108 THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — THE STRATTS SETTLEMENTS

The most important imports and exports in 1918, exclusive of inter-settle ment trade, were : —

Principal Imports

Tin Ore ... Rico and other grains Cotton Piece Goods, Yarns,

&c

Provisions ....

Sugar ......

Tobacco,Cigars,& Cigarette. 1 Fish, dried and salted

Coal

Live Animals Vegetables and Fruits Hardware <fc Ironware, in- cluding cooking utensils

£ 13,171, 11,677,

6,118,

301,

3,144.

2,451,

1,140,

2,877.

878,

633,

•276 KM

712

720 200 651

025 915

r,ST 789

-16,460

Principal Exports

Tin

Gums, including rubber;-.

Spices, including Pepper

Copra ....

Hides, Raw .

Sago

Rattans ....

Gambier ....

Tapioca .

Pineapples, preserved .

Phosphates of Lime

1918

£

16,755,380

18,915,842

2,699,185

'.•01,666

94,287

237,725

399,882

410,074

8lc,991

97,629

90,000

There may be said to be three classes of trade — passing, transit, actual ; passing trad being goods in vessels merely passing through Singapore for China, &c; transit trade goods changing bottom at Singapore, or landed and stored awaiting re-shipment. Thtsi two classes of trade are not included in the import and export statistics. Actual trade may be defined as goods brought for sale into Singapore and purchased there, eithei for consumption or for sale to other places whither they are said to be exported. Tht trade is a transit trade in the sense only that what is imported is exported withoui undergoing any process of manufacture. Exchange fluctuations affect the value of past statistical results, in times of low exchange the dollar value of goods having their origit in gold countries being enhanced; the same probably holding good, to a less extent, it the case of produce exported, but the dollar value having been fixed early in 1906 ai 2s. 4&, this is the rate adopted since.

The following figures are taken from the British Board of Trade Returns, the imports including produce from Borneo, Sarawak, and other eastern places, transhipped at Singapore, which is thus entered as the place of export : —

-

1913 (pre-war)

1917

1918

1919

19201

Imports(consignments)

£

£

£

£

into U.K. from the Straits

Exports of British pro- duce to the Straits .

Exports of foreign and Colonial produce to the Straits

15,799,502 5,836,446

169,201

16,043,633 4.890,268

47,926

10,815,006 6,144,240

53,755

21,263,879 6,288,920

117.3S0

17,956,959 16,567,783

338,974

1 Provisional figures.

The principal imports into the United Kingdom in 1919, were tin, 4,750,638/. ; rubber, 7,107, 882/. ; sago and sago meal and flour, 1,320,542/.; Cassava powder and tapioca, 1,395,619/. ; coconut oil, unrefined, 277,932/. ; fruit, canned or bottled, 478,486/. ; copra, 1,S08,867Z. ; gutta percha, 697,173/. ; pepper, 1,236,973/. ; hides, raw, 214,991/. ; gambier, 282,147/. The principal exports from the United Kingdom were : — cottons and cotton yarn, 2,612,663/. ; iron and iron and steel manufactures, 1,011,247/. ; machinery, 389,158/. ; soap, 95,437/. ; tobacco, 133,607/. ; spirits, 67,924/.

Shipping and Navigation.

The total tonnage of merchant vessels entered and cleared at the ports

of the Colony during 1919, exclusive of native craft, was 18,885,183 tons,