The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, JANUARY 3, 1902. TRADE PROSPECTS.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 304, 3 January 1902, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, JANUARY 3, 1902. TRADE PROSPECTS.

In an article dealing with the past year, the Mercantile and Bankruptcy Gazette regards as of first importance the extraordinary fall in the price of wool. It then gives this advice : 1 ‘ What we hope to see our farine,. friends do, is to hold their wool : Lhe prices now offering—threepence to fourpence per pound, which is about the value, we suppose, of tiie ordinary mixed wool that is sent from the fauns—is just about good enough j.ot to take, and the bales may as well stay under cover in the possession of tno owner until things mend a bit, as mend they must.” Continuing, the (lunette states : Wheat, oats, and barley all feel slightly the effects of the Pi uth African war ; oats particularly have hardened to a good payable price and in consequence thereof, large acre ages have gone in. Whether, during the coming season, farmers will find this grain so profitable a line as it was last, U open to doubt. Frozen meat has not been unprofitable during the year, but there seems no chance of our being able from this export to counterbalance the loss on wool. Our gold industry has paid fairly well during the year ; with nothing sensational in the returns, Uie various dredges at work have kept a fair average, The gold return lor the year from dredging does 1100, of course, represent the money which has been put into the industry, by well meaning, in some cases, hut stupid persons who have bought shares in absurdly rotten undertakings. Putting these classes out of the question and dealing witli the. average dredge which has worked during the year, the shareholders have no reason to be dissatisfied with their investments, The other principal expert 1 ; of the colony, more particularly those relating to the dairying industry and those products which belong to the northern portion of these Islands have more than maintained their own during the year, while the figures which belong more purely to revenue and which are of special interest to these responsible for the compilation cf the financial statement, show an augmentation so far, of those which appeared in return for the corresponding period of last year. Taking employment as a lest of the colony the lesult is satisfactory, as very few men who are competent to work, and who have desired to obtain it, have been unable to give effect to their wishes. Women, we of course exclude, as domestic servants are as scarce as nuggets on a dredge table. The' building trade lias been good, distinctly, all through, the year, and when this is raid it fo,lows that all those trades and businesses which are dependent upon the erection of buildings, have been able to find full work for all

tiunr men. The factories throughout tiio country have been engaged lull working time,' and, labor legislation notwithstanding, have been able to lrni'i their own. Rumors of impending changes in some of them have been more or less general for some months past, suggesting a change of policy on the part of their owners which, if carried. out would tend to decrease mauli-n'-rimes in the colony in favor of importing the finished article fiom abroad ; these, we trust, are nothing mote than an expression of discontent on the part of tnose affected by the legislation of the past few years. The increase in the price of commodities which lias taken place, synchronising with the rise in wages, is only what was predicted, and has practically wiped out the whole, or a large portion of the amount paid to tne worker. This being so, the nett result is to the benefit of the trading classes who have raised prices, hut the gain to them is contributed to a very large, extent by the country people, who receive no benefit from the legislation, and upon whom this impost, by the force of circumstances, is most unfairly tin own. Judging from the bankruptcy statistics the finance of trading classes was never belter. The Official Assignees throughout the colony are practically out of employment as nothing is doing in the official administration of insolvent!, and few private assignments of any importance have been negotiated since this time last year. Trade bills are' fairly met; in a few cases assistance ha's been given during the twelve months, hut cnly in cases where it was expected. Tne Companies Act of this year, amongst other practical measures, has thrown the liquidation of companies, ordered by the Court to be wound up, ini,o the hands of the Official Assignee, and this is a change for the better.