Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/642

 294 THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — QUEENSLAND

The trade of Queensland was distributed as follows in 1897 : —

From or to

Imports

Exports

United Kingdom. Australasian Colonies. Other British Possessions United States Other Foreign Countries

£

2,501,952

2,323,035

157,342

265,766

181,096

£

3,322,703

5,645,626

79,615

1,765

41,848

The leading exports were gold, 2,568,702Z. ; copper, 21,388Z. ; wool, 2,509,342Z. ; sugar, 681,038Z. ; hides and skins, 437,658^. ; tin, 36,670^. ; silver, 62,801Z. ; tallow, 272,528Z. ; pearl shell, 126,492Z. ; meat, preserved and salted, 274,698Z. ; meat, frozen, 662,994?. ; meat extract, 92,255?., and green fruit, 87,450?. in 1897. The chief imports were textiles and apparel, 1,030,296?. ; metals and metal goods, 680,606?. in 1897.

For imports duty-free and for those subject to fixed duty, the declared landed values are recorded. For imports subject to ad valorem duty the invoice value is furnished by importers and a percentage added by Customs Department to cover charges. For exports the values at the port of shipment are declared by exporters. Quantities are ascertained from invoices or, if necessary, by actual weighing, &o., by Customs officers. The country of origin and that of destination are obtained respectively from invoices and export entries. The transit trade is unimportant.

The following table gives, according to the Board of Trade returns, the value of the imports (exclusive of gold) into Great Britain from Queensland, and of the exports of domestic produce and manufactures from Great Britain to Queensland, for five years : —

—

1893

1894

1895

1896

1897

Imports from Queensland.

Exports of Brit- ish produce.

£ 3,300,858

1,333,842

£ 2,734,240

1,091,288

£ 3,178,796

1,931,796

£ 3,158,173

2,002,027

£ 3,320,418

1,964,411

The principal ai-ticles of import into the United Kingdom from Queensland are wool, the value of which was 1,734,171?. in 1895 ; 1,702,396?. in 1896 ; 1 963 193?. in 1897; preserved meat of the value of 238,419?. in 1896; 232,164?. in 1897 ; salted beef, 619,820?. in 1896 ; 725,365?. in 1897 ; shell, 111^400?. ; tin, 14,671?. ; tallow, 136,917?. in 1897. Among the exports of British produce to Queensland in the year 1897, the chief were apparel and haberdashery, of the value of 155,839?. ; iron, wrought and unwrought, of the value of 338,062?. ; cottons, of the value of 279,186?. ; and woollens, of the value of 142,681?.

Shipping and Navigation.

The registered shipping in 1897 consisted of 138 sailing vessels of 9,874 tons, and (including river steamers) 90 steamers of 12,884 tons; total, 228 vessels of 22,758 tons. In 1897, 642 vessels of 569,610 tons entered, and 654 of 559,290 tons cleared the ports of the colony ; of the former, 59 of 92,448 tons were from, and of the latter, 45 of 89,408 tons, were to the United Kingdom. In 1897 445 vessels of 369,791 tons entered from, and 461 of 378,234 tons cleared for other Australian colonies. Vessels entering and clearing more than one port on the same voyage are only counted at one port