The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-10-13
Great Britain's GallOping Exports
winning the World Trade Prize.

Great Britain's GallOping Exports
winning the World Trade Prize.
When Sir AUCKLAND GEpDEs, Min
lister for National Service and Recon-
struction, sees ahead of Great Britain
greater international trade than ever
before his Imagination does not pic
ture a vision merely; his eyes behold
fact which looms bigger than a
church on hill. He says:
Every nation Is short OF some
thing that Great Britain can sup
ply. British manufacturers have a
bugbear of American rivalry. but
America is not well placed for world
trade. Besides. she has her own
troubles. while the exchange is him
dering American exports. America
cannot drive British trade from the
world markets II we only make up
our minds to work together"
Whether the United States is well
placed or i'll placed for world trade
is a fair question. But it is not a
theory, 1t is fact, that our high rate
of exchange does now hinder our way
into markets that are not impera-
lively in need Of our goods. 1t is a
fact that Great Britain with her low
pound, like Germany with her low
mark, can undersell us, other things
being equal, in any market not ex-
cepting our own home market. 1t is
q fact that we shall lose our trade
grip soon and for long If We ourselves
work at cross purposes. "''' y
And it is a fact that exports from
the United Kingdom have been soar
ing, and soaring in tremendous vol
ume, ever since the signing Of the ar
mistice. It Is fact that British ex-
ports are galloping to the old suprem-
acy. For proof positive of this we do
not need to make comparisons with
periods before the war. To make
such pre-war comparisons, indeed, is
not sound. If, for example, it Is true,
as 1t is true, that for the first nine
months of this year of 1919 exports
from Great Britain have been nearly
a billion dollars more than they were
even for the corresponding period just
preceding the war, it is also true, of
course, that this Is an imitation Of dol
lar marks. not an expansion of goods.
With exports the world over all the
way from so per cent to $50 per cent.
dearer in price than before the war
no international trader retaining any
fair share Of his former business
could fail to show a similar increase
in dollar marks.
But the amazing record of Great
Britain's. exports can be tested by
comparison Of the high price period
cf to-day with the high price period
of yesterday-by comparison OF
months in 1919 with months in 1918
when many Of the British export
prices were sky high as measured
against prices since the war.
Less than a month ago THE Sun
called attention to the remarkable
fact that exports from the United
Kingdom seemed to be going out Al
the rate of $100,00O.00O a month
more than In the previous year. Thu
ho
ever, that the official returns for the
first nine months show that the ac
tual figures averaged more thar
S1O0.000.000 gain a month; they
averaged more than s110,000,00(
gain. For the first nine months, II
truth, the British export gain was
100000 more than a billion dol
lars.
And all this, trade sensation though
Il is, does not tell the whole story. II
does not begin to tell 1t. The as
founding thing about the British ex
ports-the fact which Justifies all the
optimism of Sir AUCKLAND GEDDEs-
is the monthly volume gain already
scored by that trade. Starting with {
perceptible but not an emphatic move
ment Immediately upon the signing OF
the armistice, the British exports have
risen month by month until in Sep
TENDER they showed gain not merely
of $780,, 100000 over September Of thu
previous year but in the thirty day
OF this September a gain of nearly
$132,O00,O00 over the thirty-one day
of August Immediately preceding.
Now this didn't just happen. l
didn't come about simply because tn
British people, In the words of ST
AUCKLAND GEDDEs,N made up thei
minds after the war TO work to
geIher Tor world trade. II came abou