BRITISH TRADE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 10, 13 January 1926, Page 6

BRITISH TRADE.

The monthly Brjtish trade returns, which -vve publish to-day, complete the figures for the calendar year. The expoTts for December (excluding reexports) show a gain of nearly fives millions on those of November, but they are three and a-half millions lower than those for the corresponding month of 1024. The latest papers to hand discuss the returns for October, which were much better than those for September, and this and the decrease in unemployment were taken as signs of better times. It was pointed out, however, not only that export trade is partly seasonal. bu,t that with some business some time elapses between the giving of the order and export of goods. These December figures Jiave a wider interest, for they enable-totals for the year to be compiled. Exports of British goods in 1925 amounted to £773,000,000, as compared with £795,000,000 in 1924, £767,000,000 in 1923, £719,000,000 in 1922, and £703,000,000 in 1921. Imports last year amounted to £1,173,000,000, as compared with £1,279,000,000. We therefore get this comparison—omitting re-exports—that exports declined by twenty-two millions, and imports by £106,000,000. The export trade was not so. good in values (arid it must be remembered that values are not the only criterion) as in 1924, but it was better than in the three previous years, and the surplus of imports was smaller.