THE TRADE OF GREAT

Waipawa Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 782, 28 May 1885, Page 4

THE TRADE OF GREAT

BRITAIN. Mr ITenry Ntall writes to the Pall Mall Gazette :—The discussion about the trade of England with her colonies as compared with foreign countries may, perhaps, permit of a word. The total export and import trade of England in 1882 was £710,080,322 ; share reverting to British and colonial trade, £191,768,514 ; total British and foreign trade, £527,011,808. This shows an increase with foreign countries and the colonies which cannot he denied. Our trade-lists would be as follows: The colonies first, the United States second, France third, Low Countries (Ho Hand and Belgi um) fourth,Germany fifth, Spanish America sixth, Russia seventh, (China and Russia about equal), Spain and Portugal ninth, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway tenth, Turkey and Egypt eleventh, Italy twelfth. These twelve classes absorb about ninety per cent., the balance of trade being shared among a number of the smaller States. But when this much is stated we have only reached the value of British and foreign as compared with colonial trade. But what about the trade of the British Empire ? This, I assume, is what is meant in this discussion, only it is narrowed down to the comparisons above made. Total imports of the British Empire for ISB2 : The colonies, £214,571),-185 ; the United Kingdom. £313,588,711 ; total, £528,168,196. Total exports of British Empire for 1882: The colonies, £222,059,703; the United Kingdom, £211,323,097; total, £136,382,800. These totals show the sum of £951,550,996. If you take the total tonnage in this year, excluding coasting trade, at 73,617,317 tons, and remember that 56,007,288 is British, you will have a fair estimate of British and foreign as compared with colonial trade, and some idea of the value of British Imperial trade.”