St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1909-07-24
SOME QUEER IMPORTS
Of THE UNITED STATES
NO Duty on Wild Animals Intended for ZOoIogi.
cal Gardens and Educational Purposes.
ROSE LEAVES CONE IN FREE
Whes Brought In Crude state. Infants Foods
form Considerable Item Of Importation.
Great Variety Of Articles Forming Trade

Washington, July 18.-Recent tariff
discussions which include the rates
DC duty on articles almost unknown
By name TO the general public have
Illustrated the breadth Of scope Of
the commerce of the United States.
The fact that the world is ransacked
for articles TO contribute to the wants
of The American public. and that the
American producers and manufac-
turers ID turn supply to all parts Of
the world articles which are in many
instances not considered by the gen
eral public as entering international
trade, is sharply pointed out by these
discussions and the inquiries which
grow out Of them.
The great variety Of articles form
ing the trade Of the United States
with other countries is illustrated
more clearly by the Bureau Of Statis-
tics figures of imports than those of
exports, due to the fact that its inn
port record is necessarily stated in
terms Of the tariff law. The fact
that the tariff places varying rates
Of duty upon different articles, and
that the Bureau Of Statistics must
state The quantity Il possible and The
value III all cases Of each Of the arti-
cIes Of class Of articles upon which q
separate rate of duty is named, re-
quires that bureau to d~ifferentiate
much more closely in its statement
Of imports than that of exports. AS a
result its statement Of articles and
grades Of articles imported contains
many thousand items.
A study Of this statement I'm
ports for consumption as issued by
the Bureau Of Statistics and con-
stantly consulted BY statesmen in
preparing and discussing and acting
upon the pending tariff bill, shows
many curious facts regarding articles
included in the import trade of the
United States.
ANIMALS, BIRDS, LEECHES.
Wild animals, for example, import
"a for geological exhibitions and
scientific and educational purposes,
which are permitted to enter free of
duty because Of their prospective use
FER educational and scientific purposes,
amounted ii 1903 to between $4,000
and $1,000, while those imported for
other purposes evidently exceeded
ibis sum by far, since the group, All
other animals" aside from cattle,
mules, sheep, swine, animals
for breeding purposes, and teams Of
immigrants, still show a value Of over
100000.
Birds imported ia 1908 amounted
II over 100000 in value, and while
are not specifically enumerated
as 10 varieties, il is presumed that
this group is largely composed Of
.csnaries and parrots.
Leeches are also enumerated by
te Bureau Of Statistics under the
general head Of animals imported,
tie total value Of the imports Of this
species in 1908 having been $5341, in
1907 $6992, in 1906 $4494, in 1906
s3862. in 1904 $3.50, in 1903 $324O,
and ii 1902 $24l2-the commerce in
leeehes being thus Of a growing
character. The total value of the
leeches imported into the United
States in the decade ending with
1908 is about $4,000. Leeches, it
may be added, are imported free Of
duty. Snails were at one time emu
herated as an article of Importation,
the records of 1894 to 1898 showing
snails imported to the extent of about
5000; but the snail trade so dwin-
died. showing only $24 Of imports in
1893. that the bureau discontinued its
statements Of this article.
eDiyi-divi' as an article Of importa-
ton has been the subject of many
jests By the humorists during the
tariff discussion of Congress, though
IN fact it is an article of no incon-
siderable Importance in the tanning
industry. the product of a legumi-
nous tree in the West Indies and
South America, entering in the form
of d pod. and amounting in quantity
in 1903 70 $4,000 pounds, valued at
$1,000 and $4,000. The
value of the imports of the last de-
cade has aggregated about S85, 900.
DiRigdiyi, which does not compete
with other grades of material used