BRITISH TRADE BOOM.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1678, 19 February 1913, Page 10

BRITISH TRADE BOOM.

GREAT RECORD OP 1912.

MORE IMPERIAL THAN FOREIGN WHEAT. ■ British trade in 1912, as shown by the returns for December, wns a record—far above 1911, which also exceeded tho figures for any previous year. The following are the chief figures:— BRITISH "EXPORTS. ■■.'"'- , Increase over previous year. Dec. '■■.■£ J! 1912 41,459,038 . 2,887,159 1911 .. 38,571,879 1,147,769 1910 -37,421,110 3,634,213 12 Months. 1912 ..478,434,003 33,314,70-1 1911 404,119,298 23,897,(i58 1910 ' 430,384,772. 52,403,41! I IMPORTS. Dec. '" 1912 74,068,698 9,130,811 1911 64,937,887 Dec. 4,107,447 1910 69,109,461 8,351,982 12 Months.1912 .........v ...744,896,514 04,738,987 1911 ...;.. 660,157,527 2,302,151 .1910 078,257,021 53,735;216 TOTAL TRADE. (Including re-exports). 1912 1,344,168,421 106,605,987 1011 1,237,562,134 25,159,593 1910 1,212,806,088 118,575,905 'Tho increase for tho year (says the "Daily Mail") is remarkably general. Imports and exports are each divided into thirty-fivo clas3es, but only three classes of imports—meat (including animals for food), dutiable food and drink, and newships—and three classes of exports—iron oro and scrap iron, oils, and silk fabricsshow c. decrense. Grain and flour, which rose by .£12,746,268, and raw cotton, which rose by £$,• 053,416, record tho largest increases among 111© import classes, while among the exports tho greatest advances arc • .£4,898,026 by iron and steel, and £4,137,420 by ccal. The year's exports of cotton fabrics were. valued at ,£122,227,915, a rise of i'2,104,5G0..j The cotton exports alone amount to. over' one quarter of the total exports of the whole country. • . ; ■ , ] Tho following Ghows the striking advanco which has boon mado by • tho Dominions at the expense of foreign counIrrKto as food-growers for tho Unified -Kingdom; the'table gives the imports of wheat from the Dominions and from foreign countries since 1900:— From British From Foreign' Dominions. Countries. Cwt. Cwt. - 1913 59,123,905 49,725,504 1911 ; 49,176,438 ~ -18,324,029 1910 48,114,038 , ' 56,827,400 .! 1909 41.650,445 55,997,610 . 1908 .I.'. 22,915,000 03,216,000 . 1907 ' 39,103,000 58,065,000 1906 31.810,000 61,157,000 1905 39,735,000, 47,880,000 ' 1901 :... ( 42,392,000 . '65,391,000 1903 ............... '27,895,000 G0,236,000 ' 1902 .......:. 22,700,000 53,302,000 1901 16,854,000 52,855,000 1900 :... 10,192,000 i 58,477,000 ■; Canada, as it has done for the last four years, again beat the' United States, in wheat, sending.us 24,551,100cwt. lastyear, against 19,973,99-lewfc by ' .tho- United States and 18,783,700cwt. by the Argentine. From the British East Indies (including India), however, wo imported 25,379,400cwt., and ■ from Australia 11,908,505. .. ' • A similar tale is told by the following figures 'for. imports of .wheatmcal- and flour from, Canada and.the United Steitcs, which aro. the only countries which send us any considerable quantity of. theso commodities:— ' ; ,'.-•' Canada-., United States. Cwt. A - Cwt. • '1912 4,003.877 4,212,604 1911 ,„ 3,268,718 5,110,411 ,1910, 2,783,7J1. 5.123,780 . 1909 2,959,400 6,929,011