The morning call., 1894-11-12
OUR IMPORTS FROM FRANCE.

The trade tables for the quarter ending
June so, 1894, which have just been made
up. show that our importations from
France are falling off at the rate of about
80 per cent, mainly in consequence of the
depression in trade. From Paris the
United States took in the quarter only
So $50, O9S worth of merchandise, as against
Sc. 464, oil Imported in the quarter ending
June 80, 1893 Our importatious from
Paris consist mainly of manufactured
goods of high grade, which we pay for in
cotton and cereals.
Nearly half our importaiions this year
from Paris consisted of hatters' goods and
furs. artificial flowers and feathers, mil
linery, merino, cashmeres and dress goods,
jewelry and precious stones-alI articles
of luxury. One-tenth of our total i'm
portationS we're articles for the toilette,
perfumeTy, mOroccos and other fancy
feathers. Other articles consumed by the
rich only were trimmings and fancy but
tons. corsets, costumes and dresses, gloves,
hosiery, laces, tulles and grapes, and man.
ufactures Of silk. which represent about
One-tifth Of our total importations from
the French capital. 1t will thus be seen
that if our era of Areadian simplicity re-
turned. we should be independent of Paris :;
aud it is easy 10 understand how hard
times have curtailed this department of
our foreign trade.
Bordeaux supplies the United States
with a considerable proportion of the
wines. fine oil and sugared fruits which
are imported. This trade has been cut
into by California. From Havre we get a
considerable quantity of coffee, mainly
grown in Java. Lyons sent US In the src-
ono quarter Of 1894 something over mil
lion dollars worth of manufactured silks,
about hall the usual amount. New Jersey
is now producing as good grade of black
SILK as can be imported. but it has not
thus far been able to make eolored silks to
sell In competition with the Lyons pro-
duet. That Will come by and by. Very
hne silks are being made in Connecticut
and New York, and the industry bids fair
eventually to supply the home market un-
der proper protection. From Marseilles
the United States takes about half mil
lion dollars worth OF assorted goods, chief
among which are lemons, oils, prunes and
nuts, skins, hides and leather of the mo-
rocco kinds, and wool and wooden waste.
Our consumption OF champagne may be
figured from the fact that In the quarter
under review the United States imported
$1,O74,2 42 worth Of that fluid from Rheims.
liz is rather surprising that our importa-
tions of WOODEN cloth from Rouen seem to
have ceased altogether. From that center
Of manufacturing industry the United
States took in the second quarter of this
year S549,24 worth of grapes, tulles and
laces, and hardly anything else.
From these tables it appears that the
United States is practically Independent
of France from mercantile point of view,
and that If Congress should retaliate upon
France for her attempt to exclude Ameri-
can breadstuffs and American provisions
by shutting the door against French finerv.
the experiment would involve no hardship
on this side of the wafer. When the
Cham bers OF Commerce of Paris, Rouen.
Bordeaux and Marseilles protested against
the new duties which the farmers de-
manded. on the ground that they would
inevitably lead 10 general curtailment of
commercial intercourse between France
and the United States. the Deputies of the
rural districts replied that we could not d
without the products of French skill and
ingenuity. They seem to have been mis-
t ken. And they did not even succeed in
inducing The people of Paris 10 eat French
-four in preference to white, nutritiye
American hOur