BRITAIN'S TRADE.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16214, 17 May 1918, Page 6

BRITAIN'S TRADE.

VALUABLE LESSONS FROM THE WAR. (By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright.) ..(Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Received May IGth, 7.30 p.m.) LONDON, May 15. Tho House of Commons discussed tho Board of Trado vote.

Sir A. H. Stanley (President of tho Board) drew attention to the enormous decline in Britain's imports sinco tho war® The imports in 1917 were only two-thirds as much as the imports in 1913, and he estimated that this year they would be one-half those in 1913. They must make allowance for imports direct to France for the armies, but Britain's resources had proved marvellous. Nobody before the war would have ventured to prophesy that Britain could have carried on ns she had done with so little discomfort. It was a most valuable lesson, which ought to be tyorno in mind after the war. Our 1917 imports totalled £1,005,000,000, and our exports amounted to £398,000,000, including reexports. These figures were misleading as indicating the growth of our trade, for two reasons, namely, tho changed character of the goods wo were manufacturing, and tho changed price level sinco the war. Wo must remember that a large part of our lost trado was due to a cessation of trading with our enemies, and Belgium and Roumania.

Ho estimated that over one-half of "Britain's workers to-day wero doing Government work, and estimated that the aggregate output from industry today was little less than before tho war. This constituted a truly'remarkable performance. He estimated that there were now 1,500,000 more Tvomen engaged on what was normally men's work than before tho war. ,

The Government's control of the railways had been thoroughly satisfactory, but the bargain with the railway companies would show a loss to the State. Of all tho big services, the railways alone had not increased their charges for the carriage of goods. The railways after the war would l>e facod with higher wages, and would not have tho samo facility fop securing megOj becauso labour would be much scarcer than before tho war.

On the general policy of State control, Sir Albert Stanley said ho thought it> would bo. a great pity if the economy which unified control effected should not be secured permanently to traders. Tho Government was applying a more drastic coal rationing scheme, and also setting up a Priority Committee to determine coal consumption for industrial purposes, and was also rationing gas and electricity.

With a view to preventing Germany from recapturing tho dye industry, the importation of foreign dyes and dyostuffs would be controlled under license for ten years f

Of tho members of the mercantile marine,, 12,500 had been killed during the war. Their dependants were receiving £170,000 yearly.