BRITISH TRADE

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 115, 17 May 1930, Page 12

BRITISH TRADE

POSITION REVIEWED

SOME BIG CONTRACTS

'■Evening Post," 17th May. Some British manufacturers in letters to their representatives and distributing houses in New Zealand have been sending out S.O.S. calls to if possibie increase the volume of business at this end. In some cases the difficulty with regard to the high current rates of exchange, New, Zealand on London, the manufacturer is sharing the cost of exchange by increasing his commission from, say, 5 per cent, to 7% per cent., in order to facilitate business. The difficulty of exporting to the Australian markets under present straitened conditions is also being felt, and it is evident that British manufacturers are particularly anxious to strengthen their position in the New Zealand market. Considering how much New Zealand is dependent on the duty-free British market for its main products, it is obvious that industrial prosperity in the United Kingdom is more or less reflected- in returns received for the exportable surplus of New Zealand produce. When times improve these prices for New Zealand wool, meat, and butter and cheese should improve too. Barclay's Bank review for April refers to "the trading which has affected many countries in recent months, including'the United Kingdom," as showing few signs of lifting during March. It is admitted by the bank that money is cheap to-day, but "although cheap money should tend, to stimulate trade, it cannot, in itself, and in'the absence of other essential.factors, cause an increase in activity, On the other hand, the outlook is not without some features of a more favourable nature, and among them are the determined efforts now heino made to increase the efficiency of British Tliis should enable Great Britain to take full advantage of the improvement which must, soner enr later, occur in world conditions. . . . Efficiency in.British stopping services, upon which the successful conduct of the sfew Zealand export trade almost entirely* depends, is represented by the employment in'this trade of an increasing number .'or modern, fast, and specially designed vessels for the carriage of refrigerated'"a.nd general cargo for the United Kingdom and, in an increasing . volume, to the Dominion of Canada. A determined effort is being made to do away with obsolete and uneconomic tonnage and to i-educe the number of vessels for which suitable employment cannot be found. A GREAT SHIPPING MOVE. ' Mr. L. A. Paish, Trade Commissioner, in New Zealand, .is advised by the Overseas Trade Department of the registration' of the National Shipbuilders' Security with a nominal capital of £10,----000, but with borrowing powers up to £3,000,000. "This step," explained Mr. Paish, "marks the successful launching by British shipbuilders of a collective scheme within the industry itself by which it hopes to eliminate redundant capacity and secure niore economy in production. The leading objects of the new company are: (1) To assist shipbuilding by purchase of redundant and/or obsolete shipyards, dismantling and disposal, of their contents and resale of sites under restrictions against' further use for shipbuilding; (2) to enter into contracts with shipbuilders and others for payment to the company of money for advancement of the purposes of the company; and (3) to acquire shipyards, workshops, docks, or any other conveniences for the building, repairing, or docking of vessels." SOME BIG CONTRACTS. The Commissioner is also advised by mail of '<' some-' important contracts secured by British shipbuilders and engineers for Dominions and foreign interests. These include large orders for' railway material for South African Railways, locomotives for Tanganyika Railways, rail cars for Korea, equipment, signalling installations, and supplies generally for the Central Argentine Railway and Buenos Aires Railway, Egyptian Government railways, six" locomotives for Ceylon; 800 wagons for South African Railways. Other engineering' contracts , are headgates: for Waitaki (New Zealand) hydroelectric scheme, pumping plant additional to the new dredge,for the Otago Harbour authorities; also heavy motor and electric vehicles _for Australia, South America, the Gold Coast, Christchurch Tramways Board; electric trolley buses for_ Liege, Belgium; aeroplanes for the Latvian and Danish Governments; lighting equipment for Winnipeg airport; oil "cracking" equipment for Persia; electrical supplies for Penang. NEW SHIPBUILDING. Important contracts secured ijy British shipbuilders for interests outside Great Britain include a motor salvage vessel 130 ft long for Canada; lighters and hopper barges for New. York, Mauritius, East Africa, and South America; powerful tug and water tank vessels for St. Vincent, Cape .Verde Islands. Two motor tankers, 7000 ions, and a large tanker for; overseas will be built by Workman, Clark and Co ; ; four powerful dredges for the Mexican Government, to be built at Renfrew;" a, large cargo steamer for Danish owners, to be built at Sunderland. The Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co., Ltd.,' the shipping company of the Royal Dutch "Shell" group, have placed orders in the United Kingdom for vessels with a deadweight capacity of about 11,500 tons each, twin screw, and a speed of 12% knots. The Hvalfangerselskapet "Polaris," Larvik, has accepted a tender for a, motortanker of 9400 tons deadweight to cost £147,000. This work is, of course, in addition to that already in hand in Clyde, Belfast, and other British yards.