Good Customer of Australia
pp. 37-38 · Read in the full issue
New Caledonia's Trade
TI7E are indebted to the Bulletin du ** Commerce. Noumea, for very com plete statistics showing the trade of the French Colony of New Caledonia for the year 1936.
Imports and exports have been as fol lows: —
An analyses of the figures shows that of the total of nearly 55.000,000 francs rep resenting exports po less than 40 000.000 francs are the of the minerals — 14.721.000 francs b°ing chrome. 23.458.000 francs being nickel matte, and 1.159.000 francs being nickel Of the 77,768 tons of chrome evnorted 58.248 tons went to TT.S.A., 7.731 tons to Holland. 1.310 tons to Japan. 3 481 tons to Australia, and 7.008 tons to France.
Another table shows the extraordinary variation in the value of the production of chrome in New Caledonia. The value of the annual production has ranged from 19.000 000 francs in 1929 to as low as 2.800.000 francs in 1924 and 3.315,000 francs in 1932. But the production in tons has not varied nearlv so much. The production has been as follows;
The value of nickel matte exported during the past 25 vears has grown stead ily from 2.137.000 francs in 1911 to be tween 20,000.000 and 30,000,000 francs, which has been the average value of the production since 1929. For some years and up to and including 1934, nickel matte was exported in almost eaual quan tities to France and Belgium. Nowadays nearly the whole of this production goes to France.
Japan takes practically all of the nickel that is produced—s,3oo tons out of a total of 5,495.
The chief products of New Caledonia evnorted, other than minerals, are as follows;
The chief item of the pastoral pro ducts is canned beef (1,494.000 francs in 1936, comnared with 870.000 francs in 1935. and 559,000 in 1934). In 1919 New Caledonia exnorted pastoral products worth 4.721,800 francs. The industry declined during the 20’s, but appears now to be recovering.
Trochus shell (marine products) ex ported in 1936 totalled 763 tons —practically double the production of 1935. One must go back to the immediate post war period to find a year in which New Cale donia exported more than '7OO tons of trochus.
The copra industry shows a small im provement. In 1936, 2,755 tons were ex ported worth over 2,500,000 francs. In 1912 New Caledonia produced 2.851 tons of copra and in 1920, 3,311 tons. Since then the figures have been;
In 1936 the Colony exported 1,388 tons of coffee, practically all of which went to France, of a total value of 6,535,000 francs. This industry seems to be solidly established and is growing in importance and value. Despite three successive hur ricanes (in 1932, 1933, and 1934) pro duction has been as follows:
In 1936 New Caledonia exported 10 tons of essence of Niaouli (which is similar to Australian eucalyptus) of a total value of 155,000 francs. This industry seems to be declining. In 1934 the Colony pro duced 19 tons worth 356,000 francs and in 1935, 14 tons worth 226,000 francs. It is claimed that this is the finest product of its kind in the world and it is re ported, rather bitterly, that France should protect this product instead of allowing it to be displaced by foreign Dutch East Indies) which are taking its
products (especially an oil from tht plac«.
It is shown that, of the imports worth
Imports Exports "Francs Vr*»Tlr*c 1000 57 710.000 45.634.000 1094 Z9 370 ooo /•K.677.000 103K 50 358 ooo 54.027.000 1936 50 042 000 54 873 000
Year Tons Year Tons 1928 3.692 1934 ... 1.129 1930 3.864 1935 1.847 1931 2,608 1936 ... 2,755 1933 2,370
Year Tons Year Tons 1912 376 1982 1.313 1919 599 1933 1,005 1924 818 1934 1,062 1928 952 1935 1.312 1930 709 1936 1,388 1931 1,157
V no v Tor*-' Yoor 1014 KR 797 1039, R.43fi 1918 34 ms ma.a 7.823
1990 ... S8.66S 1934 Is.Sir
1093 14.032 103S 33.528 1930 ... 27.9RR 1936 ... 45,773 1931 10.811
Tons in Francs a orrirnitiiral 4.144 9.037.000 "Pastoral £34 1.9K3.000 Marine 733 3,693.000 Forests 19 160.000
59,000,000 francs in 1936, goods worth 23,667,000 francs came from France, 4,560,0D0 francs from French colonies, and 30,813,000 francs from foreign coun tries (Australia, 21,000,000 francs).
An interesting table shows the value of the trade between New Caledonia and
Australia over several years;
The principal exports from Australia were coal and coke (for use in the nickel smelters), timber, petrol and oil, preserved milk, fresh vegetables, flour, potatoes, and rice.
It is interesting to note that New Caledonia is purchasing from Japan an increasing amount of the following goods:—
Year Imports Export* from Aust. to Aust.
Value in Value in Francs Francs 1925 30,035,232 4.269.030 1926 46,771,262 5,025,877 1927 41,061,978 5,485.023 1928 36,931,517 5,395,340 1929 35,173,776 2,684,765 1930 25,096,808 1.968.907 1931 15,541,970 2,261,000 1932 13,309,031 845,000 1933 19,108,370 576,000 1934 17,042,000 610,000 1935 17,758,000 833,000 1936 21,074,000 1,127,000
1934 1936 Value in Value in Francs Francs Beer 65.000 163,000 Gotten goods 105,000 441,000 Lingerie 53,000 136,000 Matches 30,000 34,000