FLOW OF TRADE

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 130, 26 February 1937, Page 11

FLOW OF TRADE

Board of Trade Review

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received February 25, 6 p.m.) Rugby, February 25. Board of Trade estimates of the balance of payment in 1936 shows a debit balance of £19,000,000, compared with a revised credit balance of £33,000,000 the year before and a debit balance of £7',000,000 in 1934. The annual estimate represents an attempt to calculate the net balance on all transactions of a revenue character between the United Kingdom and other countries, including those originated by Governments. In 1936 imports exceeded exports by £346,800,000, compared with £260,500,000 in 1935, and £293,900,000 in 1934. Against an adverse valuable trade balance of £346,800,000 there were in 1936, according to the board’s estimates, net shipping earnings of £95,000,000, an increase of £20,000,000 over the previous year, and a net income from foreign investments of £195,000,000, against £lBO,000.000 in 1935. The net receipts from commissions are put at £30,000,000 for both years, and net receipts from other sources are unchanged at £10,000,000, despite the slightly increased debit on tourist traffic.

Exports of sugar from all parts of the Empire in the calendar year 1936, totalled almost exactly 1,009,000 tons, including sugar equivalent of molasses exported from Barbados. It is estimated that exports in the present calendar year may slightly exceed that figure. ,'This information was given to the House of Commons by the Colonial Secretary, Mr. W. Ormsby-Gore, who also stated that in accordance with the usual practice, the sugar-producing colonies would not be individually represented at the forthcoming international conference but their interests would be represented by the United Kingdom.