The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-09-14
PACIFIC PORTS LOSING TRAFFIC
 WAR BROUGHT
Trade Currents Shift Back to Atlantic With Return of Pre-War Conditions.

Trade currents on the oceans of the world are apparently returning to pre-war okndtons. During the war, says the Trade Record. issued by the National City Bank of New York, the dangers to navigation on the Atlantic resulted in a considerable increase of movement of certain classes of mer- chandise across the more peaceful Pa cfic, and the share of our imports en- tering by the Pacific ports greatly in creased, while that entering by the Atlantic frontage decreased.
 In the year before the war, says the banks statement, 55 per cent. of the merchandise imported into the Uni ted States entered through the port of ports entered through the Atlantic ports a while. In the fiscal year 1918 with the dangers to navigation on the Atlantic the share of the inn ports entering through New York had fallen to AZ per cent. against 55 per cent. 1914, and that entering through all the entire Atlantic front age was but 5S per cent as against share of the impot trade crossing the more peaceful Pacific and entering by way of the Pacific ports had in creased from seven per cent. in 1914 northern border the growth in our purchases of Canadian products re- suited in an increase from 10 per cent. in 1914 to 16 pc cent in 1921 in the imports handled by the notth- ern border ports
 With the termination of the war; however, and the reduction of dan gers on the Atlantic the share of our imports entering at the port of New York slowly returned to normal hay ing increased from 42 per cent. in 1918 to 53 per cent. in 1921 as against 55 per cent in 1914, while the share entering by way of the Atlantic ports as a whole advanced from 5S per cent. in 1918 to 69 per cent. in 1921 as against 7s per cent in 1914: Mean time, the share entering by the Pa cific ports fell from 21 per cent. in 1918 to z per cenE. in 1921 as against per cent. in 1914.
 Thus, so far as the imports are concernedthe share entering through the Atlantc, Gulf and Pacific ports is again back to practically pre-war pro- portions of the total imports. while in the case of the northerH ports the big growth of our purchases from Canada has permanently increased the share entering through the northern ports from about 10 per cent. in the open ing year of the war to 16 per cent. in 1921.
 On the export side, adds the bank s statement, the percentage now han dled by the various ports also ind1- cates a return to pre-war conditions of shipping routes. Owing to the de- and manufactures during the war, the exports which passed out of the port of New York increased from 37 per cent of the total in the fiscal year 1914 to 48 per cent. jn 1917, while the share by the Atlantic frontage as a whole increased from 55 per cent. in 1914 to TO per cent. in 1917. With the congestion of merchandise for ex- portation at the Atlantic ports and improved facilities at the South. the share of the Gulf ports in the exports increased from Il per cent. in 1916 and 1917 to 22K per cent. in 1921. With the reduction, however, in Eu- ropean demand for our merchandise, New York's percentage in the export trade which had advanced from 37 per cent. n 1913 to 49 per cent. in 1917 fell to AZ per cent. in 1920 and 39 per cent. in 1921, while that of the Atlantic ports as a whole which had advanced from 55 per cent. in 1914 to 70 per cent. in 1916 dropped to 57 per cent. in 1921.
 The return of the Atlantic ports to their pre-war share of the trade of the country whole. adds the bank statement, is the more striking when we consider that the present trade with Europe, most of which passes through the Atlantic ports, shows in 1921 an increase over 1914 of only S2 per cent. over 1914, while that with North and South America shows gain of 195 per cent and that with Asia and Oceanica an increase of 23S per cent. when comparing the fiscal year 1921 with the fiscal year 1914.