BRITAIN’S TRADE

Evening Star, Issue 22149, 2 October 1935, Page 14

BRITAIN’S TRADE

INDICATIONS DF IMPROVEMENT PROBABLE INCREASE IN WOOL PRICES That . a general feeling existed in Great Britain that trade was improving and that this was supported by the returns of imports and exports was the opinion expressed by Mr J. Sutherland Ross, who returned to Dunedin last night after a lengthy business visit to Great Britain. Mr Ross stated that as his time had been fully taken up with attention to his own business he had had no opportunity to investigate the wider questions of trade, but all the brokers and bankers whom he consulted were agreed that wool prices would remain firm and would probably increase. None was able to offer convincing reasons for his view, but the statements were, nevertheless, emphatic. The production of woolstra by Germany need not be taken as a sefious threat to the industry, and, in any case, all Germans who cuold afford to do so were buying clothing outside their own country % The recent decision to export butter from New Zealand in only two grades would, in the opinion of Mr Ross, make a wonderful difference to the sales in England. While ho was in London he had seen Danish- butter at Is 2d a lb selling in shops in which the New Zealand product could be purchased' for Bd. One of the advantages, he thought, which Danish butter enjoyed was that the housewife and" found, that its “ spreadability ” made it more economical to use. Mr Ross said that it was certainly depressing to travel through the north of England, where the people were_ dependent upon shipbuilding and the iron and steel trades, for there were so many smoke stacks from which no smoke was issuing. Nevertheless, there was a general feeling that trade was improving, this being supported by the returns of imports and exports. Many people whom he had consulted during the King’s Jubilee celebrations had been of the opinion that the prosperity of that period, had really been spurious, but the advance which had been apparent then had fortunately continued, proving that it had a sound basis. _ Remarkable progress in the clearance of slum areas was noted by Mr Ross during the course of his visit. The amount of building in progress, he stated, was remarkable, and he had been informed that homes were being erected at the rate of 1,000 a day. Those which he had seen had been attractive in appearance, and where they had been erected in groups a pleasing varietv in design had been achieved.