Motor Vehicles
405
Page 808 -
This
14. A new record output of 9,420 passenger cars a week was achieved in October. Of these, 6,116 a week were produced for export compared with 5,209 a week in September and the previous record of 5,344 a week in May. increase in October was almost entirely in small cars of up to 1,600 c.c. The number of large cars (over 2,200 c.c.) for export, however, rose slightly to a new record of 846 a week.
15. The value of our exports of all passenger cars (including chassis) rose from £6.88 million in September to a new record of £7 82 million in October. Although the value of exports to Canada declined to £592,000, exports to the United States rose from the low level of £57,000 a month in the third quarter to £192,000 in October. This is still well below the rate of £634,000 a month achieved in the last quarter of 1948.
Exports of all passenger cars (including chassis) (Monthly averages or calendar months)
£ thousand
Total to all countries
To
United States
To Canada
1948 4th Quarter 1949 1st Quarter
5,233
634
460
5,334
205
382
2nd Quarter
5,677
78
629
3rd Quarter
5,601
$57
779
October
7,824
192
592
.
16. Production of commercial vehicles also increased from an average of 4,505 a week in September to a new record of 4,940 a week in October and the number produced for export increased further to 2,518 a week.
i
III.-Building
17. The number of new permanent houses (excluding aluminium houses) completed in Great Britain declined slightly in October to 16,372. For local authorities 13,293 new houses were completed and construction was begun on 13,322 houses during the month. New contracts for local authority houses, which had fallen from 17,832 in July to 12,634 in September, rose to 15,022 in October.
IV.
External Trade
18. The value of British exports rose to £156 million in October-the highest level since March. The volume of these exports is provisionally estimated at 158 per cent. of the 1938 average compared with 144 per cent. in September and 156 per cent. in the first quarter of the year.
19. The value of imports rose to £198.9 million in October. Although exports were greater both in value and in volume in October, the increase in the value of imports (mainly food imports) was largely the result of an increase in prices. Imports invoiced in foreign currencies have for the most part been entered at values converted at the new exchange rates. These increases do not necessarily represent increases in the prices paid for goods imported in October since, for some of them, payment will have been made at the old exchange rates.
20. Exports of metal goods rose to £79.4 million in October-almost equal to the record level achieved in January. Although exports of textiles were slightly better than in September they were still lower in value than in any other month of this year. Exports of coal rose to 1.41 million tons (valued at £5.05 million) in October-the highest figure since 1940.
21. British exports to the Western Hemisphere rose from 14.3 per cent. of the value of total exports in September to 17.7 per cent. in October. Exports to the United agate mor£100 to £5.6 million in October Paghighest figu9since January. Compared with September there were increases in exports of whisky,
37948
B 2
4