The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-10-02

SOIutely essential It Is only natural, therefore, to find that aside from a wild furry of brief duration at the outbreak of the war, the prices of the comm oddities of this class were not , abnormauy high. In fact, they were lower than normal from October, 1914, until October, 1917, and from that month until the signing of the armistice the relative price rose but little above the level of ordinary 1 times.
 Explosives.-The story of the ex- plosive industry during the period or the world war reads like an Arabian Night. From a $50,0O0,0oO produc- tion value in 1913 the domestic out put of explosives jumped to about 00,000.00O in 1917. The period from January, 1913, to December, 1914 showed no very remarkable price fluctuations. The insistent demands of the Allies, however, now led to q Jump to relative price of 161. The prices continued going up during 1915, but after that year there was a steady decline. Several factors com bined to produce this result Early Frices included very high amortiza- tion charges which were not neces- sary when new facilities had been created, the introduction of plant economies, and improved methods of purchasing, contributed to a relative lowering of prices.
 When the United States entered the war the Government assumed com FIete control of the explosive indus try. The experience and plant faciIi- ties gained during 1915 and 1916 were utilized to the full; and the sit Uation was so handled that prices continued to fall even in the face of the enormous increase in demand. During the period April, 1917 to Jan rafy' 1919. the relative prices hoy cred around 147 on the June, 1913, to i, j uly, 1914, base.
 Fertilizers-Of the three subclasses O. fertilizers, phosphate materials fell eff in price until after this countr,. entered the war.
 Beginning with the autumn of 1915, prices began to mount and fol- lowed the Fluctuations in price of sul- phuric acid. The prices of nitrogen carriers increased consistently from the latter half of 1916 until the end of the war
 The earlier rise in price of nitrate of soda and ssuIphate of ammonia was because ef the abnormal demand for these chemicals in the munitions industries
 Potash salts were practically all imported from Germany before the war. The sharp decrease in imports in the years following the outbreak of the world war caused the price of potash materials to skyrocket to over tenfoId, and in some instances to over tWentyfold the pre-war level.
 An examination of the graph show Ing the class index number indicates a substantial rise beginning in July 1915, and continuing until April. 1916, Then there is a decline until Septen1- Der, 1916, when prices moved steadily upward to the new high levels reach ed in April, 1918. A pronounced downward trend begins to show itself from this time on.
 Heavy Chemicals.-This class in cludes the following representatives Bleaching powder, caustic soda, caus- tic potash, lime, salt, soda, ash, so- dtum sulphide. On the whole the relative prices of these commodities remained fairly constant until April, 1915.
 There then begins a sharp rise which lasts until February, 1916. when drop from relative price of 381 to 249 occurs in period of six months Now the prices zigzig for a lew months and then rise sharply to the maximum of 414 reached in SeD- tember, 1917. The effect of Govern rnent control now begins to manifest llself, and the subsequent price varia- tons, though still markedly high. never reached the former level.
 Mineral Acids. - Included in this class are sulphuric, nitric, and hydro chloric acids, and the raw materials pyrites, sulphur, nitrate of soda, and common salt It is not surprising to find that the prices of these materials fluctuate in very much the same manner as those in the precedine class
 Miscellaneous Inorganic Chemicals In this class of commodities these is again manifest the same general price tendencies as in most of the other classes-little change from Jan uary, 1913, to the middle or 1914: then the rise till about April, 1916; a period of slight depression; and an- other rise with prices lowering abou: the 230 relative during the closing
 months of the war.
 The domestic inorganic chemicals industry expanded considerably dur ing the period of the war Not withstanding the serious difficulties which confronted them, the American nanufa cturers enlarged their plants and increased the1r outputs tre- i rnedously. Like all other branches of manufacturing, the inorganic chemicals industry had to contend | with scarcity of labor, high wages 1 and other operating costs, limited and delayed transportation and the re- striction of imports and exports. Miscellaneous Organic Chemicals This class includes only those organic | chemicals which did not seem proper 1 ly to belong to other classes. The | following commodities are treated: , Alcohol, amy1 acetate, carbon bisul- ! phide, carbon tetrachloride, ch1oro- 1 form, ether, formaldehyde, fusel oil l hexam methy1enetetram hydroquino- 1 ne, tactic acid, oxalic acid and pyro- | galic acid.
 The relative prices of the class as l a whole show greater resemblance 1 to the price of ''a1l commodities'' than l most of the classes of the chemical 1 group.
 |