The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-11-21
FOREIGN TRADE RECORD.
Have Imports of Manufacturing Ma
 terial Really Increased.


 Whether the remarkable increase in stated value of manufacturing ma terial imported into the United States really means an increase in quantity, ar is due chiefly or wholly to advance in prices, is a subject receiving especial attention at the present time. The stated value of raw material inn ported into the United States for use in manufacturing in the nine months ending with September, 1918, is S944,- 100000, against $482,000,O00 in the corresponding period preceding Sne war, the nine months ending with September, 1914. Manufactures for further use in manufacturing import ed in the nine months ending with September, 1918, are stated at $471,- 100000, against $218,000,OO0 in the corresponding months of 1914. Thus the stated value of all material im- ported for manufacturing in the nine months ending with September, 1918, l is $1,415, 100000, against $7OO,OOO,OOO in the same months of 1914, having thus doubled in value during the war | period.
 Whether this increase in the value of manufacturing material imported 1 really represents increase in quantity of material imported is a problem
 which the manufacturers of the
 United States are now desiring to solve. This cannot be determined l with extreme accuracy owing to the very large number of articles form l ing the list of materials imported for manufacturing, and especially as | these are stated in great variety Of
 units or weights of measurements. It
 is apparent, however, from comp1la- | ton just made by The National City Bank of New York that in many or | the more important articles used in manufacturing, the prices at which | they are now being imported are | double, or more than double those ex- | isting at the beginning of the war.
 This compilation shows, for example,
 that the average price of raw cotton | imported in the month of August, 1918, the latest period for which fig ures are available was IT cents per | pound against 11.4 cents per pound in
 the same period in 1914, and that the l 89,000,0O0 pounds of cotton imported l in the eight months ending with Aug ust, 1918, cost S34, 100000 while the | 122,OOO,0OO pounds imported in the
 same months of 1914 cost only $18,- l 100000. Thus the 89,000,000 pounds l imported in 1918 cost nearly double i that of the 122, 2,0O,O00 pounds import l ed in 1914.
 | Sisal, which is becoming more and more important article of our indus l tries. and comes from our next door neighbor. Mexico, shows for August l 1918, an average import price of $399 1 per ton against $123 per ton in Aug ust, 1914. The 88,000 tons of sisal i imported in the eight months ending
 with August, 1918, cost $33,OOO, 900,
 while the 150,0OO tons imported in 1 the eight months ending with August,
 1914 cost only $1S,0O0.000. The other
 fbers show corresponding increases; 1 flax imported in August, 1918, having | averaged $764 per ton, against $3ll 1 per ton in August, 1914; hemp in 1918 was S473 per ton against $l5S in 1914, and manila $356 per ton against i $200 per ton in 1914.
 i In many more important articles import prices of 1918 are correspond
 inelv high when compared with 1914. l Of pig copper imported the average
 price in 1918 was 24.6 cents per
 pound in August, 1917, 27.4 cents, i and in August, 1916, 32.6 cents per
 pound, against 13.4 in August 1914.
 Goat skins imported in August, 1918,
 were 58.1 cents per pound, and in l August, 1917, 62,4 cents, against PIP
 cents in 1914. Hides Of cattle show 7c-o 1O4 to so great an extent Hs that of goat
 skins.
 Tin imports show also very large
 advance, in prices, the average import 1 price in August, 1913, having been
 722 cents per pound against S2.9 cents in August, 1914. Iron and steel 1 show similarly striking advances, the average import price of pig iron in August, 1918, havng been $160 per ton, against $25 per ton in August, 1914; bar iron $191 per ton, against S36 in 1914 and steel ingots 7.6 cents per pound, against 2.3 cents per pound
 in the same month of 1914. Nitrate of soda imported shows an average
 price of S50.75 per ton in August, I1918, against $28.78 per ton in the
 same month of 1914.
 Wool also shows striking advances,
 the average price of clothing wool inn
 ported in August, 1918, having been
 58.4 cents per pound, against 26.2
 cents per pound in August, 1914; and
 carpet wool 38.1 cents per pound in
 1918, against 16.1 cents per pound in 1914. Raw silk also shows very large
 advances, the average import price in August, 1918, having been $5.70 per pound, against $3.75 per pound in the
 same month of 1914. Chemical wood pulp also shows an import price of S75.34 per ton in August, 1918, against $37.87 in the same month of , 1914, and of bleached wood pulp
 SS6.85 per ton, against $51.01 in the same month of 1914.