OVERSEAS TRADE IN BRITISH TRACTORS.
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The Principal Markets for Agricultural Machines Produced in this Country.
THE annual statistics of the overseas trade of the United Kingdom for 1924 which have just been issued by the Board of Trade, although somewhat belated, afford some useful particulars relative to the export trade in agricultural tractors during that year. Unfortunately they indicate that this section of the motor industry is not in a flourishing condition, the shipments haying declined from 913 machines (1186,260) in 1922 to only 220 (£161,288) in 1924.
From the accompanying tabulation, which we have arranged in the order of the importance of the different markets, it will be seen that the only countries in which an increase took place were New Zealand and India, whereas, on the other hand, there were heavy declines in the ease of Australia, France, Belgium and Esthonia. It is interesting to note that whereas in 1923 the trade was approximately equally divided between foreign countries and British Possessions, in 1924 the foreign trade represented only about $7 per cent, of the total, leaving 63 per cent. for British overseas markets. Another feature brought out "ay the table is that whilst the number of machines experted last -year declined, the tractors shipped from this country were of a more powerful and expensive character, the average value advancing from £285 to, roundly, £500 per tractor.