TRADE NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 April 1920, Page 9

TRADE NOTES.

THE RICHEST YEAR ALL RECORDS BROKEN. "A SERIES OF GREAT YEARS." London, Jan. 8. _ An enormous turnover of money is shown by the return of the Bankers' Clearing House for IMS). The total number of bills and cheques which passed through amounted to ..C2S,4l"),O0O,0O0, exceeding the previous year's total by £7.215,(W0,000. In lfll.'l,' the last, complete year before the war, the total was only \ei(i,43G,(100.000.' The past years total is due mainly to the prevailing high prices and growing general trade, with the huge, amount of currency in circulation to meet them. Another reason is that under present conditions all transactions on the Stock Exchange have to be settled immediately in the case of each one, instead of the' mere balance being settled once a fortnight, thus largely increasing the number of cheques. Not only was the year itself u record, but it contained the record day, 28th July, when £189,000.000 iras cleared; the record week, ending witty Christmas Eve, when £772,000,000 was cleared —a tribute to Christmas shopping —and the record month. December, during which £3,095,000,000 was cleared.

PROSPEROUS YEARS AHEAD. Sir TXamar Greenwood, Secretary of the Overseas Trade Department, considers that Great Britain and the Empire never entered a New Year with brighter prospects of prosperity. "Reports from our consuls and commercial diplomatic officers all over the world." he says, "show that production here is far behind what other countries need from us. Europn is especially in need of clothing. Millions are in rags, and the amount of wool and cloth we are sending abroad is very small, compared with the demand. All countries wont transport equipment, rails, locomotives, trucks, and other things, and no one can supply those better than we can if wc can once get into the swing of output. No country has a better commercial outlook, and. if we can avoid strikes, wo should become more prosperous f.nan we have ever been. This should be the first of a series of great years"

AMBASSADORS OP TRADE. "During the past nine months enquiries from foreign and Dominion buyers to the value o{ quite £20,000,000 have been sent to members of our various associated industries," said Mr. O. F. I.ooock. 0.M.0., Assistant-Director of the Federation of British Industries, to the Daily Mail. "We started our overseas trade commissioner service last March, and this year wo shall extend our direct representation to New Zealand and Australia. Our aim is to get a man of the highest type, who knows the country, the people, and the language, and then to have a corresponding man here, to maintain direct personal touch and understanding. When a commissioner comes home on leave he visits such of our members as wish for it, and thus the area of knowledge is extended. These commissioners supply status and other information, report, on special opportunities, forward inquiries, provide interpreters and translators —in short, they are business ambassadors. Quite £3.000,000 of orders came from the Athens Exhibition to British manufacturers, and good will result for years. Foreign inquiries are fully maintained, and our manufacturers are taking the far-sighted view in allocating part 'of their output to foreign buyers, in the interests of future trade, though In most eases the entire output could be sold here."

In a loiter which I have just received from Mr Lncock, he nays: "We are not contemplating a direct commissioner of our own at the present moment in New Zealand, hut we hope to co-operate with important interests there in carrying on the work of fostering British trade between the two portions of the Empire,'"

TINPLATE TRADE "BOOM." Throughout South Wales the trading community is looking forward optimistically to a continuance of the great prosperity which that area has enjoyed for the last five years. Shipping freights remain extraordinarily high, and shipowners anticipate at least another two years of unbounded prosperity for the shipping industry. The tinplate trade, which is one of the staple industries of South Wales, has never experienced such prosperity, and prices have increased 10s per box during the past few weeks. So busyare the tinplate millowners that they are daily rejecting urgent orders, and delivery cannot be guaranteed till the spring or early summer. There is an insistent demand for tinplatcs- from Scandinavia, France, Spain, Portugal, and especially from Japan. A rumor is current that tinplate mills will be established in France because of the inadequate supplies from South Wales.

JOINING FORCES. ! Messrs. R. Walker and Sons., Ltd. (makers of the Wolsey underwear) and Messrs. W Tyler, Sons, and Company (makers of Jason hosiery) have amalga- j mated. It. is announced tint the new company has already reinforced its powers by the acquisition of three of the finest spinning mills in Yorkslilf'S thus enabling it to spin its own yarns, manufacture the goods, dye and finish them, and distribute direct to retailers. Thi« amalgamation marks a new recan? of progiess in the hosiery trade, providing, as it does, a producing organisation complete in every detail, with the most modern eouipiuent and with a policv behind it, wb ; ch will make at least th!s department of British manufacture the foremost in the world. This effort en the pun cf two British companies to secure a lead'ng position in' the world's tr.ide will (it is remarked) be watched with interest in view of the action of "combines" in America and Germany in the same direction. SCOTLAND AND NEW ZEALAND. The Glasgow correspondent of The Drapers' Record, writes: "Scotland bids fair to open up a new era in industrial methods. From the newer methods which are likelv to see the light of day in 1920. the old" high-tide mark of excellence is certain to be more than maintained. Not only are the most up-to-date looms being installed, but greater attention is being paid to the application of scientific management. _ Late months have disclosed a gratifying desire on the part of New Zealand buyers to enter our markets, and home firms are arranging to have samples and patterns aent out. twice « ycav. Home makers are, on their part, eager to grasp at this trade and give the people In New Zealand an opportunity of buying highsjftss cloths at reasonable ljrices."

