The Washington herald., 1920-01-30

The following tables gives u
summary Of the total import and ex-
port trade of the United Kingdom
for. the last three years. expressed
In pounds sterling
Imports. Exports
|1s17..... f1,os4.1s4.s7s 1856 7512o7
1s1s.... 1.s16,150.903 532,36{,07s
1919. 1.ss1,e01.s64 e62.6s4.si1
The year 1919 has witnessed a
large increase in the value of both
British imports and exports. The
fact that the value of the imports
has increased more than $500. .000.-
900. OF nearly IS per cent over
1918, has caused the British con-
siderable worry. To a large ex-
tent this increase in the value Of
imports has been due for raw ma
terials imported for British fac
tories. A part of this has been ex-
ported again in the form of manu-
factured articles.
The following table gives the i'm
ports into the United Kingdom sub
divided into the principal classes of
commodities:
IMPORTS.
13tS 1919
Food. drink, etc. g569. .ss5. .lss f7l2, rs. zoo
Raw Materials. ass, S,4SS. $50 646, 80. SIS
Mani. articles. 2S0,ll3.156 a6S. 746, ,S2t
miscellaneous. 7.653.6s3 6,365, ,765
Total. .s316, 15c. SOC |, ,631 901 ,S64
The imports Of manufactured and
miscellaneous articles show a de-
crease this year over 1918. while all of
the increase In imports took place in
the food and raw material groups.
Analysing the food and drink group
cff har t. thot 90 "a
total of f1i2.5O0.000 increase in this
group i'm 1919, less than per cent OF
it was due to increases in cereals and
meats. The increased imports OF al
coholic beverages. sugar: confection-
cry. fruits and tobacco were chiefly
responsible for the increase in this
group.
In the raw materials group the
value OF the imports increased ap-
proximately s1sSOO0o0o over 1918
Wool, wood. timber and cotton were
the commodities chiefly responsible
for the increase.
Increase In Exports.
Great Britain put forth great efforts
during the last year to increase her
exports and thus to lower her unfa-
vorable balance Of trade. At one time
she even considered refusing to per-
nit British vessels to leave English
ports without n cargo That she did
succeed in increasing her exports in
1919 very materially is shown in the
first table given above. The increase
over 1918 amounts to over ESQ 900. 900
or more than so per cent. Divided in
to principal groups Of commodities
the exports for the last two years
show. the following relations:
1918 1919
Food. drink. etc. s1S.o4s. 4s7 s76. .2s4. 309
Raw material.... 75.%l6,G37 21l.dza' lGt
Mani articles. 41e.1Ss.55i 6s2.54s. 81
Miscellaneous 49,. q, IS. 90 L. 202. .074
Total. 32,3s4TS es2 694, ,91l
Heavy percentage increases oc-
CURED in the exports of food and
raw material due to the re-expor-
tation of foreign and colonial COM
modities. However. these groups
are relatively small compared with
that of manufactured articles in
which the increase over 1918 was
almost s25O. 900. 900.
With prices Of commodities rising
as rapidly as they have in the past
few years it is difficult to make
valid comparisons between the
value of trade for one year with
that for the next. Thus. it not in
frequently happens that a big in
crease in the value of exports or
imports may take place with very
little or no change in the actual
amounts involved. An instance of
this is shown in the exports of coal.
coke and manufactured fuels from
al. MI
and values for the three years are
as follows:
Exports Coal. Coke, Etc.