £11,582,000 for the corresponding part of last year and £12,728,000 for the ten months of 1936. Export values for the four months of the current production year (July 1 to October 31) amounted to £12,954,722 as compared with £16,086,612 in 1937, a decrease of £3,131,890.