The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-03-04
LUXUR|ES SHOW BIC REDUCTIONS
 IN IMPORTATION

The people of the United States have indicated their willingness to economize by a marked reduction in their importation of luxuries. A com pilation of The National City Bank of New York shows that in many of the articles of luxury imported, the 1917 imports are from 20 per cent to 50 per cent below those of the earlier years of the war, despite the fact that in most cases prices per unit of quan- tity are higher than in earlier years.
 The list of luxuries which the peo- pie of the country have formerly 1m- ported is a long one and includes many articles of food, clothing and personal adornment, and the 1917 economies in most of these lines are quite apparent on comparison of the figures of imports of the year 1917 with those of 1916 1915 and oven 1914. While in a few instances, the fall-off may be due to the lack of transportation or the reduction of available supplies in the countries at war, the reduction in quantities i'm ported has been so general as to in- dicate growing disposition to mini mize unnecessary expenditures ill the classes of articles of this chara cter brought into the country.
 Diamonds, pearls, faces, plushes ribbons, hats, bonnets, feathers, jew elry, glove leather, fruits, olives, olive oil cheese, macaroni, cream, and con- fectionery show a marked fall-off in 1917. Precious stones show a reduc- ! tion of 8 million dollars when com pared with the importations of last year, pearls alone over million dol lars reduction, diamonds, cut but not | set, reduction of about millions. ] Art works show a fall of about mil lion dollars when compared with 1916 and approximately 4 millions when compared with 1914. Cotton faces imported in 1917 are nearly mil lion dollars below those of 1916 and
 IA million dollars below those of 1914. In silk laces, the value of inn ports of 1917 is but little more than one-haif that of 1916, silk plushes less than one-half that of 1914, and silk ribbons in 1917 only about 10 per cent of the 1915 imports. Hats and bonnets imported in 1917 are slightly
 less in value than in earlier years, de- spite the higher prices, and this is
 true of jewelry, platinum, musical in- struments, automobiles, glove leather,
 tanned goat skins. and many other ar ticles of this class. Feathers import ed in 1917 amount to about million
 dollars in value against over 5 mil lions in 1915 and more than 6 mill l lions in 1914 while in ostrich feath- CTS alone, the imports of 1917 were less than a half million dollars against 1-2 millions in 1915. Dress ed furs and manufactures of fur show a decline but undressed fur an
 increase.
 1 In foods of the character usually considered luxuries, the fall-off is
 distinctly marked. Cheese, chiefly
 brought from France, Italy and Swift
 zerland shows for 1917 but 6 mil
 lion pounds against 2S millions in
 1916, 39 millions in 1915 and 55 mil
 lions in 1914. Cream imported in
 1917 chiefly from Canada was but 770,000 gallons against 1,321,000 gal
 Ions in 1915 and 2,23O,000 in 1914
 Olives chiefly from Italy and Spain
 are in 1917 only 1-2 million gallons
 against over 1-2 millions in 1915
 while olive oil shows a fall of over a
 million dollars in value in the 1917 imports when compared with 1915.