Soviet Trade Organizations

The Extent of Anglo-Soviet Trade.

During the eight years from the renewal of trade between Great Britain and the U.S.S.R. in June 1920, to the end of June 1928, the total turnover of Anglo-Soviet trade amounted to £216,649,000. The following table shows the actual figures of sales and purchases of the Soviet trading organizations in Great Britain. Sales are goods invoiced to buyers, c.i.f. British ports. Purchases are orders placed with British firms, f.o.b. British ports.

The principal articles purchased in Great Britain during the whole period consisted of : cotton, £16,226.000; grain, £11,235, 000; various machinery, £12,114,000; wool and wool yarn, £8,587,000; rubber, £7,817,000; hides and skins, £6,281,000; tea, coffee and cocoa, £5,833,000; chemicals, L5,264,000; fabrics, £4,132,000. The principal Soviet sales in Great Britain during the eight years were : timber materials, £37,818,000; furs, £18, 961,000; wheat and other grain products, £17,775,000; oil prod ucts £19,193,000; butter, L11,700,000; flax, hemp and tow, L8,455,000. There was a big decline in trade after the break of diplomatic relations between the two countries in May 1927.

Soviet-American Trade.—Trade between the U.S.S.R. and the United States is now conducted by the following four organi zations with headquarters in New York : The Amtorg Trading Corporation; the All-Union Textile Syndicate, Inc.; Centrosoyus,

Inc. ; and Selskosoyaz, Inc. In addition to these, a number of concessionaire firms export from the Soviet Union.

The Amtorg is an extensive import and export organization trading in every kind of commodity with the exception of cotton and wool. The All-Union Textile Syndicate is purchasing in the United States machinery and raw materials for the textile industry of the U.S.S.R. Centrosoyus sells on the American market goods imported from the Consumers' Co-operative Societies of the U.S.S.R., chiefly furs, flax, and hemp, and pur chases for the same bodies various goods for consumption and for office equipment. Selskosoyus is selling on the American market goods imported from the agricultural co-operatives of the U.S.S.R., and purchases in the United States agricultural machinery and equipment, tractors, and so on. The figures are : The principal commodities sold in the United States in 1926-27 were: furs, $9,763,000; manganese, $1,351,000; flax, tow, etc., $1,112,000. Cotton is the principal article purchased by the U.S.S.R. from the United States; in the first nine months of 1927-8, Soviet purchases of cotton in America amounted to $6o,6o8,000. In the same period orders for machinery and equip ment amounted to $10,000,000. Next in importance came agri cultural machinery, tractors, and motor transport. (L. SE.)