The Colony’s Foreign Trade. 267 
in economics as ‘“‘under-consumption.” On the other hand the knights 
of labour engaged in the forest industries are, according to the present 
Comptroller of Customs, ‘‘not possessed to any appreciable degree with 
traits of a miserly nature and their earnings and savings are quickly 
disbursed on their return from the bush to civilisation in such goods as 
clothes and other articles of personal adornment, alcoholic liquors, and 
tobacco and enjoyments of various kinds.” Of recent years he shows 
that importations of ladies’ and children’s ready-made clothing have been 
considerably on the increase and these articles are also partially accountable 
for swelling the returns of ready-made clothing during 1910-11 The 
following table giving the values of ready-made clothing during the decade 
ended 31st March, 1910-11, attests the truth of the Comptroller's 
observation :-— 
YEAR VALUE. 
1900 rs a $ 33,495 
1901-2 ner san 28,383 
1902-3 Soa oe 22,634 
1903-4 ‘EE See 24,649 
1904-5 ee ner 27,765 
1905-6 oe. tis 37,923 
1906-7 ie Ae 34,537 
1907-8 Rs on 18,108 
1908-9 age ae 50,347 
1909-10 se ac 82,520 
Yet it might have been more satisfactory if the stuff could have been 
supplied by local labour. It would probably keep many a young woman 
off the débris heap of our civilisation. 
Trade must also have been beneficially affected by the development 
of coconut cultivation. Of late years increasing attention has been paid 
to this, thanks to the remunerative prices offering in the New York 
market. The English investor is now being or about to be informed of 
the goodness of the cult of the coconut as an investment, and the 
company-promoter, that useful servitor who makes matrimonial matches 
between capital and dormant utilities, has been with us, to some good 
purpose, it is to be hoped. During the decade the exports of coconuts 
have increased from 17,255, of a value of $155, to 1,517,418 of a 
value of $23,386. The by-product, copra, first appeared on the list of 
exports in 1910-11, when 67,784lbs. were sent away, the great bulk of 
it to the United Kingdom. In the next year the output reached 
159,697lbs. with a valuation of $6,549. Molascuit or eattle-food was 
placed on the export list for the first time ten years ago, the official 
valuation being $22 per ton, but, according to last year’s figures, the 
price has dropped to $11 per ton, the respective quantities exported 
being 385 tons and 5,102 tons. But in 1906-7 when the stuff was worth 
a little over $14 per ton, high water-mark was reached with an export 
of 12,961 tons. With the exception of cocoa which exhibits a slight 
falling-off, all the other items of colonial produce of comparatively minor 
