Tahiti's Trade,

1931 Figures Show

Record Low Level.

From Our Own Correspondent.

Papeete, Dec. 30.

STATISTICS for the year 1931, just published in the “Journal Officiel,” give the total trade of the Colony for that year as 65,935,476 francs, as com pared with 84,529,000 francs in 1930. The figures include a transit business of 8,661,000 francs and re-exports amount ing to 6,691,000 francs, these items being made up chiefly of liquors transhipped to the Mexican coast, liquors sold ex bond to passing vessels, and copra from the Cook Islands brought to Tahiti as a more convenient point from which to ship it.

Total imports in 1931 amounted to 26 million francs in round numbers, as com pared with 45 million francs in 1930.

Exports were 24 million francs, as com pared with 37 million francs in 1930.

Judging by comparison with other coun tries where the bulk of the population is also natives, Tahiti, with its per capita importation of 650 francs in 1931, would still appear to be one of the rich est place on the globe, in spite of the prevailing depression.

The principal exports for the years 1930 and 1931 were as follows:

New Zealand and Australia continue to provide the principle market for phos phate, the two countries together hav ing taken considerably more than half the entire output for the years 1929 to 1931; Japan is the next best customer.

Of the copra exports the U.S.A. took 10,0/63 tons, France 6,571 tons, and the remainder of 171 tons went to Great Britain.

Of the imports France supplies princi pally wines and distilled liquors (1,375,000 frs), soft goods (1,207,000 frs), metal goods (1,113,000 frs.) and sundries (702 000 frs), while foreign countries supply chiefly flour (3,954,000 frs.), com bustibles (3,100,0100 frs.), animal pro ducts (2,462,000 frs.), soft goods (1,475,000 frs.), metal goods (1,239,000 frs). and colonial products (1,828,000 frs.). The Tahiti business in such stand ard lines as condensed milk and flour has gone almost entirely to New Zea land and Australia. This is undoubtedly due to the favourable rate of exchange with those countries as compared with the U.S.A. It may, therefore, be ex pected that the figures for 1932 will show that a still greater share of this business has gone to the neighbouring British Colonies mentioned. The surprise of the import figures is the revelation that the sugar trade is steadily becom ing a Chinese monopoly. Chinese sugar appears to land here some 65 francs per ton cheaper than New Zealand sugar, in spite of the longer sea freight. N.Z. supplied 184.7 tons in 1929, as compared with 54.4 tons from China, while in 1931 N.Z. supplied only 18.4 tons as against China’s 376.9 tons. For some unexplained reason the U.S.A. has been

almost entirely eliminated from the sugar business, though the available figures indicate that the American pro duct lands here at less cost than any other kind.

France’s share in the total trade of the colony for 1931 was 22.08 per cent., as compared with 30.18 per cent, for the year 1930.

Overseas shipping entering the Colony during- 1931 amounted to 277,178 tons, as against 306,691 tons for 1930. Of these 173,768 tons were British, 54,234 tons French, and the balance American, Nor wegians, Swedish and Japanese; the latter being- mostly tramp phosphate steamers.

In his report accompanying the re turns for 1931, M. Marhic, the Chief of Customs for the Colony, draws attention to the fact that the balance of trade has been deficient from 1927 since when there has been a constant excess of im ports over exports. He attributes the un satisfactory situation, as revealed by the 1931 figures, which constitute a low record for 10 years past, to the univer sal depression and the depreciation in values of exported products.

Metric Value Value Tons. 1930. (fr.) 1931. (fr.) Copra ... 14,185 19,834,176 10,803 12,314,383 pearl shell. 321 1,045,089 3.9 696,366 Vanilla 71.0 3,531,889 68.6 1,958,244 Phosp h a t e rock . . . 172,059 7,570,000 111,432 4,904,000