Norwich bulletin., 1922-01-17
DIRECT PRIVATE WIRES
OUR TOY TRADE OVER

S100,00O,000 PER ANNUM
Over hundred million dollars has
been expended for toys by the people of
the United States even in this year of
economies, 1921. The factory value of
toys manufactured in the United States
says the Trade Record of The National
City Bank of New York, more than treb-
led when the war cut us off from that
former chief source of our toy imports.
Germany and the value of the toys and
games turned out by our factories in
1913, the latest census year, is officially
stated at S46.000.0 900 against $4,000, 900
in the preceding census year 1914.
Meantime the imports of toys which fell
from SS,000,000 in the year prior to the
war to a little more than s1,OO0,OOO in
! the year of its close, quickly advanced
to 100000 in 1920 and $4,000 coo in
1921. so that the imports of toys in the
fiscal year 1921 were actually greater in
value than in any year preceding the
war.
While this unexpectedly prompt IN
flow OF toys from foreign countries has
somewhat reduced the outturn of the
| toy factories of the United States in the
current year, the fact that the capital
| engaged in the industry advanced from
/ over s1oO00.ooO in 1914 to probably
| $4,000, 600 in 1919 in which year the
number of employees exceeded 10000
suggests that the out turn of our owr
| factories in 192o-21. plus that Of dol
! factories which are not included in the
| group entitled toys and games" plu:
the importation in 1921 of $4,000. 00r
worth of dolls and toys from abroad
with an aggregate factory valuation o.
considerably over 50.000.O0o. must hav:
| cost the ultimate purcha SER fully
| 500 900 900 in 1921. DESPITE the tenden
| cy toward economies which has charac
terized trade conditions during the year
In one particular line of the toy indus
! try and trade. the holiday season find.
| a distinct shortage. namely that of dolls
! The number of doll factories in the Unit
! ell States greatly increased following the
o7ening of the war, upon the assumption
that the absence Of the surely formerly
drawn from Germany would greatly IN
tensify the demands of the home mar
| ket, but with the close of the war and
the prospect Of big imports from Ger
| many and other countries of Europe a.
well as from Japan which had develop
| ed a considerable toy trade during tht
! war. many of the doll factories in thu
United States closed down, while the ex
pected increase in importation of doll
! did not materialize as rapidly as hat
/ been anticipated. and as a consequence
the holiday trade finds an extreme short
age in this particular class Of goods
developing an actual famine" in doll
DESPITE the fact that the children of tn
United States are crying for them"
The happenings Of the war perio
above referred to. the shortage in to-
supplies turned out in Europe and tn
big increase in those from our own fac
tories. has resulted in a large growt
IN our toy EXPORTS meantime. which ad
vanced from three-quarters of a mlilio
dollars in the year Immediately proceed
ing the war to over s4.000.000 in TIL
calendar year 1920. and today the chill
dren of over fifty countries and colonie
of the world are hugging American dolls
while the exports of other classes c
American toys in 1920 were distribute
to nearly one hundred countries an,
colonies as against approximately hal
that number in the year preceding til
war