OUR OVERSEAS TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 June 1919, Page 5

OUR OVERSEAS TRADE.

DECREASE OF IMPORTS FROM BRITAIN. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. Commenting on the Dominion's overseas trade, the Minister for Customs pointed- out that although the volume of goods imported and exported during 1918 ( £52,707,441) is very much higher than the figure for 1914 (£48,117,543) the actual tonnage of goods handled was very much lower last year than during the year of the outbreak of war The imports from the British Empire decreased from 66% per cent of our total imports in 1014 to 57 per cent, of such total in 1918, whilst our exports to various portions of the Empire have also decreased during the period in question from 91 : per eent. to 76.5 per cent, of our total export trade. Naturally, the United Kingdom, with its great factories and .workshops diverted largely to war production, had been the heaviest sufferer in this respect. Our imports from the Old Country have decreased from 51% < per cent, of our total import trade in I" 14 to 30 percent, in 1918.

The trade formerly subsisting between our own country and the United Kingdom has necessarily been diverted elsewhere, Japan having' obtained a large siare. Between the two years mentioned above our percentage of imports from the United States had been increased from 11% per cent, to 22% per cent. This, no doubt, is a temporary and unavoidable state of affairs. When the British manufactories are again running on peace production one does not doubt that the volume of trade within the Empire will be correspondingly affected.