The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-09-15
INCREASED IMPORTS
 SINCE THE WAR BEGAN U. s. STATISTICS SHOW

,r,,a ,r,r,orts into the United States v,r tta fiscal year ended June 30, 1a17' Aggregated s2,65s s,S55,185. against $2.1s7.SS3.510 in 1915, ana Sl.ss3,925,657 in 1914. the previous high record year. For the first tlIie Europe, which had held rirsl piace in selling goods to the United States 7 sr5...cssy,ad to second place, North Amer ica taking first place. according to statement issued by the Bureau or Foreign and Domestic Commerce. De- uartment of Commerce. In lsl4 the imports from Europe were valued at sag6 SOP .863. or AT IA per cent or Inc total. while the imports from North America were $427, ,399,354. or 22 1-2 per cent of the totals Tn lsio imports from Europe were 2S per cent of the total and those rom North America 27 per cent. Or the tota1 fmports of s2,65s,355,1s5 in 1917. s61O,470,670, or 23 per cent, were from Europe, and $766,112,537, or 2sS-4 per cent, from North Amer lea. In 1917 the imports from Eur one showed a decrease of $2S5,1S2,- 1es from the figures for 1914, and the imports from North America showed an increase of $33S,713,183-a gain of 30 per cent for North America against a loss of 32 per cent. for Eur ope.
 imports from South America and Asia in 1917 showed a gain of more than 100 per cent over 1914, the in crease from South America being 143 per cent, and from Asia IA per cent Imports from South America were &2o.S77, ,o76 in 1914; $3g1 1892, ,018 in igaS, Hand $642. .212.820 in 1917e Im- ports from Asia were $286,s52,4S6 in 1914; x4S7,1s1. ASA in 1916. and $615,- 217,463 in. 1917. Imports from Ocean ia in 1917 showed 8 decrease from 1918 but an increase over 1914. In n914 the imports from Oceania were s42.144,s9s; in 1918. $s6,225,sS1: and in 1917, $65,32S,37s. Imports from Africa in 1917 gained 21s per cent. over 1914 They amounted to only s19.14s,476 in 1914 as against $64,- 7e5,745 in .,1a16s and $60.o13,316 in
 Of North American countries Cana da showed the greatest gain in the 1917 imports as compared with those of 1914. The increase amounted to s15O, 1000, 900 and was due to large tm- ports of wheat, copper. paper, boards, and wood pulp. Imports from Cuba gained -s122, 900, ,o00, owing chiefly to the rise in the value of sugar, which increased from $98,394,782 in 1914 to $204,521,140 in 1917, although the quantity decreased from 4,926, ,606,243 to 4,66s,o7s,3s8 pounds in the same period
 Imports from Argentina increased by over 100000, 900 in value, chiefly in wool and hides. Imports from Chile showed a large increase, from $25, ,750, 900 in 1914, to $113,750,0 900 in 1917. gain of $50 per cent, chiefly fin nitrate of soda. copper and tin. Im- ports from Brazil in 1917 showed a gain over 1914 of $51, 100000 princi- pally in coffee, hides, rubber, and manganese.
 Imports from China increased by more than se0,0o0, ,00o, chiefly in hides, silk and wool; while imports from the Japanese leased territory in China, which amounted to only $780, 900 in 1914. rose to $6.000, 900 in 1917, representing principally soya-bean oil Imports from the British East Indies increased from $112,000,0O0 in 1914 to $217, ,5oo,0oo in 1917. the gain being chiefly in burlaps, hides, rub Der and tin. Imports from Japan in- creased from $107. 300. 900 in 1914 to .000 in 1917. more than half of the increase being in raw silk. Im- ports from the Philippines increased