Germany Replaces Britain As Biggest Seller of Goods to Palestine

GERMANY HAS OUSTED GREAT BRITAIN FROM FIRST PLACE AMONG THE NATIONS SUPPLYING THE HOLY LAND WITH GOODS, ACCORDING TO FIGURES PUBLISHED BY THE PALESTINE GOVERNMENT.

IN THE FIRST HALF OF LAST YEAR PALESTINE GOT 19.6 PER CENT OF ITS IMPORTS FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM (WHICH DOES NOT INCLUDE BRITISH POSSESSIONS) AND 15.7 PER CENT FROM GERMANY, WHILE IN THE FIRST HALF OF THIS YEAR ONLY 15 PER CENT OF THE IMPORTS CAME FROM BRITAIN AND 16.1 PER CENT FROM GERMANY.

GERMANY FORGED AHEAD OF BRITAIN, WHICH HOLDS THE MANDATE OVER PALESTINE, IN SELLING TO THE HOLY LAND, DESPITE THE FACT THAT SHE BOUGHT RELATIVELY LESS OF PALESTINE’S GOODS AND BRITAIN BOUGHT RELATIVELY MORE. BRITAIN BOUGHT 58.7 OF THIS COUNTRY’S EXPORTS IN THE FIRST HALF OF 1937, AS COMPARED WITH 56.7 IN THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD LAST YEAR; GERMANY’S PERCENTAGE DROPPED FROM 4.4 TO 2.6.

UNDOUBTEDLY ONE OF THE CAUSES OF THE RISE IN IMPORTS FROM THE REICH IS THE GERMANY-PALESTINE TRANSFER AGREEMENT, UNDER WHICH EMIGRANTS LEAVING GERMANY FOR PALESTINE ARE PERMITTED TO WITHDRAW A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF THEIR CAPITAL, AFTER A COMPLICATED PROCEDURE, IN THE FORM OF GERMAN GOODS. SINCE THE ARRANGEMENT WENT INTO EFFECT IN OCTOBER, 1933, OVER $18,000,000 HAS BEEN TRANSFERRED IN THIS MANNER, AND THE AMOUNT HAS BEEN INCREASING EACH YEAR.

THE FIGURES ON IMPORTS AND EXPORTS ARE SUPPLIED BY THE AUGUST MONTHLY BULLETIN OF PALESTINIAN STATISTICS ISSUED BY THE GOVERNMENT OFFICE OF STATISTICS, WHICH NOT ALONE PRINTS THE COLD FIGURES BUT MAKES A POINT OF SAYING: “GERMANY STANDS FIRST AS A SOURCE OF IMPORTS IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 1937 AND THE UNITED KINGDOM COMES SECOND; THIS ORDER WAS REVERSED IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 1936.”

IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE TOTAL IMPORTS INCREASED TO £8,139,004 (ABOUT $45,000,000) FROM £6,732,742 (ABOUT $34,000,000) IN THE CORRESPONDING SIX MONTHS OF LAST YEAR. A FACT IN DECREASING TRADE LAST YEAR WAS THE DISORDERS, WHICH PRACTICALLY STOPPED ACTIVITIES AT THE JAFFA PORT AND RESULTED IN GENERAL UNSETTLED BUSINESS CONDITIONS.

GERMANY ACCOUNTED FOR £1,307,865 OF PALESTINE’S IMPORTS IN THE FIRST HALF OF 1937 AND BRITAIN, £1,222,434, AS COMPARED WITH THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 1936 WHEN BRITAIN LED WITH £1,319,428 AND GERMANY FOLLOWED WITH £1,058,149.

IN EXPORTS, THE SITUATION IS REVERSED. WHEREAS IN THE FIRST HALF OF LAST YEAR BRITAIN TOOK £1,284,298 OF PALESTINE’S £,263,626 EXPORTS, AND GERMANY £99,956, THIS YEAR BRITAIN’S PART OF THE TOTAL £3,754,859 INCREASED TO £2,203,555, AND GERMANY’S DECREASED TO 98,235.