GREAT BRITAIN’S TRADE

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 561, 14 January 1929, Page 10

GREAT BRITAIN’S TRADE

A SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT British Official Wireless. RUGBY, Saturday. Complete provisional figure of British trade during 1928, which have been issued by the Board of Trade, show a slight improvement on the previous year. The adverse balance of the value of imports over all exports is £353,000,000. The figure for 1927 was £386,000,000, and for 1926 was £462,000.000. The actual total value of imports in 1928 was £1,196,000,000, while that the exports amounted to £723,000,000, and of re-exports to £ 120,000,000. The greater part of the difference between the value of exports and imports is of course balanced by wliat are termed “invisible exports,” the chief elements in the calculation of which are the earnings of British shipping and the interest on investments abroad. There was a notable increase in the export of artificial silk, the value of which rose from £5,750.000 in 1926 to nearly £8,000,000 in 1925. Among the exports which show decreases are coal, £6.500,000; iron and steel, £2,500,000;' and cotton goods, £3,500.000. The Board of Trade returns for December show that the imports were valued at £1(11,433.000, a decrease of *3.956.000 compared with December, cx P° rts were valued at an increase of £1,560 000, and re-exports at £9.079,000. a decrease of £1,230.000. The principal decreases were:—lmports: Dutiable food and drink, £-,—0,000; wool, £1.204.000: hides and skins, £992,000; rubber, £717.000. Exports: Cotton yarns and manufac£o96,ooo; woollen yarns, £ boo,ooo. Increases: Imports: Raw C £l 815 000 4,633 ’ 000 ’ Exports?: Vehicles,