H.—44,

Decreased imports are noticeable in grass and clover seeds, £24,820 (£52,819); felt, £47,209 (£96,529) ; coal, £107,414 (£111,909) ; iron and steel manufactures, £201,569 (£245,584) ; iron wire, £91,112 (£106,332) ; dried fruits, £321,242 (£338,860) ; boots and shoes, £52-,624 (£76,637) ; electrical apparatus, £220,848 (£310,463). The main items of our export trade to Australia for the years 1937 and 1938 are set out in Table IX hereunder :—

Table IX.—Principal Exports to Australia.

Three items —grass and clover seeds, peas, and frozen, fish—show increased returns although lower quantities were exported. The number of cattle-hides sent to Australia increased by 38,899, but the recorded return dropped by £17,998. Lower quantities and values are shown for sawn timber, Phormium tenax, tow, oats, sugar of milk, sausage-casings, calf-skins, and gold. Higher quantities and values are shown for wool, tallow, sheep-skins, and pumice and sandstone. The large increases recorded for wool are explained partly by increased shipments to other ports through Australia and partly by increased purchases by Australian manufacturers for blending with their own wool. TRADE WITH CANADA. Exports from New Zealand to Canada during 1938 were £5,972,100, which was £561,802 lower than during 1937. Imports from Canada show an increase of £292,212, to reach the total of £4,855,499 during 1938. The figures for the last six years are shown in Table X hereunder : —

Table X.—Total Trade with Canada.

Canada in 19.38 took 1-91 per cent, of our total exports, as against 249 pet cent, in 1937. Imports into this country from Canadian sources during 1938 again followed the increasing tendency of past years, and reached the figure of 8-76 per cent, of our total imports. The 1937 figure was 8-13 per cent.

7

1937. 1938. Commodity. Quantity. Value. Quantity. Value. £(N.Z.) £(N.Z.) Timber sawn .. .. Sup. ft. 16,072,627 174,329 13,125,600 153,300 Phormiumtenax .. .. Tons 2,788 72,244 1,703 33,818 Tow .. .. .. „ 154 1,973 83 908 Grass and clover seeds .. Cwt. 23,630 55,203 22,319 69,216 Peas .. .. .. Centals 37,600 38,144 34,598 41,859 Oats „ 1,835 1,013 1,697 989 Fish, frozen .. .. Cwt. 43,486 138,906 42,285 139,450 Sugar of milk .. ..lb. 442,064 12,192 287,556 7,74-6 Wool .. .. „ 5,992,283 325,002 19,666,128 766,123 Tallow Tons 270 6,110 367 6,199 Sausage-casings .. ..lb. 215,146 11,720 158,753 5,085 Hides, pelts, and skins— Calf-skins .. .. No. 62,461 24,885 35,906 9,403 Cattle-hides 93,877 177,022 132,776 159,024 Sheep-skins without wool .. ,, 52,786 5,969 '463,157 29,923 Sheep-skins with wool .. ,, 7,757 1,636 62,589 9,902 Pumice and sandstone .. Tons 2,633 7,220 2,843 8,191 Gold: Bar, dust, ingot, and Oz. 40,650 325,746 37,700 312,865 sheet Dairying machinery .. .. .. 21,018 .. 1,391 I ;

I , m i. i m j Exports to Imports from Excess of Imports Year ended 31st December, lotal Trade. Canada. Canada. over Exports. £(N.Z.) £(N.Z.) £(N.Z.) £(N.Z.) 1933 . .. .. .. 1,825,807 560,875 1,264,932 694,057 1934 .. .. .. 2,796,475 697,865 2,098,610 1,400,745 1935 .. .. .. 3,107,600 656,984 2,450,616 1,793,632 1936 .. .. ■■ 4,428,700 1,103,008 3,325,692 2,222,684 1937 .. .. 6,241,690 1,678,403 4,563,287 2,884,884 1938 . .. .. .. 5,972,100 1,116,601 4,855,499 3,738,898