BRITISH TRADE

Evening Star, Issue 19276, 15 June 1926, Page 5

BRITISH TRADE

THIS YEAR'S DECLINE MR BRUCE'S COMMENT EFFECT ON OVERSEA DOMINIONS. Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright. MELBOURNE, June 15. (Received June 15, at 10.5 a.m.) Referring to the sharp decline in British trade this year, tho total diminution of which to tho end of May, compared with the samo period of last year, reached £118,000,000, Mr Bruce says ; “The position is calculated to cause concern to the British communities in other parts of tho world, especially since they realise the extent to which their own economic future is bound up with that of Britain. I can only hope for a corresponding realisation in Great Britain of tho extent to which her future trading prosperity is bound up with her oversea dominions. “ I am inclined to think that the question of the development of Empire trade is too commonly regarded in Britain as a matter which affects the overseas Empire primarily and Britain herself only secondarily; but I cannot emphasise too strongly the point that it is a matter in which the interests are reciprocal. No one can tell whether the decline in Britain’s foreign trade is temporary or not, but of one thing there is no doubt, and that is that Empire trade forms a steadily-increas-ing proportion of tho total oversea trade of the United Kingdom.”