BRITISH TRADE RETURNS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9682, 5 January 1910, Page 4

BRITISH TRADE RETURNS.

A cablegram the other day contained the gratifying news that British trade returns have begun to show a steady improvement, so that we may fairly hope that the long period ot depression in the Mother Country is now passing away. The "Economist" ahdwa that the total imports, exports arid re-exports; for October amounted to the very respectable sum of over £94,000*000,

compared with less than £91,000,000 in 1908—an increase of 3.7 per cent.,, while the totals for the first ten months of the year amounted to 888£ millions sterling, compared with 870 millions in 1908, arid 9695' millions in 1907. The figure* for 1908 had, therefore, already been surpassed, although only ten months of 1909 had been counted, and the returns were steadily overtaking the record put up in 1907. It is a gratifying feature of the returns from the British point of view that the export figures showed larger shipments of manufactured goods of almost all kinds. The exceptions were—metal I manufacturep, other than iron and I steel, machinery and new ships, im- ' ports showed an increase from British possessions as against foreign countries, a result due in great par to the fact that the deficiency in the food supply from the United States and Argentine had been mads up primarily by India, and to a less extent by Australia and Canada. A decline of eight millions sterling in exporta was shared equally by foreign countries and. British possessions. With the- resumption of greater trade activity in England and the lessening of unemployment we may reasonably expect a better demand for frozen meat and other products if the Dominion.