§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why the cash volume of exports and re-exports free on board for May was £498 million compared with £506 million for April; and why at the same time reserves fell from £1,118 million in May compared with £1,144 million in April.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsThe backlog of shipments delayed by last year's dock strikes was probably less in May than in April, and May also saw unusually small exports of diamonds. The underlying trend of exports was clearly upward.302W The gold and convertible currency reserves fell from £1,155 million in April to £1,144 million in May. This was the net effect of many factors (other than United Kingdom exports) relating to the international trading and financial position: these were briefly explained in the article on the Economic Situation in Economic Trends for June.