Evening star., 1899-01-02
RAW MATERIALS IMPORTED
Increased Activity on the Part Of Manufac-
turers Shown.
SILK, Indian Rubber, Ffbers and Hides
Brought Into the Country
in 1898.

That the manufacturers of the United
states and those depending upon them have
been exceptionally busy in the year just
ended Is shown by some figures relating to
the imports of manufacturers materials
ana manufactured goods just compiled by
the treasury bureau of statistics. With
large importations of manufacturers ma
terials and small importations of manu-
factufed goods and accompanying this an
abnormally large demand at home for man.
ufactures, it is apparent that those engaged
in their production must have found con-
slant occupation.
Four Classes ef Raw Materials.
-four great classes of raw materials are
habitual}y and necessarily brought into
the country for manufacturers use-raw
SILK, India rubber fbers and hides. If the
importations of these show a marked in
crease 1t may be accepted as evidence of
increased activity on the part of manufac-
turers 1t is interesting, therefore, to COM
pare the figures of the, eleven months i'm
portations in these great classes with those
OF earlier years. The figures covering the
eleven months show that in hides the i'm
portatlons have been largely in excess Of
any earlier year, the total value of hides
imported in the eleven months of 1898 be-
ing 6,2t'S,4OO, against SIC, ,2S2, ,367 in the
corresponding months of 1897, and s17, ,915,-
52S III the corresponding months of 1896.
Inc number of pounds imported in 1898
was, IN round numbers, 20,000,01O in ex-
cess of the corresponding months of 1897,
and imports of India rubber of which
large quantities are used by our manufac-
turers' ' SHOW % in in eleven months of 1898 a
value OF $22,S31,5IS, against SO. G:5S:, in
eleven months of 1897, $12,964 633 in 1895
and $11, ,413, ,S4S in 1895
Raw silk for the ten months ending with
october amounts to s21,54O 225 in value.
months of 1897 and $40 J29 S37 in the corre-
spending months of 1896, being thus in ten
months of 1898 more than double that of
tne corresponding period of 1896 Of fibers
the lmportations in the eleven months end
ing with November amounted TO s15 i4o 111
against S12,3oJ,053 in the corresponding
months OF the preceding year and $11 326,-
Job in the eleven months of 1896
In all of these four great articles i'm
ported Tor the use of manufacturers it will
be seen that the imDortations of the wear
LOT the period covered by the above fig
ures nave been in excess of the preceding
years rubber being 80 per cent larger than
IN 1874, silk 30 per cent in excess of 1892
hldes more than double that of 1S9S or
1871, and fibers 30 per cent in excess of
1884. When this increase in materials i'm
ported for the use Of manufa cturers is
considered in connection with the fact that
the 1mDortatlonS of manufactures have
fallen in the year just ended from s2S3 600
oGo III 1897 to $3.50 O0O, ,Oe0 it will be seen that
manufacturers have been exceptionally
busy. In addition to this the figures of the
treasury bureau of statistics SLOW that
the exports Of manufactures in the wear ,
just ended will be more than $1,000 900 in
excess of those of any precedingyear, andl
VIII reach in round terms an aerage of
$l,oooooO a day for every businss day OF i
the year. J.
Decrease in Wool Impcts,
In only single article anon the i'm
portations for manufacturers IL. has the
year 1898 failed to show an inciased de-
mand. This single article is wool The i'm
ports Of wool in 1897 We're abnornlly great
by reason of the importers brinsg in all
the foreign wool available prior the en-
actment of the tariff law of Isl, which
transferred wool from the free toha duti-
able list The wool importations eleven
months OF 1897 amounted to 8. 9S2 264 |
pounds, against 13.s, 800 265 IN tht oorre- |
spending months of the precedin year, |
and against an average in the corIspond-
ing months Of earlier years of les than
nall that quantity. In other word q full
two years supply of foreign vol was
brought into the country in the alendar |
year 1897, and it is not surprsin there
fore, that the eleven months of E}S show
imports of cnly 95.11f620 pouns. 1t IS
thus apparent that the small imprtations
of wool in 1888 did not Indicate lack of
activity on the partof woolen maufactur-
ers, since they evidently had in Ind when
the year began a full ordinary vars sup
ply, and the fact that 100000 pounds
have been imported in eleven months of
1888. in addition to the large stok on hand
at the end of 1884,. indicates N unusual
activity on their part las well as on the |
part of all other manufa etlrers