BRITISH TRADE WITH SOUTH AMERICA.
At the recent meeting of the British-Bank of South America, the chairman,_Mr. R, J, Hose, cirew,attention, by no means for the first time; to the extent to which' British- trade with the South American Continent was affected, to-day by acute foreign competition. It appears that during ix _the past s months the impOrts of Brazil from certain foreign *countries increased materially, while those from Great Britain declined. Mere again, however, Mr. Hose, in common with other leading -business men who have dealt with the matter, attributed much of the falling off in our exports to our own shortcomings, both as regards the growth in national expenditure of an unpro- ductive kind and as regards -the lack of push in our sales methods. " Apart," he said, " from any deficiencies—and they, doubtless, still exist—in British sales methods and • propaganda as compared with thOse of competitiie nations, trade is seriously handicapped by the hegvy burden and incidence of taxation and other restrictions" in this country, especially in relation to costs of prOduction." With regard to Brazil, Mr. Hose was able to speak more hopefully of the outlook, partly by reason of, the recent international State of San Paulo Coffee Realization Lban,, which, as I pointed Tout at the time, had for its purpose the gradual liquidaticai of surplus stocks of coffee and the Owing of; each future Crop'
• • on the market in regular rotation during the next ten years. . A. W. K. •
Previous page