DENMARK’S BEST CUSTOMER.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 August 1923, Page 4

DENMARK’S BEST CUSTOMER.

trade balance against GREAT BRITAIN. LONDON, July 17. 1' I'om Die annual review of the e n- j nonlie situation in Denmark, hv the j Common ini Seer”tary to the British I Legation at Copenhagen, one gathers! •Inn the industi ial expansion wiiiili took olaee in that country during the war raiiii.it he maintained under ordinary commercial tonditions. At all events, it is not maintained under the < ondit ions that now prevail. The increased capital invested in mantil'ai, luring aim buxines -.enterprises has now in n Rtv.it measure been lost. Aim li of the mat hiiiery installed is obsolete, and the industries cannot find full eiuidoymcnt for mote than about half the labour that was aifrtu ted to ihetn. It follows that in Denmark, as in BriInin, the to.sis of prod net ion tire too high. There was a drastic weeding "U! m the business world last year, itrtifit ial values were writien down, and so Danish industrialists were able io enter into the trade improvement which has marked the current year, less heavily handicapped than they were before.

Great Britain remains far the host customer that Denmark has. The exchange of trade between them provokes today, as it lias protoked before. many interesting reflect ions. While England took over forty millions worth of Denmark's products last year, the value of the trade rcteived in return was roughly one-thh'd ol that. It is estimated that in 1922 Danish butter roust it tiled 33.1 per cent, of the total British butter import, as eonipared will) .33.3 per cent, in the previous year ami 41.2 per cent, in 'MM3. Out ol thirty-six and a-half million suite of eggs from Denmark, nine-tenths were shipped to this country, am! what seems still more astonishing is the Ite-t that out of II 1.4!t0 ions of bacon and pork exported, onlv ! per cent, went to markets other than (treat Britain. Danmark remain- this countrv most

important source of such produce, but since pre-war days there has been a great development of commerce ni.thin the Empire ns regards mod. Last year New Zealand -sent to England butter to tin- value of over nine millions sletling. and large consignments Dke-wis? came from Australia and Canada. Ill" British share of the Danish import

trade was greater last, year than in 11)21, hern use the Danes bought practically’ all their cia' from England, I'tP t herc are many direct inns in which it ought to he possible for British traders to obtain a more proportionate share uf business in Denmark. Tu cycle mv and tubes Germane Inis dominated the market, while a 'considerable proportion of the motor-car tvre- sent there last year consisted of old war material ‘-ought by enterprising Americans after hostilities had ceased.