265

A.—s

A Year's Imports into the United Kingdom of Dairy Produce, Grain, and Hay (1905.)

Ninth Day. 1 May 1907.

Preferential Trade.

Sir JOSEPH WARD : Lord Elgin and Gentlemen,—l think we have been all very much interested in the very full and very able speech delivered by my friend Mr. Deakin. He has placed an immense amount of matter before the Conference which I feel sure will be read with the deepest interest by .the people of Australia whom he represents. lam equally certain that it will be read by the people in the Colony that I have the honour to represent. We are approaching this matter from a similar standpoint, and we are anxious to bring about that which Mr. Deakin has at length placed before the Conference. I feel justified in saying that in view of the important details that Mr. Deakin has in many respects furnished, it will very appreciably save my time in placing some other aspects of this important matter before the Conference. I feel, however, that the historical occasion should not be allowed to pass by without saying something from the standpoint of the important Colony that I have come here specially to represent. I would like briefly to state what the attitude of New Zealand in connection with preferential trade is. We come here with an honest desire to place our position before the British Government, and the British people through the British Government, in the hope that if they see proper to return the preference which we have already on some articles given we should be only too glad in that respect to extend the system and have them added to on a mutual basis. I should like so much to say that if this comparatively new question as between the Motherland and the Colonies could be by all

35—A. 5.

From Australia. From Other British Possessions. From Foreign Countries. Total Imports, £ 2,307,836 £ 2,905,382 £ 16,373,405 £ 21,586,623 Butter ... Cheese ... 5,007,516 1,332,295 6,339,811 Flour and wheat... 4,291,027 •11,110,194 25,923,555 41,324,776 Maize, oats, barley, and other grain 8,585 5,031,260 23,790,922 28,830,767 Meat : — Bacon Fresh beef Salted beef Hams Fresh mutton . . Fresh pork Baited pork Rabbits Preserved meat Unenumerated 30,748 988,049 10,837 2,755,149 217,738 8,414 698,471 3,164,712 14,124 16, 226 82,406 220, 339 44, 913 10,019,706 8,683,107 199,893 2,419,901 3,183,729 1,137,409 236,380 267,498 2,203,770 1,168,720 12,774,855 8,931,593 202,307 3,118,372 7,336,490 1,162,370 252, 606 835,929 2,647 ,195 t, 225,692 485,935 223,086 12,059 1,750,714 7,222,582 29, 514,113 38,487,409 Living Animals :— Oxen... Cows and calves Sheep and lambs 2,488,701 27,966 45,580 7,129,293 19, 846 233,173 9,617,994 47,812 278,753