OVERSEAS ORDERS

Press, Issue 30997, 1 March 1966, Page 18

OVERSEAS ORDERS

1 Value Rises 23 p.c.

The value of overseas orders placed by surveyed firms in January, 1966, was 23 per cent higher than orders placed in January, 1965, says the Government Statistician. The results of this restricted survey—which covers approximately half of private imports—show that orders in January, 1966, were valued at £U.2m, compared with £9.lm in January, 1965. Orders placed overseas by surveyed firms during the six months ended January, 1966, totalled £82.8m—6 per cent higher than the £78.1m which was the value of orders for the six months ended January, 1965. Orders placed for the three months ended Janiwy, 1966, were 1 per cent higher than in Hie equivalent period of 1965. Payments made by surveyed firms in the six months ended January, 1966, amounted to £84.5m, compared with the £75.4m in the corresponding period a year earlier. This represented an increase of 15 per cent. If for each group of firms the lag between orders and payments is the same as for earlier years, and if surveyed firms cover the same proportion of orders and payments, then this survey indicated that private import payments will average £22.4m a month from February to April, 1966, and £29.4m a month from May to July, 1966, Corresponding averages of actual payments a year earlier were £23m and £27.7m respectively.