212 IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF AGRIC JLTURAL PRODUCE. [Sept. 1*96. 



Imports of Dairy Produce and Lard. 



The quantities and values of the imports of dairy prodmee 

 and lard in the half year are shown below. 





Quantities. 



Values. 



-LS\jO\jX lLJL.1V/i_la 



First Six 



First Six 



First Six 



First Six 





Months of 



Months oi 



Months of 



Months of< 





1895. 



1896. 



1895. 



Lo.tO. 





Cwts. 



Cwts. 



£ 



£ 



Butter - - - - 



1,456,690 



1,554,974 



7,243,861 



7,883,613 



Margarine - 



448,187 



448,486 



1,228,385 



1,220,576 



Cheese - 



765,355 



771,964 



1,790,041 



1,720,085 



Lard - 



906,128 



903,850 



1,588,582 



1,292,263 



Condensed milk 



262,025 



285,195 



524,293 



549,092 





Gallons. 



Gallons. 







Fresh milk and cream - 



117,353 



5,oll 



17,910 



1,127 





Great 



Great 









hundreds. 



hundreds. 







Eggs 



5,963,357 



6,240,032 



1,860,410 



1,992,829 



The half-yearly figures are in striking- contrast as regards the 

 importation of fresh milk and cream. The Dutch supply, which 

 originally attracted notice, as well as the Swedish, which was 

 the special feature of the early months of 1895, has shrunk to 

 small dimensions, only 340 gallons having been imported from 

 Holland in the first six months of the present year against 

 12,596 gallons in the first half of 1895, while the Swedish import 

 decreased from 104,598 gallons to 3,183 gallons in the same 

 period. The small Danish trade has increased, 1,462 gallons 

 having been imported from this source in 1896. The declared 

 value given in the Returns shows an average of 4s. 6d. per 

 gallon against an average value per gallon of 3s. 0\d. in 1895 and 

 Is. Id. in 1894. From this it would appear that the importation 

 now consists almost entirely of cream. 



Butter. 



The following table shows the principal sources of supply of 

 the butter imported into this country. From this it will be 

 seen that the imports from each country, with the exception of 

 Australasia, were in excess of those ot the first six months of 

 1895. In the case of Australasia, there was a drop of nearly 

 100,000 cwts. in theimpoits from the four colonies which export 

 butter to this country, viz. : New South Wales, Victoria, South 

 Australia, and New Zealand. 



The principal countries contributing to the total included 

 under " other countries " are Russia, United States, and the Argen- 

 tine Republic. The quantity of butter imported from Russia in 

 the first six months of 1896 was 82,535 cwts. against 68,595 



