Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-05
DUE TO TWO ARTICLES
DECLINE IN CUSTOMS RECEIPTS
FOR SEPTEMBER.
Explanation of the Falling Off in I'M
portation of Sugar and
a.. Iron.

The decline in customs receipts for Sep
TENDER over those for the same month a
year ago might be regarded foreshadow-
ing some lessening of business activity
were the shrinkage not in all probability
so largely due to two articleS-steel and
sugar The figures regarding detailed i'm
portatious for September have not yet been
received by the treasury bureau of Stats
tics. 1t has merely the amount of custom
house receipts. and that only roughly re-
fleets importations since rates of duty vary
greatly on different articles, and also the
proportion which the free list holds to the
total. Revenues might fall off and impor-
tations increase. But what has happened
in September was doubtless foreshadowed
by August.
Returns for that month show a decrease
In the importation of iron and steel prod
ucts of 100000, or about % per cent of
this years Importation. The sugar i'm
portations We're in August of this year
worth only So 62. $50. against STAT ,6S5 last
year, a difference of nearly 40 per cent of
this years importation. Since sugar pays
a duty approximating it's foreign value
continuation of this tendency during Sep
TENDER would noticeably affect the rev.
enues.
The falling off in steel importation has
been long anticipated and considerably dis
counted. The statisticians of the industry
have long predicted that the tide would
soon turn. With sugar the extraordinary
failing off is little harder to understand,
unless it be that in anticipation of the con-
summation of the Cuban reciprocity treaty
importers are holding down their stocks to
the lowest possible point.
This is entirely probable 1t is also nota-
BILE that last years record for sugar impor-
tation was very exceptional, and has never
been fully explained. except as part of the
extraordinary momentum of prosperity.
SThe total number of pounds of
brought into the United States during the
year was nearly 5,25O.O0O,OGO. while in no
earlier year of the history of the country
had the Importation ever reached J,O00.0OO.-
600. 1t is believed that 6OO.OD,OO0 pounds of
sugar were produced at home. making a to-
tai last year which would give average
of seventy-two pounds for each person In
the United States. estimating the population
at SO.SHUO.
Aside from the probable drop in steel and
in sugar, thus foreShadOwed by the August
tabulation now available. there is little Ell
dence of any great decline in importatIonS,
and there are few schedules on the list
where decline would signify less that is
new regarding general business than in
these two. The Importation of manufactur-
ers' materials for the eight months ending
? September l was decidedly larger than for
the corresponding period of last year.
Revenue from customs depends much
more upon the condition of business than
on the tariff. If importations were now as
light as in 1894 there would be no surplus.
even at the present rates of duty. During
good times customs receipts exceed all nor
NAL calculations. while in periods of de-
preston they are correspOndingly disap-
pointing. Hence the interest which attaches
TO decline in customs receipts of . per cent
from last years record.
The Importation under the chemical sched-
ules is regarded one of the best tests of
the activity of manufacturing business and
up to September l there had been a strong
upward movement In fact, the value of the
chemicals imported in August of this year
was more than 33 per cent greater than that
of the same month last year.