WORLD STATISTICS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 206, 16 September 1937, Page 10

WORLD STATISTICS

League of Nations Year Book The Statistical Year Book (1936-37) of tho League of Nations eontains new inatter and amendments whicli enhance its value as a work of reference. » There are details of production liitherto unpublisbed, as well as of air tratfiCj monotary oonditions, movements in capital markets, international trade, emplojunent, and the l'ertility and reproduction rate of population in a number of countries. From the statistics collected a table of world indjees of priinary production has been prepared by tho League's Ilcouomic InteJligcnce Service. The indices show that priuiury production of tlio world in 1936 was in voluine sljghtlv above that of 1929, which was the higbest hefore the depression. This applies particularly to metals other than gold, being] about 25 per cent. qibove that of 1929. In the ease of gold the increase is estimated at 72 per cent. While manufacturing industries have not got baek to the figures of 1929, they have been steadily rising siqce 1932, when they had fallen 37 per cent. In 1936 the volutne of manul'actures was witlpn 4 per cent. of • that of 1929, So far as JBritish shipping is coueerned ocean freigjlit rates, which wero at their lowesb in 1933 — 25 per cent. (average) below those of 1929 — were in 1936 13 per cent. lower than in 1929, Froin all the tables it is clear that the improvement whjch hegan as a world phenou 'nen in 1933 was maintaiued in 1933 and at the beginning of 1937,