| Abstract: | Of the £.1208.7 million of income earned in 1953-54 by non-governmental productive enterprise and final consumers, £.201.5 million accrued to 'trade and commerce'. This article attempts a survey of a few of the characteristics of commerce in the Union as they appear today. General functions - Paucity of Statistical Information - General Magnitude and Development - Changes in the Structure - Economics of the Business Unit - Freedom of Entry - Levels of Renumeration - Ease of Transfer to Entrepeneur Status - Commerce and Consumers Credit - State Competition - The Marketing Act - The General Future - The S. African Chamber of Commerce Movement. |