COMMERCIAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2326, 20 October 1908, Page 7

COMMERCIAL.

. GISBORNE EXPORTS. - The following wore the principal exports from Gisborne during . the month of September: ■ 5245 cwt. of beef valued at £6,111; 2383 carcases of mutton, weighing lOGScwt., valued at £1,240 - 278 carcases of lamb, weighing 759 cwt., valued at £1063; •1329 bides, valued at £1503 ; 393-. B skins,, valued at £2161; 7Sions of tallow, valued at £2016; and 303,83/ lbs., o r f wool valued at £8095. PRODUCE. The wheat market .is .-very firm. Farmers are bolding stocks, and millers are reported to be finding some difficulty .in securing good milling grain. Best fowl wheat is wortli 5s 3d per bushel' locally, and flour £l2 'lss per ton (sacks), £l3 10s per ton (bags). , ~ . ~ •• Potatoes are cheaper, though ibeie is a probability of an advance on present prices before the new crops come to market. Best qualities are quoted at £6 10s per ton locally. - is firmer, best Canterbury !be,at £7 10s wholesale m Gisborne, Cats are scarce at 3s per bushel. Tlie following are the Wholesale merchants prices for the .following produce at Gisborne: — _ i (Onions are in short supply, at 22s Gtr per cwt. There will probably :be a rise in the price locally, as the Auckland market is bare of supplies. Cheese 7d, bute.iv. Is, eggs Is, honey 4£d., bacoffyd, bam lOd. ■STOCK. ~/ The usual fortnightly sale -oif stock held at Mutawhero on Thursday next, when a number of horses will also be offered. PRODUCE EXPORTS. The produce year closed on September 30, and taking the figures furnished in the monthly leaflets issued by the Department of Industries and Commerce, there is a tremendous decline in the values. In some cases, indeed in most cases, the" decline is clue partly to the shrinkage in quantity exported, and partly to the lower" range of values. Taking the fi,gives for dairy produce, frozen meat, a#i hemp, the values compare as

There is a decrease ,in Wiese seven -items of £1,081,892; or a little more than 17 .per cent. The value of the dairy produce exported is less by £335,987, or a little more thin 15 per cent.; frozen- meat exhibits a shrinkage of £377,221, or nearly 11 l-3rd per cent., while hemp shows a decline of £378,684, or nearly 44J per cent. 'Hemp, of course, as is well known, has fallen in price very considerably, and mainly for this reason there is a shrinkage in the expoit. For the twelve months ended September 30, ISOB, a total of 19,507 tons 'Sfcvj exported, while for the previous yfar- the total was 31,019 tons, the decrease being- 11,512 . tons, or just over 37 per cent. The decrease has been .most marked during the past three months, as the following will 1907-8 . 1906-7 Tons. Tons. July ... .... 957 1646 August ••• 397 14(0 September ~ ... 802 1637 2156 4558 ' A decrease is here shown of 2402, _jw nearly 53 per cent., and this feaifiire- is likely to become pronounced in the succeeding 'months, because the present quotation for the fibre is unprofitable to most millers, with wages "w and working costs as they stand at present. Taking the quantities of dairy produce 'and frozen meat exported, we get the following: 1907-8. 1906-7. ,Cwt. Cwt. Butter 231,020 335,857 Cheese ... ... 255,397 203,020 Beef ... 343,151 365,600 4 Mutton .... ... 740,425 985,767 ■ £.egs and pieces 32,850 33,938 Lamb 801,528 861,056 Cheese is the only item to show an increase, but the total of butter and clieese, amounting to 486,417 cwt., is less by 52,460 cwt.,. or just on *lO per cent. The exports of frozen meat ■were less by 331,407 cwt., or nearly 15 per cent. Of other items of export, the figures for twelve months rare not - available, but for the six months ended (September 30, we are able to make a comparison. The figures are as under

These seven items show a decline of £656,479 -equal to nearly 20J per cent., blit this it must he remembered is only for a period of six months. Wool, -skins, hides, and' kauri gum have suffered through the .American financial crisis, and the figures for * these items.for the year would show 1 a big-decrease. On wool;alone, the shrinkage must be a million and a ■ ' Jjalf-sterling. . h '

under: — 1907-8. 1906-7. £ £ Butter ... 1,146,151 1,658,236 Cheese 728,915 , 552,817 nm ■ Mutton 413,750 990.946 434,978 , 1,310,502 Lous ancl -pi cces 47,222 44,158 Lamb ... Hemp ... ... 1,487.833 ... ; 475,610 1,527,334 854,294 £5,290,427 £6,382,319

Six Mon tbs to Sept. 30. 1907-8. 1906-7. £ £ • Rabbits 25,554 39,707 Kauri gum ... 208,383 > 312,676 Hides 80,572 107,481 Skins ... 292,592 475,914 ,-yj Tallow ... 241,228 273,565 ... ... 188,506 174,333 Wool ... ... 1,516,576 . 1,826,214 • .. / v "' - V '•“* £2,553,411 £3,209,890