"Techr 
Außen 
Foreign 
Trade Police 
Austria’s 
Share in the 
World Trade 
these imports will rise in proportion to the increase of Austrian industrial activity. In the second 
place the Austrian foreign trade balance is very substantially influenced by Vienna, the strongly 
differentiated requirements of a two-million city in a country with only about 6% million ‘souls 
making for imports which, in relation to the total population of the Republic, must necessarily be 
high. Finally, it should be remembered that Austria is at present, and will be for a long ‘time, 
dependent on foreign capital in a high degree and that foreign capital in the end can take its way 
into the country in the shape of goods only. 
Austria therefore does not so much expect salvation from a restrietion of imports, as from an 
extension, on the largest possible scale, of her exports, and this fact distinguishes Austrian foreign 
trade policy considerably from the foreign trade policy of other Central European countries, which 
through the openly proclaimed tendenecy to restricet imports while simultaneously foreing up exports 
sasily appears in a selfish or, if you like, mercantilistie light. It is not a question, however, of the 
approving or disapproving opinion which may be formed abroad of this policy, as countries free 
to direct their foreign trade policy are not influenced, as a rTule, by such opinion, but through 
mentioning the fact that Austria is not out to restrict imports, readers are to have their 
attention drawn to a further practical advantage which they may gain from this Export Directory. 
It has been stated already that Austrian industry has to import, in addition to most raw materials, 
a large number of semi-manufactured products. A foreign industrialist or merchant studying this 
book carefully will thus find various suggestions not only in regard to his imports, but also 
‚especting his exports, in view of the fact that nearly every Austrian exporting industry is at the 
same time importing t00. 
One is frequently inclined to underrate the importance which Austria has for international 
commerce through the amount of her imports and exports, because one has before one’s eyes 
an economic unit of limited territorial extension, whose foreign trade figures, compared with 
those of Great Powers, cannot be impressive. A very different opinion of the part which Austria 
plays in international trade will prevail, however, if the proportional share in the world trade 
of the various European states is compared. From a table of this kind, referring to the year 1924, 
which was prepared and published by the League of Nations, the following percentages are quoted, 
to which have been added population figures in order to present a vivid pieture of the relative 
importance which the respective countries have for the world trade: 
rhe “ Trade 
Germany 4 EEE "19 
Belgium and Luxemburg 281 
France en U 3:22 
Great Britain and Ireland 7°52 
Haly A 783 
Netherlands... 297 
Russia 51 
Switzerland . ULB. 
Yugoslavia . "44 
Austria . . . 47 
Poland 4 :02 
Rumanla uk “72 
Czechoslovakia . . 187 
Hungary... 0:50 
It results from this table that Austria, in regard to her absolute share in the world trade, is 
among the Succession States second to Czechoslovakia only, while relatively, ie. if the population 
figure is also taken into account, she ranks foremost among all Central European states. Not 
less interesting is @ table which is quoted here from the Wirtschaftsstatistische Jahrbuch, 1925, 
published by the Vienna Chamber of Labour and which shows the imports and exports of the 
most important states in reichsmark per capita of the population. 
States 
Germany Ha 
Belgium and Luxemburg 
FEANCO > Ar fie en 
Great Britain and Ireland 
Haly 
Netherlands . . 
Russia 1e:. 
Switzerland 
Denmark . 
Norway. . 
Sweden. . 
“DOT ts 
RM 
19917 
414°09 
215°55 
59473 
102°23 
57540 
26:92 
55929 
549°83 
400°26 
26960 
Exports 
RM 
141°00 
333°53 
22526 
347°34 
71:13 
423°54 
20°24 
43395 
51261 
29931 
25300 
Rn 
E43 A