Arizona republican., 1909-06-30
Extent of Their Importation h.
 to This Country THE INCREASING INDUSTRY
The Exportation of Leather and Its Various Manufac- lures Has More Than Kept Pace With Bringing in of Raw Materials.

Washington. D. C., June 29.--Impor
 tations of hides and skins into the
 United States will show a larger total
 in quantity in the fiscal year which
 ends with this week than fin any year
 in the history of the import trade. The
 value will amount to about $I5,000,O ,OO0,
 or slightly less than in 1907, because of the much lower prices which now prevail, but the quantity will doubtless exceed that of any earlier year. Hides and skins are a very important fea- ture of the import trade of the United States the value of importations of this particular class of merchandise having aggregated $1.0OO.O00,000 speak ing in round terms, in the last quarter of a century. Of thi s $1,000, ,000, 900 worth of hides and skins imported since 1884. goat skins alone have form cd nearly $400,000, ,000 worth The value of the goat skins imported in the year about to end will amount to about S25,OOO.O00. or an average of about S2,
 OOO.O0O worth per month, and form practically one-third of the value of the hides and skins imported.
 The importations of hides and skins divides itself pretty evenly into three groups-''hides of cattle" goat skins and -all other" The group "hides of cattle" is under the present law duti- able at Is aer cent. All other articles entering UT ter the title of hides and skins are admitted free of duty In the II months ending with May. 1909. the value Of the dutiable group, hides of cattle" was S2h060,9S2. against S10.9S6,529 in the same months of last year; goat skins S22,997,675, against S15.49S,633 in the same months of last year; sheep skins, s7,331. 469. and "all other" ST, 7,S72,322 indicating that the total value of all hides and skins inn ported in the full year will be about S75,OO0, ,OOO.
 The variety of skins of animals i'm ported into the United States for use in manufacturing leather is much greater than would be supposed. Buff falo hides, for example, amounted in 1908 in quantity to not less than B., 5OO,O0O pounds and in value to S275,00 horse and ass skins 1300O,OOO pounds, valued at $2,125, 900; sheep skins A. 000,000 pounds, valued at S9,500000. and | even kangaroo skins over 500 900 | pounds, valued at s1,335,33
 India is the principal source of the 1 goat skins and buffalo hides imported | into the United states; Canada, Argen- | tina and Mexico supply most of the | hides of cattle imported, and the Unit | ed Kingdom, Russia, Germany and I France send the bulk of the miscella- | neous assortment grouped under the | general title of "all other hides and | skins" Of the 63,O00,00 pounds of | goat skins imported in the fiscal year | 1908. 23.000.000 came from India, nearly | 9,000,000 from China, over 6,00O,000 | from Mexico, nearly 100000 from | Brazil, 3,500.000 from Alden in Arabia, 5000 900 from France, 2,000,000 from | from the United Kingdom, 1,500,000 | from Russia in Europe, 1.335, 900 from | Argentina and 1,000,000 from British | South Africa. Of the 9S.0O0,00O pounds | of hides Of cattle imported in the same year. 25,5O0.000 came from Canada, 22,- 000000 from Argentina, 11,0OO. 900 from | Mexico, 7,000,0GO from France. ,5O0, 900 II from India 0argely buffalo hides), A. Il 100000 from Colombia, less than 4,- O0O,000 from Uruguay and about 3,000, II 900 from Venezuela.
 Hides and skins from abroad form apparently about one- third of the value of material of this character used in II the manufacture of leather in the Unit ed States. The census of 1905 shows the value of leather, tanned. curried Il and finished, In 1904, to be s252, ,OOO. .OOO II The value of hides and skins used by the leather producing industry of the II country in 1904 is reported at $145. .0OO,- 900. Of this S145,GO0,00 worth of II hides and skins used in producing the S252, ,OO0, 900 worth of leather, $27,OOO,- GOO worth. speaking in round terms, was goat skins. s1O,500,OOO worth sheep skins, $15,275,00O worth calf and kid skins, and sS9,000,000 worth hides, Il chiefly of cattle, but including com paratively small quantities of buffalo hides, of which the importance, as in- dicated, were in 1908, 5,500000 pounds, valued at s275,000. The value of the hides and skins imported in the calen- dar year 1904. the year covered by the census report of 1905, was, according to the figures of the bureau of sta tistics of the department of commerce and labor, s57,50O000. or a little more than One-third of the stated value of the hides and skins used by the manu- facturers of leather in that year. In quantity the material imported formed tai used by the manufacturers.
 The expOrtation of leather and its manufactures from the United States has grown from s7,OOO.000 value in 1880 to S12,500,000 in 1890, s27,000,00O in