TRADE SURVEY.—RUBBER MANUFACTURED
GOODS.
We, the Imperial Economic Committee, appointed by the Gov-
srnments of the United Kingdom, the Dominions, India, and the
Colonies and Protectorates, acting under a Resolution of the
Imperial Conference of 1926, beg leave to present to the Govern-
ments of the Empire this our fourteenth report—A Survey of the
Trade in Rubber Manufactured Goods.
I.—INTRODUCTION.
1. Under the resolution of the Imperial Conference of 1926,
which renewed our Mandate, we have been directed by the Gov-
arnments of the Empire to prepare a survey of Empire trade in
rubber manufactured goods.
2. This survey follows on the lines which we adopted in our
eleventh report—A Survey of the Trade in Agricultural Machinery.
3. As in the case of our previous trade survey, we have found,
in the course of our enquiry, that interpretation of the trade
statistics by those of wide experience of the trade was needed.
We acknowledge the assistance we have received in this respect
from the officials of the Governments of the United Kingdom and
other parts of the Empire, from the India Rubber Manufacturer's
Association, from the Research Association of British Rubber Manu-
tacturers. and from the Rubber Growers’ Association.
A.—THE COMPETITIVE POSITION.
[I.—COMPARISONS OF THE STATISTICS OF DIFFERENT
COUNTRIES.
4. We have found very great difficulties in comparing the pub-
ished statistics concerning the trade in rubber goods in the
rarious countries, on account of important differences in classi-
ication and compilation. In the note in Appendix IIT to this
survey we have detailed the more significant of these difficulties.’
5. As regards production it is impossible to present any com-
osarisons. Statistics of production are not published by some of
she chief manufacturing countries. In those instances in which
oroduction figures are published, the Census of Production has not
oeen held in the same year, nor, what is more important, in a
recent year. The rubber industry is advancing with such rapidity
that statistics very quickly become out of date and thus cease to
have any important significance.
(mportsand 6. Statistics of imports and exports naturally form the basis of
Exports. a trade survey, but in the rubber manufacturing industry, and
