BRITISH TRADE FIGURES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21578, 25 February 1932, Page 16

BRITISH TRADE FIGURES

RESULT OF NEW DUTIES. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, January 14. The favourable effect of the antidumping duties imposed at the close of November is reflected in the Board of Trade returns for December. Imports, of manufactures declined by £5,580,090 compared with December, 1930, and by £10,481,292 compared with November, 1931. Exports increased slightly on the preceding month, resulting in the adverse trade balance for the month working out at £39,413,434, compared with £46,401,179 for December, 1930. For the 12 months the adverse balance is £408,975,545, an increase of £21,700,000. TRADE BALANCE. For the full year the adverse trade balance, after allowing |or re-exports, was £408,975,545, an increase of £21,668,570 on the 12 months. In viewing the differences in the year’s figures regard must be paid to the fall in prices the level having closed 5.3 below that ruling at December, 1930. There was an aggregate loss in both imports and British exports of over £303,000,000, almost equally divided between the two, but as the reduction in British exports is on a much lower total this represents a drop of over 30 per cent, in their case against about 17 per cent, in imports. Imports were £802,174,700, or £181,800,552 less than in 1930; exports at £389,103,817 were £181,591,599 down and re-exports were £22,800,002 less at £04,035,347. Of the decrease in imports, food, drink and tobacco accounted for £58,110,978, raw materials for £77,092,089, and manufactures for £45,445,477. FOREIGN FACTORIES FOR ENGLAND. It is expected that before long there will be a large number of factories in England set up by foreign concerns. The details of many such enterprises have been already settled. It is reported that a German firm will shortly start a factory in London for the manufacture of cutlery, English workpeople being employed. Another German concern has arranged to begin manufacture of bags. For this a number of key men will come from Germany for six months to start the work. Other German enterprises here include a factory on Merseyside for the manufacture of batteries and electrical equipment. Eight hundred people will be employed. Electrical accessories and batteries are to be made by a German firm at Slough, and negotiations are almost completed for a German hosiery factory in Leicester or Nottingham. Swiss enterprises include a dry battery factory and a chocolate factory. A rubber glove factory is to be set up by Americans at Slough; and Dutch interests have arranged to manufacture surgical instruments at Acton and batteries in the Liverpool area.