WORLD TRADE HOW THE EMPIRE FARES

Hokitika Guardian, 3 May 1930, Page 3

WORLD TRADE

HOW THE EMPIRE FARES

i Hie study of the many problems eon;nected with the development of the! Trade of the British Empire has been; [handicapped hitherto by the Jack of reliiable statistics, collated in a useful iform. The publication, however, during the’past month of a ‘memorandum ■ prepared by Sir David Chadwick, secretary to the imperial Economic Committee, comparing the position of the pire as a whole in world trade in the years 1913 and in 1925 to 1927 (with figures for 1928 where available) goes a considerable way towards remedying this defect. The relative importance and direction of Inter-Imperial tradehave been also examined, anu although the figures are somewhat out of date, owing to the impossibility of obtaining later statistics, they afford valuable information on a subject which, of late, has rightly attracted inoieasing attention. ,

The principal points in the memorandum may briefly be summarised as follows-:—•

(1) Til the aggregate, the trade -of the British. Empire ■ lias ; progressed since 1913 faster than the 1 trade • of the world as a whole.-.....

: (2)'Trade between [Empire countries and foreign countries, shows, a pendency, to expand more rapidly Mian trade between the different parts of the L.m■pirf. -, .-

(3) The Empire is becoming of increasing importance to Great Britain as a source of supply and as a market for her products.

(4) Practically all the leading members of the Empire look t** the remainder of the Empire to provide merkets for at least 40 per cent of their exports. •- . .;