10

H.—l7

Consignors. Exhibit. New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company (Blenheim) ... ... ... ••• ••■ Exhibit of grain and seed, of barley and peas grown in Marlborough District. W. E. Clouston and Co. (Blenheim) ... ... ... Samples of grain and barley. New Zealand Farmers' Co-operative Association (Christchurch) ... ... ... ... ••• Honey in jars. Donaghy and Co. (Limited), (Dunedin) ... ... New Zealand rope, tiax lashing, and binder-twine. Dalefield Co-operative Dairy Company (Limited), Carterton) ... ... ... ••• ••• Coloured and white cheese. Campbell, Ehrenfried, and Co. (Auckland) ... ... Mineral waters. Hancock and Co. (Auckland) New Zealand Mineral Springs (Limited), (Auckland) ... Thompson and Co. (Dunedin) ... ... ... „ Ewing Phosphate Company (Limited), (Dunedin) ... Ground and rock phosphate. W. and G. Turnbull and Co. (Limited), (Wellington) ... Pickles, spices, and proprietary manufactures. S. Kirkpatrick and Co. (Limited), (Nelson) ... ... Jains, fruits, tinned peas, and specialties. Philadelphia Museum. When in Philadelphia, U.S.A., I met Dr. Wilson, the Director of the Commercial Museum of Philadelphia, the largest institution of its kind in existence, who offered to make a permanent display of New Zealand products and manufactures in a special court free of cost to the Government. This generous offer was duly accepted, and a quantity of products and pictures were transferred to this museum from the colony's exhibit at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Dr. Wilson now requests further supplies of products and pictures, therefore samples of kauri-gum, hemp, grain, seeds, peas, barley, and woollen goods, together with a supply of commercial literature and photographs depicting agricultural and manufacturing pursuits, have been forwarded to him. Monthly Export Leaflet. Owing to the many inquiries received from oversea countries, and also from New Zealand exporters, it was found'necessary during the year to collect monthly particulars of exports of practically all the principal products of New Zealand. To make these particulars as comprehensive as possible, it was arranged with the Department of Agriculture for this Department to take over, at the beginning of the present financial year, the Products Export Leaflet hitherto issued by the former Department, which previously included in its monthly statement particulars only of butter, cheese, beef, mutton, lamb, wheat, oats, potatoes, and hemp. In addition to the monthly statistics of these products, there is now included poultry, rabbits, tow, kauri-gum, grain and pulse other than wheat and oats, hops, hides, skins, tallow, timber, wool, and gold, and these particulars are collected by the Customs Department from the following ports: Auckland, Kaipara, Gisborne, Napier, Waitara, New Plymouth, Patea, Wanganui, Wellington, Blenheim and Picton, Nelson, Hokitika, Westport, Greymouth, Lyttelton (Christchurch), Timaru, Oamaru, Dunedin and Port Chalmers, and Bluff (Invercargill). The monthly figures are issued from interim reports, and are subject to revision, but at the end of each quarter it has been arranged to supplement the information contained in the leaflet by correct quarterly returns. High Commissioner's Cable. The cabled reports arriving here weekly are the source of much interest to those connected with the production or the marketing of New Zealand produce. Instances are before me in which buyers and sellers await authentic information from the Department before entering into forward contracts of any dimensions, as it is generally recognised that the reports issued from this office are unbiassed, and may be relied on by contracting parties. The New Zealand Press Association is provided with full details of the cable, so that it may be telegraphed to all parts of the country. Owing to the price of " fair "-grade hemp being constantly inquired for by millers and merchants, it has been arranged to have this item cabled regularly. Advice of Exports shipped from New Zealand. The arrangements made with various shipping companies trading with New Zealand to promptly supply the Department with copies of manifests of cargo have been satisfactorily carried out The High Commissioner has advised that the cables sent to him by this Department on receipt of the above information are looked for with considerable interest by merchants and brokers closely connected with New Zealand exports, and much of the information sent is published in trade journals. . , , , The principal products of which particulars of exports are cabled are mutton, lamb, beet, butter, cheese, wool, hemp, kauri-gum, and timber. Should any large quantity of other products be shipped, it is added to the cable advice.