BRITISH TRADE

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 103, 25 January 1930, Page 10

BRITISH TRADE

A COMMERCIAL HOUSE Mr. W. L. Willis, managing director of a London firm, who has been touring New Zealand in the last three months, stated in the course of an interview, that a trade house should be established in Wellington ou the lines of Australia House in London, in order to enable British manufacturers to keep more, closely in touch with buyers iu.the Dominion. He thought that the capital city in each of the Dominion’s should have % similar institution. Mr. Willis said he had met with several instances illustrating the need for such informaion. . ’ . , . A little time ago comparisons made between German exports and British exports omitted to mention the "invisible exports” from Great Britain, though those invisible exports were, as a matter of fact, greater than the total exports of some countries. It should never be forgotten that British ships carried twothirds of the cargoes of the whole world; and the earnings of British ships, therefore, had to be taken into consideration in any trade comparisons made with other nations. There was also the income from the investments abroad of British insurance companies and other big lending institutions to be allowed for. Arising out of the war, German reparations included a contract for 7,000,000 tons of coal per year to be exported from Germany to Italy. The export of coal to Italy was in British hands for many years before the war, said Mr. Willis, iind he was glad to see that Mr. Snowden, at the last Conference, was successful in getting back for Great Britain 2,000,000 tons per year of that trade. The balance of 5,000,000 tons a year had, however, “gone west,"