DUNEDIN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 746, 6 December 1870, Page 2

DUNEDIN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

At the annual meeting of the above body, the following report on the trade of the port was submitted : The imports and Customs revenue at this port having shown a considerable falling-off during the quarter endiug June 30th of this year, the committee has caused a careful examination of the trade returns of the port for the last three years to be made, with the view of ascertaining whether the fall-ing-off referred to is to be looked upon as exceptional, or as indicative of a general retrogression. The falling off in the Customs revenue during the winter months may have been partly caused by the depressed condition of the province, a considerable part of it was due to the small imports of general merchandise during the quarter just referred to, a circumstance which appears to have been in a great measure accidental, the imports of the preceding quarter having been the largest on record. A comparison of tho imports of the past twelve months with those of the vear ending 30th Sept., 1868, shows a falling-off in the declared value amounting to £63,103. This reduction does not equal the total fall-ing-off upon a few articles which are now produced in the province instead of being imported. In the case of those -articles our supplies of which must necessarily come from without, there has on the average been no falling off in our imports, but rather the contrary, and in many instances there are decided increases. This is still more notably the case in the comparison between the past year and that immediately preceding it. In those cases in which home productions are superseding the imported articles,there has been a progressive decrease in the declared value of imports. In most other cases in which the imports of 1869 were less than those of 1868, the past year shows an increase. In those articles which may be grouped under the general term soft goods, and which form nearly one-fourth in value of our ordinary imports, there has been a progressive increase during the past three years.

Imports of iron, ironmongery, hardware, &c, show a falling off in 1869 more than recovered on the average in the past year, except in the items fencing wire and galvanised iron. Under other heads of imports we find that out of 119 there are 67 in which the past year shows an increase over that ending 30th September, 1869, and 48 in which it exceeds the p recedingyear. In fact, although the June quarter of 1870 exhibits exceptionallysmallfigures in the way both of imports and customs revenue, the two preceding quarters were much above the average and the total for the year is three per cent, larger than for that immediately preceding. As regards revenue, if we add to that actually collected the sum of £2268 which has been foregone during the past twelve months, as a bonus on local distillation of spirits, the falling off is less than two per cent, from that of the preceeding year, and only one half per cent, from that

of the year ending 30th September, 1868. There is, however, in all cases where the actual consumption is fairly indicated by the Custom House Statistics, a manifest falling off during the last half year, rather greater in proportion than the usual difference between the summer and winter months. The export returns show a steady increase in the totals, from,, j ear to year, but considerable fluctuation in the amount of minor exports. The export of grain during the past twelve months has been very" much' less than during the preceding year. On the other hand, tallow figures during the past year for the first time as an export of any importance. The increased shipments of flax also assist to compensate for the falling off in grain, though it is to be feared that the value shown in the Customs entries is in excess of that which will be realised. In wool there continues to be a steady increase, whilst the export of gold remains about the same. The number of miners' rights issued in the province for the year ending Sept. 30th last, was 5430. Dividing the export of the year by that number, we obtain a quotient of rather more than 28 ozs. as the average annual earnings per man of the mining population. Estimated at £3 15s per ounce, this amounts to £lO5. Although this is far above the reported average of other goldproducing countries, it by no means represents the whole income of the mining population, of whom-many are occupied during a portion of their time in farming pursuits. Though the tables show that there has been a steady increase in the productive power and consumption of the community, and therefore that the population and material wealth of the province have increased during the past two or three years, there can unfortunately be no doubt that, just now, the commerce of Otago, as of the colony generally, is in anything but a flourishing condition. Nor is the prospect before us at present very reassuring, lieduced values of wool and flax, increasing stringency in the money market of the world, and the restrictions io commerce caused by the war between France and G-erinany, taken in connection with the inability of the colony to prosecute, at present, urgently needed, public works—all these things will, your committee fear, prevent any improvement in the state of trade for some time to come.