HS
ports of rubber heels and soles are increasing, the former chiefly
from the United States and France; the latter chiefly to the
United Kingdom. A smaller value of toys and games was ex-
ported in 1928 than in 1927 and went chiefly to France and the
Netherlands ; imports from France and the United Kingdom are
increasing.
Surgical rubber exports go chiefly to the Belgian Congo and
India; imports come chiefly from Germany and France. Imports
of miscellaneous rubber manufactures come chiefly from Germany
and France and, to a much less degree, from the United States
and Great Britain; exports in 1928 amounted to 548 tons against
258 tons in 1927, Great Britain taking 211 tons and the Netherlands
175 tons.
Exports of sheets, plates, rods, &c. and thread, which are semi-
manufactured goods used in further manufacture, are increasing.
Ebonite goods, chiefly imported from Germany and France, were
61 tons in 1927 and 88 tons in 1928 ; other sheet, &c. imported were
227 tons in 1927 and 270 tons in 1928, 48 tons in the former year
and 65 tons in the latter coming from Great Britain. Exports
were less in 1928 than in 1927 and went to Germany, France, the
Netherlands, and Italy. Exports of thread are trivial but imports
are considerable. being in 1928 valued at £41.000.
C.—CENERAIL CONSIDERATIONS.
XXV.—NEED FOR MORE UNIFORM STATISTICS.
116. At this point we should like to call attention once more to
the need for more uniform statistics. The foregoing paragraphs
of this survey afford numerous instances in which comparisons of
the trade of different countries in rubber manufactures have been
rendered either impossible or have been put forward with several
qualifications owing to differences in the methods of collecting and
arranging the statistics of different countries. Certain changes
were made in 1927 in the trade returns of the United Kingdom
which should be of great assistance to the industry but generally
little progress has been made in establishing a common nomencla-
ture and classification for rubber goods in the trade statistics of
various countries. Greater uniformity and clarity would be of much
assistance to the trade and would greatly facilitate the study of the
developments of this expanding industry. We believe that this
subject of greater uniformity in economic statistics ought to be
dealt with internationally and we hope that it will be dealt with
by the Committee on Customs Nomenclature now sitting under
the auspices of the League of Nations; but whether international
agreement can be arranged or not we are of opinion that greater
aniformity in the statistics of Empire countries is a necessary prece-