WORLD TRADE

Evening Star, Issue 23175, 26 January 1939, Page 10

WORLD TRADE

FIRST HALF OF 193 S 10 PER GENT. REDUCTION GERMANY THE SECOND LARGEST IMPORTER The index of world trade (1929 equals 100) for the first half of 1938 was 86.9, compared with 95.6 in the first half of 1937. Preliminary estimates of world trade are published in the October issue of the League of Nation’s ‘ Monthly Bulletin of Statistics.’ These give the quantum of world trade (value in gold divided by prices in gold) in the first half of 1938 as 86.9, compared with 95.6 in the first half of 1937. These indices are based on the movement of trade of 75 countries until March, 1937, and thereafter of 76 countries. The total value of world trade (excluding Spain), expressed in old United States gold dollars, is given as 13.254.000. compared with 14,739,000,000 in the first half of 1937—a decrease of 10 per cent. The positions of the first three countries in world trade in the first half of 1938, compared with the corresponding period of 1937, on the basis of the aggregate of the monthly figures, were:— The United Kingdom, 1,977,000,000 dollars (15 per cent.) against 2.018.000. dollars (14 per cent.) ; the United States, 1,484,000,000 dollars (11 per cent.), against 1,848,000,000 dollars (13 per cent.); Germany, 1.265.000. dollars (10 per cent.), against 1,249,000,000 dollars (8 per cent.).

World import trade, excluding Spain, was valued at 6.883.000,000 dollars, compared with 7,568,000,000 dollars, a decrease of 11 per cent. The United Kingdom was the largest importer with 1,290.000,000 dollars (19 per cent.), against 1,289,000,000 dollars (17 per cent.). Germany was second with 645,000,000 dollars (9 per cent.), against 602.000,000 dollars (8 per cent.) and the United States wan third with 557.000. dollars (8 per cent.), compared with 958,000,000 dollars (13 per cent.). World export trade was valued at 6.373.000. dollars, compared with 7.171.000. dollars, a decrease of 9 per cent. The United States was the largest exporter with 927,000.000 dollars (14 per cent.), against 890,000,000 dollars (12 per cent.). The United Kingdom was second with 687.000.000 dollars (11 per cent.), against 729,000,000 dollars (10 per cent ), and Germany was third with 620,000.000 dollars (10 per cent.), against 647,000,000 dollars (9 per cent.).

NEW AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY RUBBERISED PAPER Research work is proceeding in Australia into the manufacture of wrapping paper impregnated with rubber. If the experiments now being carried out prove to be successful, it is understood that a .powerful financial and industrial will provide the capital to manufacture and market the new product, which will probably revolutionise the method of packing goods for transport both in Australia and to overseas markets. The industry will be a entirely new one to Australia, and the mill which would be erected for the manufacture of the paper would provide employment for a considerable number of persons. The new type of paper is at present in use in England, Norway, and several other countries, where it is being manufactured under patent rights. To date however, only very small quantities of it have been sent to Australia, and those have been used principally for experimental purposes. Complete investigations into the possibilities of manufacturing and marketing the paper here will probably occupy three or four months.

LINOLEUM SUBSTITUTES Special efforts have been made in Germany to discover substitutes for the raw materials normally used in the manufacture of linoleum, as all of them —cork, jute, linseed oil, and colophony—must be imported. As the ‘ Manchester Guardian Commercial ’ points out, it was not difficult to find materials which could take the place of these substances, but when they were tried out in practice it was found that they could not be manufactured with the existing machinery. Now, however, a type of product is said to have been found which can serve as a substitute for foreign oils and rosins at least in certain sections of the linoleum trade. It seems that this new raw material belongs to the class of coal-tar derivatives which is generally used in the plastic industry, although apparently it has to undergo special treatment before use in linoleum factories.