BRITISH TRADE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 38, 15 February 1937, Page 4

BRITISH TRADE.

YEAR STARTS BRIGHTLY. EXPORTS AND IMPORTS. INDUSTRIES FORGE AHEAD. (Received 12.30 p.m.) LONDON, February 14. The Board of Trade returns for January show that the value of imports into Britain wag £75,580,000, exports £39,106,000, and re-exports £5,076,000. Principal increases compared with Januarv, 1936, were:—lmports: Grain and flour, £723,000; meat, £843,000; cotton and raw waste, £764,000; wool, raw and waste, £826,000; other textiles, £437,000; raw oik and fats, £363,000; hides and skins, £1,145,000; non-ferrous metak and manufactures, £952,000; machinery, £478,000; miscellaneous manufactures, £439,000. Exports: Wool and raw waste, £481,000; iron and steel manufactures, £743,000; machinery, £311,000; woollen and worsted yarns and manufactures, £298,000; vehiclee, £478,000. Re-exportjji Hides and skins, £417,000. Principal decreases: —Imports: Beverages, cocoa, £421,000; tobacco, £637.000; manufactured oils and fats, £420,000.

January In Late Years. Following shows comparative returns (in million pounds sterling) for January in recent years: — 1934. 1933. 1930. 1937. Imports .... 64.7 61.M 70.0 7.1.5 Exports 31.6 33.3 34.5 39.1 He-exports .. 4.1 5.0 4.3 5.0 Total 100.4 102.4 108.8 119^6 Excess of imports over total exports 29.0 21.4 32.2 31.4 There has been the usual seasonal decline from December records, when turnover totalled £130,000,000, but the figures show a substantial increase over the first month in recent years. It will be noted that increase both in imports and exports is very general, covering practically all departments of industry. However, a portion of the increase is explained by the higher prices now ruling. Average of wholesale values was higher in 1936 than in 1935 by 6 per cent, and this movement is likely to have been accentuated within the period of the latest return.