ENGLAND'S BEST CUSTOMERS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2955, 15 December 1916, Page 22

ENGLAND'S BEST CUSTOMERS

» — TRADE DEVELOPMENTS REMARKABLE INCREASES Stock' is being taken by commercial authorities of the growth of Great Britain's oversea trado to show that before the war expansion was everywhere noticeable. . Taking nine years, 1904 to 1912 inclusive, the following table demonstrates how rapidly' England's export trade with her best customers has grown . 1901. 1912. Inc. -I 1 JJ p.c. United States 30,272,000 Gt,637,000 64.58 . British India 41,544,000 59,775,000 43.88 I Germany 36,425,000 59,572,000 63.51 j Australia 19,841,000 38,281,000 93.0 Franoe 21,578,000 37,532,000 73.93 Canada 12,248,000 27,320,000 123.0 Union of South | Africa • 19,471,000 23,280,000 19.56 Russia 15,286,000 31,741,000 42.22 Argentina 11,572,000 31,325,000 81.28 The United States, notwithstanding its high tariff wall displaced. India as Great Britain's best customer, although the great Dependency increased its purchases to 59§ millions sterling in 1912. Th 9 Smaller Customers. Among the smaller' customers .of Great Britain New . Zealand appears, but for her population—then a little over a million —she is is one of thai best the Mother Country has. It is', worthy of note that the smaller countries had even more consistently expanded their trade relations with Great Britain. • ' ' ■ '• i ,1901. 1913. Tnc. ' IE £ p.c. Belgium 12,230,000 19,556,000 60.0 Netherlands... 12,8057,000 .19,364,000 51.2! Italy 9,222,000 15,011,000 62.8 Brazil 6,219,000 13,172,000 111.8 Japan 5,043,000 12,471,000 147.3 ■ New Zealand 6,897,000 U,186",000 62.2 China • 8,890,000 10,889,000 22.5 Thus it will be. seen that six out of these seven .countries ar© seen to have taken from more than half as much again to more than double the amount wnich they purchased in 1904. He would be a daring man who would assert that Great Britain had reached the limit of her trade expansion, even under a system of free trade against a world of protectionist countries. However, all trade policies are at present in a state of flux, andi business men_ throughout the Empire are endeavouring to find a trading principle to which all the Allies will bo willing to agree.