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Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 433, 19 December 1868, Page 2

In an "article yesterday, on the value of the imports and exports at the different "West Coast ports, we remarked that the returns as published in the Gazette showed no imports at "Westport for the September quarter, and we accounted for the circumstance by supposing that the returns had not been received. There was no explanation of this, however, given by the Commissioner of Customs, and the return, as it appears, is certainly disadvantageous to the port. "We believe the fact is that the total value of imports for the quarter, at "Westport, was .£25,842, exclusive of free and duty paid goods, and that of this amount £23,892 is the value of direct importations from other than New Zealand ports. The duty upon the first total was £7099, making, with the gold duty, a revenue for the quarter of £11,384. In the previous quarter, when the traffic was comparatively small, the value of direct imports was £19,186, and, from the figures relating to Greymouth wenotice that the value of imports there for that quarter is nearly the same as that of the imports here during the last quarter. The great increase during the past quarter at Greymouth is almost as unaccountable as the total omission of the figures relating to Westport, and there is one othei remarkable coincidence which we notice, going upon the presumption that the Gazette returns are correct, and that is, that the imports and exports to and from Nelson are precisely similar, both being shown as £12,244.