BRITISH OVERSEAS TRADE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 139, 14 June 1932, Page 4

BRITISH OVERSEAS TRADE.

RETURNS FOR MAY. MORE IMPORTS, LESS EXPORTS. FIVE MONTHS' FIGURES. (Received 11 a.m.) LONDON, Ji;ne 13. The Board of Trade returns of overseas trade for last month compared with those of May, 1931, are as follow: — Imports decreased £13,893,000, exports £3,698,000, re-exports £1,348,000. The principal decreases are:—lmports: Meat, £1,574,000; other food and drink, £2,987000; oil and seeds, £736,000; iron and steel and manufactures thereof, £876,000; non-ferrous metals, £864,000; cotton yarns manufactures, £561,000; woollens, £869,000; apparel, £1,027,000; leather, £582,000. Exports: Vehicles, £2,559,000. Increases. —Imports: Grain and flour, £951,000; raw cotton, £481,000. Exports: Cotton yarns manufactures, £947,000. May In Late Years. (In Million Pounds.) 1929. 1930. 1931. 1932. Imports ... M 103.5 91.0 69.6 55.7 Exports ..... 67.4 51.0 33.9 30.2 Re-exports ... 10.5 9.1 0.7 4.3 Totals .. 181.4 151.1 109.2 90.2 Excess of imports over total exp'ts 25.6 30.9 30.0 21.2 Five Months Compared. (In Million Pounds.) 1929. 1930. 1931. 1932. Imports »•••« 513.7 458.4 349.5 302.8 Exports 308.8 262.0 169.8 157.3 Re-exports .. 51.0 41.4 29.6 25.0 Total ... 873.5 761.8 548.9 485.1 Exccss of imports over total exp'ts 153.9 155.0 150.1 120.5 The great disparity dn the later returns as compared with those of 1920 and 1930 ia largely accounted for by the fall in price levels. This, however, has been accompanied by a substantial decrease in the volume of trade. The decline appeared to have been arrested, but the latest returns show an increase in imports over those of the previous month, when they were £53,500,000, and a decrease of exports of over £4,000,000.