H.—44.

Our export and import trade with various parts of the East in the past three calendar years is shown below.

Although decreases are recorded above in exports to most Eastern countries for 1931, it is confidently expected that when economic conditions improve the efforts that are now being made to develop trade will bear fruit. The decrease in exports to India during the past year was due mainly to the fact that there were no shipments of gold to that country as in the two previous years. Oveeseas Trade Representation. The Department's representation overseas has been further extended during the past year by the appointment of two additional honorary representatives. These are as follow : Mr. A. R. Hughes, Hong Kong Bank Buildings, Colombo, Ceylon, and Mr. S. Hutchison, Room 506, 23 Yuen Ming Yuen Road, Shanghai, China. The Department is also represented in North China by Mr. L. A. L. Moore, 171 Victoria Road, Tientsin, who was appointed in an honorary capacity towards the end of 1930. The services of these gentlemen, as of other Government representatives and honorary agents and correspondents of the Department in various parts of the world, are available to the business and commercial community of the Dominion. The question of the further extension of the Department's honorary representation in various directions is at present under consideration. With the growing realization of the necessity for the opening-up of new markets and the development of existing ones, the number of calls upon the services of the Department's representatives abroad for the supply of trade and commercial information has steadily increased, and the value of such representatives has been correspondingly enhanced. The services of the New Zealand Trade and Tourist Commissioners in Canada and Australia, two officers of the Department abroad engaged primarily in trade and tourist development work, must particularly be mentioned in this connection. Their services have been extensively availed of by the Department and by the commercial community both in New Zealand and overseas, and they have made every effort during the past year to increase the export trade of the Dominion with the countries in which they are located, and to further tourist traffic between those countries and New Zealand. The attention of exporters and merchants in the Dominion is drawn to the facilities offered by the Government representatives, agents, and correspondents in various parts of the world. They are at the disposal of any person or firm desiring to extend trade relations with the countries concerned, and it is hoped that exporters and merchants in New Zealand will co-operate with the Department and with the Trade Commissioners or representatives concerned by utilizing to the fullest possible extent the services offered. STORES CONTROL BOARD. A representative of the Department continues to act on the Stores Control Board Advisory Committee. The value of the stores purchased by Departments of State during the year ended 31st March, 1932, was £2,715,215, against £4,286,803 for the previous financial year. CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE. The Department continues to be represented by honorary membership on the executive of the Chambers of Commerce in each of the chief centres. The annual conference of the Associated Chambers of Commerce of New Zealand was held in Wellington last October. It is noteworthy to record that the triennial Congress of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of the British Empire is to be held in Wellington next year. The forthcoming Congress is creating considerable interest in commercial circles throughout the Dominion. MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATIONS. Close co-operation has been maintained by the Department with the Manufacturers' Associations in the tour centres. In each case the District Officer of the Department is associated with the executive and attends the usual business meetings of the association in an advisory capacity. The Auckland Association in its forty-fifth annual report states that the membership now totals 303, the highest figure since its incorporation. A feature of the propaganda effort this year has been

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1929. 1930. 1931. Exports to — £ £ £ Dutch East Indies .. .. .. 19,191 13,029 10,205 British Malaya .. .. .. 26,781 20,611 14,922 Burma 1,070 984 779 Ceylon .. .. .. .. 7,055 9,066 5,093 India .. .. .. .. 386,421 406,878 59,185 Hong Kong .. .. .. .. 12,745 14,085 .14,165 China .. .. .. . ■ 36,348 36,493 17,625 Japan 428,577 154,741 267,899 Philippine Islands .. .. .. 19,342 12,491 5,414 Imports from — Dutch East Indies .. .. . . 1,152,705 811,372 848,216 British Malaya .. .. .. 122,721 79,382 56,949 Burma .. . . • . .• 20,938 25,443 10,459 Ceylon 923,748 704,759 617,042 India 766,756 637,832 392,088 Hong Kong .. .. .. .. 6,907 5,678 2,542 China .. .. .. .. 131,031 120,694 82,257 Japan 625,714 565,264 304,532 Philippine Islands .. .. .. 28,929 22,884 [ 9.367