the United Kingdom from Australia was 23 per cent., and from New Zealand 10 per cent., making a total of 33 per cent : £ £ per cent. per cent. per cent. 23.9 5.6 29-5 23.2 8.2 314 23.0 10.0 33.0 26.8 £ £ 1881 5,125,859 26,963,568 1891 99,464,718 23,068,972 8,192,594 31,261,566 1901 105,684,880 24,217,669 | 10,594,587 34,812,256 1903 113,670,792 17,057,527 13,454,484 30,512,011 15.0 11.8 Although it is very little more than a century since the commencement of Australasian settlement, an examination of the trade statistics of the mother country with her numerous dependencies shows that the total trade of the Commonwealth and New Zealand with the United Kingdom is more than one and a half times that of Canada, and in a larger degree exceeds the trade of any other British possession, with the exception of India. In normal years the Australasian trade is even in excess of that of India, the amount of such excess in 1901 being considerably over a million sterling. The following table, which is also compiled from the returns of the Board of Trade, shows the total trade of the United Kingdom exclusive of specie and diamonds for the three years 1881, 1891, and 1903, with the most important of British possessions :— If, again, a comparison be made of the total trade transacted by the United Kingdom with all countries during the year 1903, it will be found that the trade with Australasia, amounting to £55,596,200, was only exceeded by that carried on with three countries, namely, the United States, with a total of £163,717,858; France, with £72,493,914; and Germany, with £69,049,729. The amounts taken by other countries will be found below, and it must be noted that the values given do not include specie:— The following table shows the imports into the Commonwealth from the chief British possessions at decennial periods since 1861, and also for the year 1903. As the table shows, imports from New Zealand, India and Ceylon, Canada, and Hongkong amounted in 1903 to £4,458,117, or about 90 per cent. of the total from all British possessions. From New Zealand, the imports comprised gold, £1,159,642; New Zealand pine, £239,456; oats, £216,193; butter and cheese, £112,012; hides, £60,675; and flax, £57,858. Amongst the chief imports from India were bags and sacks, £553,974; tea, £139,510; canvas, £61,743, and castor oil, £34,269. From Ceylon, tea to the value of £490,750 was imported during 1903. The Indian and Ceylon teas have quite overmastered the Chinese article in the public estimation; the imports of the latter having decreased from £754,845 in 1890 to £62,131 in 1903, while the value of Indian and Ceylon teas, imported during the same period, advanced from £238,241 to £630,260. Trade with Canada shows a considerable increase for each of the years given in the period. The chief imports in 1903 were flour, £108,558; agricultural implements, £49,897; and timber, £40,748. Hongkong furnished sugar to the value of £123,410, and opium, £30,660. Amongst the chief imports from other possessions may be mentioned sugar from Mauritius valued at £70,444, and from Fiji, £62,197; manures (guano) from Ocean Island, £67,925; and copra from Fiji, £68,262. From New Guinea gold to the value of £60,000 was imported during the year. The chief imports from the Straits Settlements comprised pepper and other spices, £28,501; tapioca, £16,473; and kerosene oil, £13,504. The exports from the Commonwealth to the chief British possessions at the same periods were as shown below: From the above table it will be seen that the bulk of the exports is taken by India, Ceylon, Cape Colony, and New Zealand in the order named, these four possessions receiving nearly 89 per cent. of the total exports to all British possessions in 1903. The chief exports to India were gold specie, £3,761,300; gold bullion, £1,339,870; silver bullion, £213,804; horses, £81,251; copper ingots, £72,067; timber rough, £64,446; and coal, £24,115. Ceylon received in 1903 gold specie, £3,567,203; silver bullion, £338,590; and pig lead, £21,301. Amongst the principal exports to Cape Colony were gold specie, £1,500,000; chilled beef, £370,714; undressed timber, £139,061; fodder, £73,050 ; chilled mutton, £58,109; butter, £56,588; and wheat, £40,121. New Zealand received gold specie to the amount of £513,000; undressed timber, £104,529; and coal, £114,819. Amongst exports to other British possessions may be mentioned the following, which were despatched to Natal during 1903,-chilled beef, £204,007; butter, £175,316; and chilled mutton, £131,152. The trade with South Africa, which assumed considerable proportions during the war, fell away largely in 1903, nevertheless the accessibility of its markets makes the possession a convenient outlet for Australia's exportable surplus of forage and foodstuffs. A remunerative market already exists for compressed fodder, which is well and favourably known, the exports in 1903 to Cape Colony and Natal amounting to about £84,000. TRADE WITH FOREIGN COUNTRIES. Every year steamers of greater tonnage and higher speed are visiting the Commonwealth of Australia and the colony of New Zealand from Europe, and a considerable expansion of commerce must of necessity take place, owing to the new outlets for trade which have been opened up thereby. The values of the imports into the Commonwealth from the principal foreign countries during the period 1861-1903 were as shown below: : As the table shows, the imports from the United States amounted, in 1903, to £6,368,532, or nearly half the total imports from all foreign countries. Next in order comes Germany with £2,358,553, followed by the Netherlands and Java with £847,387, and France with £506,667. The imports from the United States cover a long list, amongst the principal articles being boots and shoes, £87,000; barley, £109,000; wheat, £1,139,000; flour, £517,000; implements for husbandry, £320,000; leather, £108,000; machinery, £464,000; metal manufactures, £321,000; kerosene oil, £355,000; printing paper, £245,000: tobacco, £416,000; tools of trade, £118,000; vehicles, £139,000; and timber, £475,000. The chief imports from Germany comprised wearing apparel, £145,000; dynamite, £79,000; candles, £58,000; fancy goods, £67,000; pianos, £137,000; machinery, £149,000; metal manufactures, £303,000; piece goods, £143,000; manures, £45,000. From France the chief imports in 1903 were cream of tartar, £81,000; piece goods, £90,000; spirits, £90,000; and wine, £56,000. Sugar was imported from Java to the amount of £720,000, and from Norway and Sweden timber of the value of £192,000 was received during the year. The Argentine Republic contributed maize to the value of £188,000, and wheat valued at £687,000. For the same period the exports from the Commonwealth to the countries mentioned in the preceding table were as appended : As the table shows, the bulk of the exports was consigued to France, Germany, the United States, and Belgium, these four countries taking over 85 per cent. of the total exports to all foreign countries. A classification of the chief articles of export to these countries is appended : |