BRITISH TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 November 1920, Page 5

BRITISH TRADE.

SERIOUS EXPORT DIFFICULTY. UNCERTAINTY OF DELIVERY. By Telegraph.Wreiss Assn.—Copyright. Received Nov. 19, 10.30 p.m. London, Nov. 18. Mr. F. G. Kelleway, speaking in Bedfordshire, stated that the great obstacle to British export trade, is the inclusion of the so-called variation clause. Instead of quoting a firm price and a definite date of delivery manufacturers quote in such a manner that an oversea buyer does not know for a certainty when he will receive and what he will have to pay for the goods. He was informed that this was hampering trade in all parts of the world, almost more than any other cause, as German and other countries' quotations Were fixed. The variation clause particularly affected municipal contracts. Mr. Kelleway said he had received a complaint from New Zealand that in the case of machinery sold in the middle of 1919, delivery to take place in three months, the Machinery had not been delivered yet, and the manufacturers had raised the price from £285 to £385. It could bo seen that agents of British firms were badly handicapped when persuading their customers they were receiving fair treatment. Nevertheless the British export trade was in a serious difficulty, while it was faced with the uncertainty of what labor would cost, and the continual possibility of a strike;. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.