§ Mr. McSHANEasked the President of the Board of Trade the amount of cane sugar imported into New Zealand for the last year, differentiating between raw and refined sugar; the country of origin of this sugar; the wholesale price of both categories; the retail price of cane sugar in New Zealand; whether there is an import duty on sugar; and whether there is a preference in favour of British sugar?
§ Mr. W. GRAHAMThe following table shows the quantity and value of raw and refined sugar imported into New Zealand during the year 1930, distinguishing the countries of origin. Cane sugar and beet sugar are not recorded separately:
Countries of Origin. Quantity. Value. Sugar, Raw: Cwts. £ Fiji 254,094 141,337 Dutch East Indies 293,757 106,810 Cuba 720,015 251,617 Peru 415,588 183,880 Total 1,683,454 683,644 Sugar, Refined: United Kingdom 77 99 Australia 3,582 8,652 Dutch East Indies 4,005 2,156 United States of America. 33,259 24,792 Other Foreign Countries. 254 179 Total 41,177 35,878 The unweighted average wholesale prices of refined sugar in the Dominion during 1930 were:
The only refinery in the Dominion is at Auckland and the price of raw sugar is not quoted. The average value of the raw sugar imported in 1930 was £8 2s. 6d. per ton. In the four principal towns the retail price of refined sugar throughout 1693W 1930 was recorded at 2½d. per lb., except in Dunedin, where for the first quarter of the year the average price was 2¾d. per lb. Raw sugar is imported duty free and refined sugar is subject to a duty of ¼d. per lb. Preference is not granted to British refined sugar.
Per ton. £ s. d. Ex company (Auckland) 18 12 11 Ex store (Auckland, Welling ton, Christchurch and Dunedin) 20 2 5