TRADE WITH INDIA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 July 1941, Page 6

TRADE WITH INDIA

INCREASE RESULTING FROM WAR. AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND BENEFIT. How imports from Australia and other countries into India have increased as a result of the war is shown in the first report of the Australian Trade Commissioner in India. Imports from Australia in August, 1940. compared with the same month in 1939, showed an increase of 400 per cent, while in the five months from April 1 to August 31, 1940, imports increased by 20 per cent compared with the same period in the'previous year. War supplies accounted for a large proportion of this increase, but general trade was responsible for a considerable amount. Other countries, however, are well aware that the closing of European sources of supply has presented an opportunity for improving trade. In the same five-montlis period in 1940, compared with the corresponding period in 1939, New Zealand exports to India increased by 1040 per cent, South Africa by 29 per cent, those of the United States by 112 per cent, Canadian by 60 per cent and Chinese by 66 per cent. There is a heavy demand for many Australian products. Plywood is needed for tea-chests, but freight and other charges to date have made Australian prices higher than Canadian or Chin-

' ese. Australia should be able to supply bobbins for jute and. cotton textile mills as she has the hardwoods essential for their manufacture. There are 65 mills on the Hoogly, each using approximately 50.000 bobbins and experiments with Indian timber have so far proved unsatisfactory. The Indian Stores Department and the Indian Railways are calling tenders for large quantities of wooden tool handles and the manufacture of these could be undertaken with that of bobbins. There is a demand for Australian beer but at present its distribution is made by firms formerly representing European breweries. It is felt that, unless reputable firms not already handling competitive lines are selected for Australian agencies, Indian firms may revert to European beers after the war is over.

Among the range of commodity requirements which Australia might fill, have been requests for canned goods, automobile accessories, hardware, machinery, and tools, tallow, confectionery and electrical apparatus and supplies.