5

H.—44,

foot of the total area of 42,000 square feet will be required. An annex to the main building is to be erected to provide for a cinema-hall with- seating accommodation for at least 475 persons. Considerably more than half of the space will be devoted to the display of the. Dominion's primary products, special efforts being taken to make the exhibits worthy of the great place that outproduce holds in the markets of Great Britain. The manufacturers of the Dominion, through their several associations, have accorded such ready support that it has been difficult to find accommodation for the exhibits. While having practically no export trade in manufactured goods, the industrialists of the Dominion have recognized the importance of the Empire Exhibition in showing to their kinsmen that important industries have been established and that, goods of first-class quality are being made. This exhibition should also prove attractive to prospective immigrants who are at present ignorant of the facts relating to the industries of the Dominion. Carefully compiled publications will, show statistically the. number of employees, wages paid, value of output in each of the main industries, and expert officers will be available to give inquirers the fullest information in respect to industries generally. Films have been prepared of the primary and secondary industries, of the tourist, scenic, and sporting attractions, and of the national life of the. Dominion. A large variety of photographs has also been specially taken for the exhibition. The Dominion's main endeavour in its display will be to fully show its great resources in food-production, present and prospective, and. its great and varied mineral wealth. OVERSEAS TRADE. Considerable interest continues to be taken by the Chambers of Commerce and the industrial associations of the Dominion in the development of trade overseas, and the Department has watched the movement closely and kept all interests supplied with information that has come to hand from various sources. At the annual conferences of the Chambers of Commerce and industrial associations resolutions were unanimously passed favouring the sending of a commercial mission to the Netherlands East Indies to report upon the prospects of reciprocal trade. Australian statistics show that a valuable trade has developed in this market, and that the tendency is for the trade to increase from year to year. Attention has been given to the subject of trade with the Pacific islands, particularly Samoa, Fiji, Cook Islands, Tahiti, and Hawaii, and most valuable assistance has been rendered by the Secretary to the Department of 'External Affairs in regard to islands coming within the jurisdiction of his Department. Satisfactory progress has been made in the provision of better shipping facilities, and a now projected regular steamer service to Niue and Apia (Samoa) from New Zealand main ports is likely to have far-reaching and beneficial results, especially in making available to consumers in Now Zealand tropical fruits at reduced prices. An analysis of the, external trade of Fiji and Samoa is as follows :— The imports into Fiji fell off in 1922 as compared with the figures of 1921 by over £500,000, the reduction being due in the main to decreased importations of articles classified as " wholly or mainly manufactured." The total imports in 1922 were valued for Customs purposes at £946,063. New Zealand sent into Fiji last year goods to the value of £102,768. The figures of the other most important exporting countries wore : Australia, £422,245; United Kingdom, £219,920 ; United States, £76,172. Our leading exports to Fiji were represontod by : Live shoep (£3,514), bags and sacks (£13,022), butter (£7,621), lime and cement (£11,174), drapery (£8,342), grease and tallow (£3,081), meats (£10,618), milk (£4,164), sugar (£3,654), tea (£3,514), timber (£3,251), attd vegetables (£5,614). The exports from Fiji normally show a considerable, excess over imports, and this was the position in 1922, when exports totalled £1,863,172, all but £75,280 being exports of domestic produce. By far the most important item of export is raw sugar, and as New Zealand took a very largo proportion of this --£1,173,502 —out of a total of approximately £1,350,000—the Dominion may be classed as Fiji's most important customer, our total imports from the colony being valued at £1,224,994. The balance of our imports was represented mainly by bananas (£45,170), and cocoanut-oil (£1,882). Copra, the only other Fijian export worthy of note, was sent out to the value of £346,096. New Zealand did not participate in this trade, the exports going mainly to the United Kingdom (£101,114) and Germany (£205,532). The imports into Samoa in 1922 were valued at £282,939, a decrease of over £100,000 as compared with the previous year, while the exports increased from £241,539 in 1921 to £365,610 in 1922. An adverse balance of trade of £167,353 in 1921 was therefore changed to a favourable balance of £82,671 in 1922. Samoan imports in 1922 were drawn mainly from Australia (£104,663), New Zealand (£82,596), United States (£63,345), and United Kingdom (£14,202). Our most important exports to Samoa, exclusive of goods imported by the Administration of the Territory, were living animals (£2,103), drapery, &c. (£9,151), drugs, &c, (£3,092), buttor (£3,684), meat (£28,449), soap (£2,657), and timber (£3,346). The exports from Samoa were sent mainly to the following countries: Denmark (£118,562), United Kingdom. (£86,298), Germany (£83,658), United States (£32,568), Holland (£24,678), and Now Zealand (£12,398). Copra (£319,333) and cocoa-beans (£44,513) accounted for substantially the whole value of the export trade. New Zealand's share of the Samoan export trade was represented mainly by cocoa-beans, which were brought into the Dominion to a, value of £11,597. Many inquiries have been made from the Department as to the possibilities of trade with China and Japan, and this information has been supplied. * SUGAR. Most countries exorcised a measure of Government control during the war and during the immediate post-war period. In Great Britain and. the United States of America Government control has been abandoned for some time, although there are still high protective duties maintained in each