JOHN BULL'S SHOP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12070, 13 September 1902, Page 6 (Supplement)

JOHN BULL'S SHOP.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT HIS CUSTOMERS. An* interesting and important fact, says the London Daily Express, may be gained from a Blue Book showing the total trade of the United Kingdom in 1901. This is that, although we send mora than double the value of goods to foreign countries than to the many places within the Empire, the colonies are in reality our best customers. First let us give the total as shown in the Blue Book for the past five years. These read as follows : — To Foreign To Colonies and Countries Protectorates. £ £ 1897 ... 207,209,749 86.964,369 1893 ... 203,903,252 90.110.736 1899 ... 235,285,062 94,249,596 1900 ... 252,349,700 102,024,054 1901 ... 234,745,904 113,118,364 Our largest customer has been America, who last year took £37,164,434 worth of goods. This sum, however, was exceeded in 1897, when we sent £37,451,117 worth across the Atlantic. Within the Empire our largest customer is India, whose demand for our goods has risen from £28,009.335 worth in 1897 to £35.746,399 in 1901. Australia makes a good second with a total of £23,513,662, against £19,179,267 in 1897. The following table, showing the principal countries to which we exported goods last year, with the amounts per head of their population, will be of interest: — Amount per Country. Total. head. £ £ s. <]. America 57,164,434 0 9 0 Germany 34,221.08) 1 0 0 France 23.700,820 0 15 0 Holland 13,744.021 2 11 0 Jielfrium 12,624,891 1 16 0 Russia 12,355.325 0 2 0 India 35,746.594 0 3 4 Australia. 23,513.662 6 7 0 South Africa ... 17,939.147 7 0 0 Canada 9,250,526 1 15 0 From the above figures, which, of course, are merely approximate, it will be clearly

seen that the colonies, although less in total than some other, countries, are in reality our best customers when the size of their populations is taken into account. This is interesting in view of the factshown in the first table that the trade with the colonies is steadily increasing. We are, however, buying nearly £200,000,000 worth more than we sell, au'd here it is unpleasant to note that while the goods we buy from foreign countries increased last year by nearly £3,000,000 in value, those of the colonies, etc., were

£4,000.000 less than the total of the previous vear. We are to-day buying over £70.000,000 worth a year more than we were five years ago, and of this total increase only just over £11,000,000 is from the colonies.' Here, again, America is far ahead, supplying us with £136,038,622 worth of i;o'ods, an increase of nearly £30,000,000 in the five years. Within the Empire India- is our greatest source of supply; but even she sends us over £8,000.000 less than we send her. Australia conies next, sending us nearly £1,000.000 worth more than we send her; while Canada, which only takes just over £8,000.000 of goods from us, sends us over £19,000,000 worth.