Norwich bulletin., 1919-11-29
Advance in Prices Since the Arn,istice.

Advance in Prices Since the Arnistice.
 The first year following the Armis-
 tice fails to show the reduction in.
 prices which had been hoped for by
 many. In fact. prices have continued
 to advance except in the few articles
 for which the war created a special
 demand, such as nitrates, high explo
 sives, canned foods, copper. wool,
 barbed wire, firearms, and certain
 grades of iron and steel.
 A compilation by The National City bank of New York shows that out of Is articles enumerated in the govern ment's price lists of imports and ex ports, 100 show advances. while. as above indicated. a large part of those showing reduction is of the class for which the war created a special de-
 mand.
 l The price lists issued by the govern ment in connection with it's figures of | imports and exports are especially in 1 formative by reason of the fact that they represent the average price of the 1 entire quantity of the article named in | the import or export figures covering 1 the period in question, irrespective of the effect of local price variations. For example. the fact that the average i'm port price of the 75,000.oeo pounds of l cattle hides imported Tn September | 1919 was s cents per. pound against I 25.6 cents per pound in the month | preceding the Arrnistice October, 1918 indicates that the average advance in I the price of cattle hides the world over
 has been 2S per cent in the period in question, since the import valuations
 named by the government in it's figures are the wholesale prices existing in the countries from which the merchandise was imported. and as our imports o' l hides come from score of countries
 scattered over the entire world, the average import valuation named at tht custom houses represents quite ac-
 curately the average wholesale price O
 the entire hide producing world. Tn,
 further fact that the average expor
 price of mems shoes exported from tn,
 United States in September. 1919, wa $40 per pair against s3.22 per pair il October, -1a1S. renders it apparent tha the average price at which the, sho manufacturers of the United States a , a whole are exporting their produc
 has advanced 3S.6 per cent. in tn !. period in question.
 Upon this governmental method of de terInining the average value per uni of quantity of the merchandise passin through the custom houses of the Unit ed States. it appears that large pro 3 nortion Of the articles named in tn , import and export price lists had
 hieher valuation in September, 191 l (the latest available figures) than i ? October. 1918. the month preceding tn g Arnistice. Of the 75 articles specific ] in the export price list. 57 show hiehe
 average prices in Sentember, 1919 tha s in October, 1913, while of the 23 whic I show decline. a large part Is directi e 1 affected by the cessation of deman | due to termination of hoStilities. f the 72 articles named Tn the Septeufbe d import price list, fl show advance
 when compared with October, 1S1 2 while a large part of those showin d declines is of the class for which tf F demand has been nninimized by tt a termination of hosti1ities. such as n = trate of soda. copper wool. barbe - wire, bar iron, India rubber and came II goods.
 Il Among the imported articles wtic ~ show a. marked advance in prices the countries from which the me e chandise is drawn are rice, advancir 7, from an average of 5.4 cents per pour Il in October, 1918. to s.6 cents per pour ,e in September, 1919; coffee from $ cents per pound in October, 1913 24 cents per pound in September, 1S1
 jute from $68.50 per ton to $96.8S; cal
 spins from S6.5 cents to 4e.7 cent of goatslzins from 43 cents to IT'S cent > mattings for floors from 1855 cents p t. square yard to 23.3 cents; raw si s, from ss.f2 per pound to ss.04; and ca 1e sugar from 4.6S cents per pound as 5.55 cents.
 re On the export side, the advances 1 nt clude cotton duck, advancing from de average of 5s.S cents per yard in Oct an Der, 1918, to s4.s cents in Septemb