The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-09-04
A RECORD IMPORT YEAR.

0-A
A RECORD IMPORT YEAR.
There was every reason to believe
/, that the fiscal year just closed would
be marked by a considerable falling
, off in imports in many lines. n es-
. pecially in those lines concerning
which there has been reason to ex-
pect lower duties. For close to a year
now It has been known that We were
to have a new tariff, with duties ma
terially lower than those in h Payne
! Aldrich bill. With hat certainty con-
fronting the country 1t was equally
F, certain that no man would import
goods much beyond his immediate
needs. except of such things as would
most surely not be affected by tariff
reductions. No man would willingly
import a shipment Of goods at forty
per cent duty when there was a posi-
bility that by waiting a few weeks
or moths he could import the same
goods at a twenty or thirty per cent
duty.
Yet, the past year has been the
greatest in the history of the country
, in the importation Of manufacturers
/. materials This inference must be
that the people who were doing this
importing were finding a market for
their goods. They were certainly not
piling up the stuff in warehouses to be
8 nstock after the new tariff went into
effect. AS a matter Of fact, the law
that always governs in such cases gov
erned on this occasion, and importers
have been doing as little business as
possible. Yet they have done more
than ever.
What will happen when the exact
nature of the new bill is made certain
by its passage. and buyers may import
without doing a lot OF long range
guessing? 1t is fair to suppose, from
the showing made that as soon as the
country is relieved of the uncertainty
It will proceed to the transaction Of
q business greater than vel.
Some Of the figures furnished by the
government statistician are illuminat-
ing: .
Raw material imported for use in
manufacturing was 633 million dol
lars in value in 1918, against $50 mill
ion, in 1912. and 566 million in 1910,
the former high record year. Manu-
features for further use in manufac-
turing imported in 1913 were 34s mill
ion dollars in value. against 294 mill
ion in the former high-record year,
1912. The total value Of manufactur-
ers' materials imported was nearly n
billion dollars. or to be more nearly
exact, ss2 million dollars. against $50
million in 1912 and 7s9 million in
1911. Manufacturers materials form
cd. 4 n1913. ffty-four per cent of the
total imports, against ifty-one per
cent in 1903. forty per cent in 1898.
and thirty-two per cent in 1888.
This increase in the importation Of
manufacturers materials is general.
OF the sixty-four principal articles
named by the bureau Of foreign and
domestic commerce as raw materials
imported for use in manufacturing.
forty-eight, or exactly three-fourths.
with 1912; and Of the sevnty-two prin-
cipal articles named by that bureau as
manufactures for further use in man
ufacturing imported, ffty-four, or ex-
! actly three-fourths, also show an in
: creas in 1919 az compared with 1912,
while the figures for the single month
Of June show increases in approx
Taately the same proportion as those
for the entire year..
Practically all Of the important ar
ticles imported for use in manufac-
turing show gains in 1918. over 1912.
Raw silk. for example. shows impor-
tations of 26 million pounds in 1918,
against 21h million in 1872; hides
and skins. 67s million pounds in 1918.
against 53s million in 1912 and 375
million in 1911; India rubber. 113
million pounds in 1913. against 10
million in 1912 and 72 million in 1910;
fbers. 407 thousand toni in 1913.
against 326 thousand in 1912 and 29o
thousand in 1911; cotton, 1872 million
pounds in 1913, against 10 million in
1912 and ia million in 1911. wool,
196 million pounds in 1918. against
1913 million in 1912 and 1873 million in
1911; tin. lis million pounds in 1918,
against III million in 1912 and 103
million in 1911; copper in ore, LOT
million pounds in 1918, against SO
million in 1912 and rs million in 1911;
copper in pigs. bars. etc.. 800 million
pounds in 1913. against 2s3 million
in 1912 and 2es million in 1911; leaf
tobacco. 81 million pounds in 1918.
against 50 million in 1912 and 4e mill
ion in 1911; boards. planks. etc, 1000
thousand M feet, against 905 thousand
In 1912 and S72 thousand in 1911;
wood pulp 1,130 million pounds in
1913. against 1910 million in 1912 and
l.l02 in 1911; and chemicals. a large
proportion Of which are for use in
manufacturing. 100 million dollars
value in 1913. against SO million in
1913 and SO million in 1911.
On the export side the manufactur-
err of the United States also make
their highest record in 1913. the value
of manufactures ready for consump-
tion exported in that year being 77s
million dollars against e72 million
- 1sl3 and SIS million in 1911; and