THE KAIPARA AND WAITEMATA ECHO WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED " THE KAIPARA ADVERTISER & WAITEMATA CHRONICLE." HELENSVILLE, THURSDAY, MAY 31, 1917 BRITISH TRADE.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 31 May 1917, Page 2

THE KAIPARA AND WAITEMATA ECHO WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED " THE KAIPARA ADVERTISER & WAITEMATA CHRONICLE." HELENSVILLE, THURSDAY, MAY 31, 1917 BRITISH TRADE.

UNAFFECTED BY THE WAR

II would have been imagined that the submarine campaign would have seriously affected British trade, but the returns for the year ended in December last, quite banish this fond impression. They show, indeed, that even taking war prices into account, the mercantile shipping of the Empire has not taken fright and is more than maintaining its normal industry. The campaign may continue, but so undoubtedly will the oversea, trade of the Empire. A perusal of the trade returns for the last year shows that the imports touched the exceptional total of £948,152,679, exclusive of importations on Government account. The exports amounted to £506,546,212, and as there were re-exports to the value of £97,603,502 the total export trade was brought to £604,149,714. The foreign trade of the United Kingdom exceeded that of 1913, the year before the war, by £149,752,000, a record which, in view of the prevailing conditions, can only be regarded as astounding. These figures, of course, are swollen by the fact that they represent war prices. In the absolute volume of imports and exports there was a marked diminution. The extent of this shrinkage is represented by the Board of Trade shipping returns. These show that the total of the freighted shipping which entered British ports last year was 30,059,428 tons, and that the vessels which cleared with cargoes were of an aggregate tonnage of 35,596,754 tons. This was a reduction on the two previous years, both in foreign trade imports and exports, but this is largely accounted for by the fact that a large number of steamers had to be diverted as transports and for other war purposes. The increase in the value of the foreign trade in face of the striking decrease in the number of vessels engaged affords its own evidence of the great rise which has taken place in food products. And the end is not yet.