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,
