JUNE A RECORD MONTH FOR BRITISH EXPORTS

Evening Star, Issue 26155, 17 July 1947, Page 7

JUNE A RECORD MONTH FOR BRITISH EXPORTS

(Rec. 11.5 a.m.) LONDON, July 16. Mr Herbert Morrison, Leader of the House of Commons, speaking at a Press conference to-day, announced that the value of exports in June was the year’s highest at £93,100,000, compared with £76,000,000, , the average during 1946, and £39,200,000, the monthly average in 1938. The value of imports in June increased to £153,400,000 from £153,200,000 in May:

Mr Morrison said he must warn the country that : “ we may well be faced with a serious transport bottleneck during the coining winter as the result of our devotion to national _ needs in war time. The problem is goods wagons.” Mr Morrison said the Government had ordered 50,000 wagons to meet the shortage, and was .doing its utmost to speed up repairs. , He added that if Britain was spared an abnormally severe winter and the turn-around was speeded up, the railways would be able to move coal supplies; but there would be a shortage of wagons for carrying cement, bricks, iron ore, and steel. LESS UNEMPLOYMENT. There had, he said, been’a satisfactory fall in the unemployment figures, especially in areas designed for new

industrial developments. The total figures had dropped by 60,000 to 272,000. The total unemployed in the development areas was now 117,000. Mr Morrison said there was urgent need for an immediate all-round increase of production and exports. There was also need,. if crippling exports cuts were to be avoided, of establishing sound international currency and credit arrangements. MUST ALL DO BETTER. “ It depends on international decision whether recovery will be along a lengthy and very rough road or along only a fairly rough road,” he said. “We have got to get down to it either way. The Government, industry, and the people must all do better than, hitherto.”