The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-05-06
DIR IMPORT TRADE.

Noulltrles-Nhat cray Them Tor Oul
Head, Foot and Hand Gear, JexFeIry
Diansonds, and Other Personal Adorn,
mcnts.
The annual report of the Bureau of Sta
tistics and Commerce contains some yer,
interesting information. The following
summary relates to our imports, which
in the aggregate, amounted to nearly
S6OO.OOO. 600 for the fiscal year 1874:
WHAT WE PAY FOR PERSONAL DREssy
For hats, bonnets and hoods. and fol-
trimmings for these articles. we paid In
the last fiscal year Sl,574.S00. and on the
same articles was paid S52S, 696 for duties
which will swell their first cost to oveI
Sz,OOO,OOO. But that is not all we paid fol
adjoining and protecting our heads.
Feathers and artificial flowers cost us 3d.
3l5,09S. For human hair and articles
manufactured from it, such as wigs, curls
and ringlets, we paid 81, ll7 ,945, and for
hair-pins with which to give it pose and
effect. SOC 4S0. Adding these items to-
gether, we have Sc, 633, 0l3, which repre-
sents the original cost of merchandise pur-
chased BY the people Of the United States
during the twelve months ending June 30,
1874, for adjoining the head alone, and IN
that sum is not included the value of rib
bons, which form q conspicuous part Of
the head gear of our fashionable ladies.
To cover our hands with gloves, mitts,
and mittens cost us 81, 972 ,06S, and for the
privileges of carrying fans we paid $464,
430. which does not include the refreshing
palm-ieaf, of which we imported 70,l3l
dozens at an expense of SS,029. For eur
handkerchiefs. hemmed and hemstitched,
we paid 1898, 072, and for perfumery, cos
metics and dentifrices, S25l,l32 Our
combs cost us S327, 223. The cost of UNI
brellas. parasols and sun shades ran up
TO S267 ,975, and $l,5l3,S36 was paid
for our pocket-knives. Many ladies
will be surprised to learn that
1921 dozen corsets, valued at
81 ,255, $50, had to be imported
TO add to their symmetry and grace. The
importation Of a few additional dozens
would be equal to one corset for every
woman in the State of New York, accord
ing TO the census of 1870. 1t required
larger expenditure of money to cover and
adorn our heads, S7,347 ,347 being the
amount paid for hosiery, and that does
not include the cost of carriers. This hos
iery is classified as follows: Cotton, So
40S,S76; wool, 2lS.924 pounds, valued at
S76S 7S4; silk, $l69,6S7 Considering the
quantities of enamel TO be seen on salo In
our fancy stores, adorned with labels GER
ufying their foreign origin, we get that
article very cheap. as S207 was a sum sufii-
Gent to pay for all the enamel imported
in 1874. Whether the enamel thus re
turned as imported was for purposes of
personal adornment or for use in the me-
challic arts the report does not state. For
ready-made clothing imported we expen-
ded 81, 990, 029, which does not, OF course.
embrace the clothing struggled in by
tourists returning home, nor does it in
clude that suit of clothes the Hon. Samuel
5. Cox exhibited in the House of Repre-
sentatives during the last session of Con-
gress to illustrate his argument against a
high tariff. Our appreciation for buttons
is illustrated by the fact that we expended
for those little articles S2,S4l, 800. Our
cotton laces, trimmings, and gimps cost
So, 463 .395; thread laces and insertings,
$50. S62; epaulets, laces, tassels, and other
articles made of gold and silver, Sl02, Al;
embreideries of cotton, wool. linen, and
silk, S3,3S7 ,539; velvets, velveteens, and
braidings, Sl,75S,9U; furs, dressed and
undresSed, S3,l39, 100. For braids, laces,
fringes, and galloons, made of silk, we ex.
pended s., 67S, ga, and for silk-ribbons we
were required to pay Sc, 500, 2lS, of which
sum the United State received for duties
the sum Of s., 32l ,0l5, being about 60 per
cent. Of the importers valuation of the
ribbons.
THE COST OF DRESS GOODS.
We paid for dress and piece goods made
of silk SIG, 49,, 554, which is about equal
to the sum paid for importations of wines
and spirits; for silk velvets we paid ST.
705, 5S3; silk goods and goods mixed with
silk, not otherwise specified, SIC, 49l, 07S;
silk and India-rubber goods, S273.737. The
toto 80 cfa
$50. 1876 ,9S5, and that, it must be remem-
bered, merely represents the cost of the
merchandise delivered on our docks, with
the freight unpaid. In piece goods made
of wool we received 70,5Sl ,40S square
yards, for which we paid, including du-
ties, S35, 372, 764 AN average cost of 30 cents
in gold per square yard. OF piece goods
manufactured of cotton we imported 49,
l07 ,047 square yards, worth 81, 1888, S64, TO
which add 81, 457, 325 paid for duties, and
the cost is swelled to ST, 1891, lS9. The
quantity of piece-gOods imported manu-
featured of wool and cotton, Joined to-
gether, would cover a surface of 80 square
miles. For cotton goods not 9th
eryise specified we paid S, 299, 1884, and
for l3,026 pounds of wool Balmorals &c.
4S3.
SHAwLs. DIAMONDS AND JEwELRY.
For 6S2, 525 pounds of wool shawls we
paid So, 3S0, 97S and-364 silk shawls cost us
Sl4, 290, or about $40 for each shawl. Web
bling, betting, binding, braids and buttons,
manufactured of wool, were valued at
81 ,66S. 2S9, and goods manufactured from
flax, jute. or hemp, foot up Sl4, 405,-
S73. TO cover our floors with for
eign carpets cost SG,172, 564. while our
beds were supplied with foreign
blankets for the sum of S9,256. In the
way of watches and jewelry we encouraged
the foreign manufacturer to the extent of
81, SS3,S75; limitations of Jet S379,04l;
bogus jewelry $3.50 S63, and coral S36, 596.
To adorn ourselves with diamonds,
canoes, mosaics and other precious
stones, we paid So, S37, 539. All the values
here given include the amounts paid the
United States for customs duties, save in a
few instances in which the amount paid
for duties is separately stated. Freight
and other expenses incidental to sea trans
pOrtation are not included.
A few other articles may be mentioned
which will prove of interest. While not
articles of dress or ornament, most of
them are nearly allied to such articles.
Some of them are for our amusement,
few are articles of utility, and several are
medicines and drugs. Beginning with
small articles, we find that to import quill
toothpicks we have to pay SIS, $50, and for
musical instruments, 81, l23,Sl4. The 81
29l packs of playing-cards imported wcr.
invoiced at S., 1913, and for the privilege of
shuffling and dealing them we had to pay
the United States 81 .3S9 duties, thus re-
quiring an ante of $l3, l22 before we "cut"
our cards of foreign manufacture. The
first cost of our imported doll-babies was
S555.409, that of our Christmas toys
S6l6,057, while our bologna sausage only
cost Sl67,763, and our sauerkraut only
$3.50. For empty skins, into which we
stuffed our own bologna before consum-
ing it, we had TO pay S92,709. We broke
7,5l9,S03 dozen OF foreign-laid eggs, for
which we had TO pay S747 $50. For fire
works we expended S4,l49, and for
l55, 235 boxes of Chinese fire-crackers we
paid the heather manufacturers 1925, 7S3,
and to the United States the sum of $780,
1876 induties, thus making the original cost
of annually celebrating our natal day in
that class of pyrotechnics foot up $751;
179. For every pack of fire-crackers ex-
ploded by Young America, the Govern
ment of the United States eXacts q cents.
For bladders we paid Sl0,5O0; skeletons