BRITAIN'S EXPORTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21782, 23 April 1934, Page 5

BRITAIN'S EXPORTS

PRINCIPAL CUSTOMERS DOMINION'S HIGH POSITION With the exception of the contiguous Irish Free State, New Zealand is a larger buyer of United Kingdom goods per head of population than any other country. This fact is disclosed in the British Board of Trade returns of the distribution of United Kingdom trade in 1933.

The Board of Trade figures of purchases of United Kingdom goods are:— Irish Free State, £6 7s 2d; New Zealand, £6 4s 2d; Denmark, £3 5s 4d; Australia, £3 4s 4d; South African Union, £2 15s 9d; Norway, £1 19s; Canada, £1 12s lid; Holland, £1 10s sd; British Malaya, £l 15s 3d; Sweden, £1 3s 2d; Argentina, £1 Is lid; Belgium, £1 Is 6d; Switzerland, 19s Id; Finland, 15s 3d"; Portugal, 10s 7d; France, 8s 8d; Egypt, 8s 4d; Ceylon, 7s lOd; United States, 7s sd; British West Africa, 4s lid; Germany, 4s 6d; Italy, 4s 4d; Spain, 3s 9d; British East Africa, 3s 2d; United States of America, 3s; Cuba, 2s 9d; Brazil, 2s 8d; Rumania, 2s 7d; India, Is lid; Poland, Is 8d; Japan, Is 2d; Dutch East Indies, lid; Russia, sd; China, 3d. *-■ The Dominions have in the past been, with few exceptions, better customers in proportion to the number of their inhabitants than foreign countries, and this remained generally true for 1933. It will be seen that Denmark and Norway were, as usual, the only foreign countries to compare in this respect with the Dominions. As might be expected in view of the very heavy fall in prices between 1924 and 1933, no country last year took from Britain goods to" a greater value per capita than in 1924.

Compared with 1932, it is noteworthy that only three of the British countries considered (Canada, Australia and South Africa) improved their per capita share in 1933, while no fewer than 15 of the foreign countries recorded an improvement, in some cases relatively large. The largest increases in monetary value occurred in the case of South Africa, Dpnmark and Argentina, while the greatest proportionate increases were recorded by the Baltic States, Rumania and Portugal. Among the more important countries taking a smaller value of United Kingdom exports per capita in 1933 than in 1932 were the Irish Free State, New Zealand, British Malaya and Norway.