CLOTHING PRICES FOR 1920. To The Times a drapery-trade correspondent writes: "There are no signs whatever of cheaper clothing during 1020. In every direction thp rates for materials are steadily mounting, and the world demand for apparel is.heavily in excess of the world's supply. With the whole world clamoring for greatly-In-creased supplies, there has been a demand on the part of Labor in almost every country for a reduction of working hours, bringing production in many cases down below the pre-war level, and accentuating still further the wide margin between demand a-id supply. Wool, cotton, linen, silk, an artificial silk fabrics all are on a rnucji higher level than ever before. Every manufacturing cost, including the very important one of labor, continues to advance. To take one instance, approximate prices quoted only six weeks ago have been raised 2s 3d a yard for overcoatings for next winter. Silk has become n difficult problem recently, and is likely to become worse. The world consumption of silk goods has increased enormously in the last few years, and,production has sensibly diminished. Prices continue to advance. Quotations for men's "boater" hats are up 25 to 30 per cent. on a year ago, Japanese plait merchants having broken their contracts with English importers and sold the straw at much higher prices to American and other buyers. Supplies will, in consequence, be short, and merchants have been rationed."

A NEW ARMY. A vast fishery business is being developed by Lord Leverhulme, who is announced as having fleets of trawlers in Scotland, at Fleetwood, Yarmouth, and (Irimsby. It is said that some of the largest fish merchants in the United Kingdom will soon sell under the Leverhulme banner'fish that will he cheap and fresh. The persuasive personality that created Port Sunlight has achieved a remarkable triumph in that practically all the proprietors of these various businesses are remaining as managers in the new concern. The organisation, when completed, will supply fish not only to the towns but to remote country villages by means of an army of travelling motor fish shops-

POWER PROM TRAMWAY WIRES. In Bradford for three years there has been running on the Corporation tramway system a parcel delivery van, worked like a trackless trolley vehicle, but with the additional power of storing current. This current is called into use when the vehicle has to traverse roads nlong which there are no electric wires. This vehicle, which is the only one of its kind in existence, makes two journeys to Leeds every day with parcels. It is claimed that the system is the cheapest kind of, transport known, and that the costs are much, lower than those incurred in connection with motor lorries. At present the powers of the Bradford Tramways Department are limited to the carriage of only a certain weight of goods over different parts of the tramway system. It is proposed, however, to seek extended powers to enable the department to take any kind of transport \up to any weight. The electric delivery van is a business proposition and'pays for itself.

NEWS FROM THE CLYDE. Returns available of the amount of work turned out by the Clyde shipyards during 1919 show that only once has the output of twelve months been greater, and that was in 1913. when the aggregate tonnage was 756,790. The 1910 returns (subject to revision) show an output of 406 vessels, aggregating 645,374 gross tons, and with machinery of ],623,77S Mi.'p. The volume of new construction has been diminished considerably by the great amount of labor and plant utilised for the reconditioning of vessels commandeered by the Admiralty, so as to fit them to resume their usual mercantile work, and by the scrapping of partially-constructed naval vessels. During the year also, the shorter working week was brought into operation. but this has had no very great effect on output, as time-keeping has greatly improved in many establishments.

RECORD, AMOUNT OF WORK IN ' HAND. Two records were achieved during the year. The destroyer Tyrian, a Scotstoun'vessel, attained a speed of 40 knots on its trials, and the Anchor Liner Cameronia was built in 9i months by Messrs. W. Beardmore, to replace the vessel of the same name lost by enemy action. Chief honors in construction go to Messrs. Harland and Wolff, who turned out 14 vessels of 75,871 tons in their Govan and Greenock yards. The most outstanding vessel included in the return is the great battle-cruiser Hood, constructed by Messrs. J. Brown and Co. at Clydebank, at a cost of about six millions. In engineering this firm takes pride of place with a total of 2nr>,300 i.h.p. The outlook for 1020 is held to be extremely bright, provided that serious labor troubles can be avoided- The amount of work now on hand—about 1,000,000 tons—is the largest in the history of the Clyde.

A MILLION DEAL. Much interest has been aroused in financial circles by the announcement that Mr. S. B. Joel (who is equally well known as a South African mining magnate and owner of racehorses) has acquired the interests held by the Speyer family in the underground electric railways of London. Mr. Joel said he could not state the exact amount of the Speyer interest in the undertaking; "but you may certainly say," he added, "that the. undertaking is now absolutely 'All British.' I already had a large holding, in the coiribihe, and, of course,' this addition will be a considerable increase in my interest." As the undertaking is being run at a loss, higher fares are probable. A GREAT SCHEME. Details of the great Marche du Monde, or rendezvous of the buyers of the world, which is to be set tip in Paris in two years' time, are given by Sir C. Dundas, secretary of the Association of Great Britain and France. "The object," he said, "is to give producers and buyers of the world the facility to perform all their transactions in one place. It will be the only building in the world where the rentals will decrease according to the length of the leases, and where the tenants will be considered as valued clients, and not as objects of speculation. The building will be a six-storied one, with a frontage of 350 ft. It will be nine times the size of Trafalgar Square, and will cost approximately £4,000,000. "A VERITABLE CITY." "This enormous building," continued Sir Charles, "will contain five thousand shops, the most luxurious club in the world for buyers' and producers, swimming and Turkish baths, gymnasium, restaurant, grill-room, roof garden, sevJeral lecture rooms, industrial cinema, and the world's largest banquc-tins-room.

Briefly, what is contemplated is the erection and operation of a veritable city in which it may reasonably bo estimated there will be a floating population of manufacturers, producers, merchants, buyers, and the necessary employees, exceed in« 30,000 people. The advantages of this huge project to the British buyers and sellers will be enormous. One of the principal objects of having this world's market in Paris," he said, "is because tiie French capital is the centre of the railway centres of Europe, and the advice of the buyers of the world has been taken on this matter."