ON BRITISH AND FOREIGN STATISTICS OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE. 309) 
From 1897 the values of ships exported or imported have been included 
in special and general trades. 
Changes of tariff have frequently affected the inclusion of commodities 
under one or other of the totals, as can be seen by examining the defini- 
tions given in A above ; there seems no possibility of estimating their effect. 
Considerable changes took effect in 1889, when parts of Hamburg, 
Bremen, and other less important districts, hitherto treated as foreign, 
were included in the Zollgebiet. At the same time transit trade was 
excluded from general imports and exports. 
General.—Comparisons year with year in the statistics of most of the 
countries discussed are liable to be vitiated (1) by changes in fiscal laws by 
which goods are transferred from the free to the dutiable list, and therefore 
(see remarks under A) from general to special trade in the enumerations ; 
(2) by the continual alteration in trade routes, by which goods may 
appear in the statistics of, say, France instead of Germany, without 
any change in their origin or destination, and for reasons already 
explained affect the ‘special’ as well as the ‘general’ trades of these 
countries ;' (3) by the varying success with which goods are credited to 
their countries of origin and of destination. 
While it is very unfortunate that such confusion exists, it is clear that 
few of the difficulties so far discussed are due to inaccuracy in the actual 
returns. In most countries the statistics are compiled primarily in that 
way which is most useful for their fiscal purposes, and secondarily in such 
a way as to give information to their own people. No two countries are 
in quite similar commericial situations, or have identical fiscal policies, 
and the non-comparability of statistics naturally results. The most per- 
fectly accurate statistics readily lead to inaccurate deductions, when their 
origin, nature, and limitations are not thoroughly understood. 
NOTE TO SECTION D. 
The following statistics indicate the relative importance to be attached 
to the changes described :— 
United Kingdom. 
1=£1,000,000. 
| 
—— | 1899 | 1900 | 1901 | 1902 1903 
| 
| | 
Value of Ships Exported Saal la Wont Cis Ih te Sel 59 4:3 
Value of Total Exports, home pro- | 
duce (including above) . P 264°5 291°2 | 280'0 | 283-4 290°9 
United States. 
1= $1,000,000. 
= 1899 1900 — 1899 | 1900 
Value of Exports to Value of Imports from 
Porto Rico . 2°6 43 Porto Rico . 3:2 31 
Hawaii : 9:0 13-1 Hawaii n 178 20°77 
Value of Total Ex- Value of Total Im- 
ports ee ports (including 
above) . 1203:9 13708 above) . . ‘ 6971 8149-9 
For examples of this sort see the Report on Tariff Wars (Cd. 1938). 
