The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-10-30
INCREASE IN IMPORTS IS
 DUE THIS YEAR
High Prices and Greater Demand Given As Cause
 For Increase.

Demands in the United States for
 manufacturing materials and food
 stuffs are the principal causes of the
 large increase in importations The
 trade figures for the nine month.
 ending with September, says a state
 ment by The National City Bank of
 New York, indicate that the tota
 value of our imports in the calendar
 year 1919 may reach nearly S4oOO. O00,000 as against less than S2,00D
 100000 in 1913. Practically all of
 this increase occurs in manufaeturin:
 materials and foodstuffs. Manu factures show a fall off of about s75. 900, ,000. while manufacturing materia
 shows increase of approximately s140,000,000, and foodstuffs an in crease of over $15.000,00O. India rubber, hides, and skins, raw silk, tobacco, and diamonds are the principal manufacturing material showing increases. while sugar, coffee. fresh meats, olive oil. and cocoa art the principal toodstuffs showing in creases.
 Raw cotton, wool and fbers show reductions. Manufactures of hbers | cotton and wool also show marked decreases, burlaps alone drop s16.- | 0,000s cotton manufactures a drop of over s3,000.000, and wooIen manu- factures fall from $17,500,000 to | about s8,O00,000. There Is a large 1 increase in the importation of cattle; 1 1000 head this year valued at S21,- | 648,000, against 162, ,000 valued at $8,- 1 SIT in the same months of last l year.
 1 A considerable part of the increases l in value of foodstuffs and manufac- 1 turing material imported is due to the l higher prices. Coffee shows a total i value in eight months ending with 1 August of $156, 6,000,O00 against $75,- l 000,0O0 in the same period of last l year, while the quantity is SS3, 3,000,- 1 GOO pounds against S19, 100000 in the corresponding months of last year, 1 the value having more than doubled | while the quantity increased less than 1 10 per cent.
 The average import price of the | coffee brought in in the eight months l ending with August 1919 is about 1 1Sc per pound, (these figures being i the valuation in the country from 1 which imported), as against about Sc per pound in the corresponding 1 months of the preceding year, and in
 the month of August the import price
 was 21.Sc per pound as against s.4c 1 in August of last year.
 | Sugar impor tions, despite the 1 SIOTldSS dl pI0SSlIls SI1C" 4dISe 6d4iIS l in quantity and a tremendous in
 crease in value, the quantity imported | from foreign countries and our isl
 ands aggregadng in the eight months | ending with August 1919, S,000,- 1 900 pounds against 5,536, 6,00o,000 in i the same months of last year and the 1 value S391 100000 against s275,- i 100000 in the corresponding months l of last year.
 The average import price of sugar 1 from foreign countries in the month of August 1919 was five and sixty l four one-hundredths cents per pound as against four and seventy-fve one 1 hundredths cents per pound in Au 1 gust of last year, these figures being | the valuation of raw sugar in the country from which imported.
 Fresh meats show an importation, 1 of 25,O0O,0O0 pounds against les ! than 9,000,0OO in the same months c. last year; olive oil SIP, ,S36, 900 in tn
 eight months of 1919 against $303,0O0 1 in the same months of last year.
 Of manufacturing materials, raw silk, rubber, tobacco and hides and
 skins show large increases. Raw silk ] imports of the eight months of the i current year are S163, ,000,0Q In value l as against 9,0O0,O0O in the same
 months of last year and the import | price in August of the current year 1 averaged S7.92 per pound as against l s570 per pound in August of last 1 year.
 India rubber shows a large in | crease in quantity but a fall in price 1 the quantity imported in the eight
 months being 350,O0O,00O pounds as against 230,000,000 in the same | months of last year and the value | s137, 100000 against S121, 600, 900; the average import price hav'Eg been in | August 1919 39.1c per pound as ] against 43.2c in August of the preced- l ing year.
 | Hides and skins show a total value in the eight months ending with Au-
 gust at s157, 7,0O0,000 against s72,000,- + coo in the same months of last year, an increase of over 100 per cent. in i value, while the quantity imported shows an increase of but about 75
 Fer cent.
 II Diamonds and tobacco also show
 nonds and other precious stones inn
 ported in the eight months ending with August amounting to $66,000,- 900 against SIS, 100000 in the same . months of 1918, while of tobacco the total imported in the unmanufactured state is s58, 100000 against $3S,OO0,- , 900 in the same months of last 1 year.
 ] Question is asked what has become. of the old fashioned fellow who used to delight the bunch with his mouth