Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-11
RAW MATERIAL IMPORTED
MORE THAN IN ANY YEAR IN THE
COUNTRY'S HISTORY.
Statements Based Statistics fol
Eleven Months and Estimates
for the Twelfth.

The manufacturers of the country have
imported more raw material for use in
manufactur in the year 1900 than in any
preceding year in the history of our import
trade The total material of foreign pro-
duction imported in a crude condition dur
ing the year just ended amounts to over
500 100000, and if to this is added the total
of articles wholly or partially manufac-
tured for use as materials in manufacture
ing the grand total of manufacturers ma
terials imported would amount to over
$3.50. 900. 600. or nearly 40 per cent of the to-
tai importations.
This statement is based upon eleven
months detailed figures already received by
the treasury bureau of statistics. to which
is added an estimate for the twelfth month,
December based upon the figures of the
preceding month. This statement puts the
importation of raw material in the Twelve
months ending with December. i9oo, at
s216 62S. 00n, against 1921 493,939 in 1879,
Sl62 112 1Sj in 1896 and $3.50 80, 494 in 1881
A comparison of 1899 and 1900 with pre-
ceding years shows an increase of over 30
per cent in the importations of manufac-
turers materials in these two years as
COMPARED with the entire period from 1880
to 1895. and an increase of nearly 90 per
cent as compared with the years 1874 ana
1896 Even the remarkable fall in prices
of manufacturers materials which charac-
terized the closing half of the year 1900
did not prevent the total value of these
materials imported in 1900 from exceeding
that of 1899, though in two articles, india
rubber and silk, the figures for 1900 show
reduction as compared with 1899.
Raw silk is quoted in the New York mar
kets in December 1900, at So. 40 per pound,
against $3.50 in December. 1899; Manila
hemp at 20. cents per pound in December,
1900, against 141a cents per pound in De-
cember, 1899: sisal at 5& cents per pound
in December 1900, against S& cents In De-
cember, 1899, and rubber at SS cents per
pound in December, 1900, against S1Oo per
pound in December 1899. With a reduction
in cost such that suggested by the ar
ticles named ii is apparent that the in
crease in quantity of manufacturers ma
terials imported in 1900 is even greater
than that indicated by the figures of value
which of themselves stand higher than
those of any preceding year.
Classification of ImpOrtatiOns.
The bureau of statistics Classics the i'm
portations under five general heads: 1, ar
ticles of food and live animals; 2, articles
in a crude condition. which enter into the
various processes of domestic industry; g.
articles wholly partially manufactured
for use in the mechanic arts; 4, articles
manufactured ready for consumption, and
8. articles of voluntary use. luxuries, etc.
OF the 1900 importatOns, 26.5 per cent are
articles of food and live animals, against
"a per cent in 1896: articles in a crude
condition for use in manufacturing formed
33.s per cent. against 23,7 per cent in 1896;
articles wholly or partially manufactured
for in the mechanic arts formed 103
per cent, against 1876 per cent in 1896; arti-
CleS manufactured ready for consumption
formed 15.9 per cent, against 17.6 per cent
in 1896, and articles of voluntary use, lux
uries. etc, formed 1873 per cent, against II 5
per cent in 1896 Compa ring 1900 with 1899
articles of food form smaller proportion
of the imports in the year just ended than
in the preceding year, being 26.5 per cent,
against 293 per cent, while articles in
crude condition for use in manufacturing
are 33.S per cent, against 800 per cent in
1899, and articles wholly or partially manu-
featured for use in manufacturing formed
1O3 per cent. against 9.3 per cent in 1899.
The following table shows the value of
the importation of twelve principal articles
required for use in manufacturing in 1900,
compared with 1899 and 1885, the December
figures for 1900 being estimated: