Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-26
DECLINE
/. IN DOLLAR VOLUME
Quantity for Nine Months Is
Well Up to FiVe-Year
Average.

The decline In American imports IN
the first nine months Of 1880 Is rather
sharp when compared with the high
value records set up in the same period
of 1929, but the showing is much
more favorable when compared with
the nve-year average on quantity
basis.
This point is brought out in a
bulletin, "Our World Trade" just issued
by the Foreign Commerce Department
of the Chamber of Commerce of the
United States. Comparison by quantity
Of 20 leading commodities imported BY
this country in the first nine months
with the fve-year average, the cham
Der says, shows about an even break
in gains and losses.
Imports Classified.
The chamber reports that imports
purchased in large quantities in the
three quarters of 1890, compared with
the 1925-1929 average, included coffee,
crude rubber, standard newsprint paper,
unref1ned copper, wood pulp, tin bars,
pigs and blocks; gasoline, naphtha,
ETC.; fertilizers, not including nitrate
OF soda; bananas and fish.
Items the quantities of which de-
clined included raw silk cane sugar,
crude petroleum, burlapS, unmanufac-
tured wool, leaf tobacco and cocoa
beans. Raw hides and skins were i'm
ported in practically the same amounts
in 1880 as during the 1925-1929 period.
The fall Of commodity prices, which
pcYaf IN lSah1
export trade, affected also the dollar
volume Of our imports. Compared with
the high figures of 1929, only out
OF so principal import commodities
increased in value. These = were
gasoline, naphtha, ETC.; fertilizers, ex-
cept nitrate OF soda; vegetables, wheat
topped petroleum, including fuel oil:
pulpwood and nnolaSses.
One Of the sl1arpest declines was
that OF raw silk, our chief import item
the average import price falling from
$4.S4 = pound, the 1929 fgure, to
1891, the average for the January
September period Of 1880. The guam
tity imported, 49.460,OO0 pounds, was
81 per cent smaller than the record
receipts Of 80, 620, 900 pounds of year
ago. The value in 1880, $193, 372, 600
was 80 per cent below 1929 and 80
per cent below the flve-year average
receipts.
Coffee drinking is on the increase
II the huge imports of the first nir1C
months Of 1880 are criterion. Durfns
that period our receipts of coffee to.
tailed 1,174,000, 900 pounds, setting 9
new high MARKS per cent above 1929
The value, however, was 38 per cent be-
low the 1929 figure
Other Commodities.
Although our purchases of crude
rubber in the nine months of 1930-iT
amount 335,618,0 900 pounds-were /.
per cent smaller than q year ago, the
quantity was exceeded only by the 1925
record imports. The average impor
price was IA cents as against 19 cents
a year ago.
Imports Of cane sugar during thu
three quarters Of 1880 were the smalles
receipts in recent years, amounting h
slightly more than 5000, 900 pounds, A
per cent under 1929 and 80 per cen
below the five-year average.
standard newsprint paper import.
were per cent lower in quantity thar
year ago, although still 18 per cen
above the 1925-1s29 average.
Receipts Of crude petroleum were
the smallest in years, being "a per cen
below the 1929 quantity and per cen
GCAOW bAAE AlNC-yCdI dNGIdSS.
Of crude petroleum from Colombia in.
creased, while those from Mexico, Vene.
zuela and the Dutch West Indies fel
heavily. Much of the petroleum from
the North Coast of South America Il
now coming in in the form Of gasoline
and topped petroleum refined at Cura.
Gao. Consequently, imports of gasoline
naphtha, ETC., have shown a rapid rise
during the recent years. Receipts o.
gasoline during the Jsnuary-Septembe
period Of 1880 were more than double
those Of 1929 in volume and were 12s
per cent above the average While the
average import price of crude petroleum
advanced cents barrel, the average
price per barrel of gasoline fell from
the 1929 figure of $3.50 to the 1896
average of $3.51-a price decline of SO
per cent.
Tin imports declined IL per cent
below 1929, although 2 per cent greater
than the average imports during the
1925-1929 period. The average import
price of tin in 1880 was IS cents q
pound: in 1929 1t was IS cents.
Imports of bananas remained about
the same as year ago. with only
per cent loss in quantity.
Receipts of manufactured wool In
the January-September period Of 1896
showed q decrease of 80 per cent In
puantity below 1929 and 40 per cent be-
low the f1ve-year average receipts.
Copper Imports Drop.
Imports Of raw hides and skins de-
clmed per cent in quantity compared
with 1929 figures. Imports of unrefineo
copied declined 9 per cent in quantity
compared with 1929 figures, although
10 per cent above the five-year average
volume. Wood pulp imports we're per
cent smaller in quantity than a year ago
Compared with the 1925-1929 average
gain Of per cent. Imports of furr
were substantially below the 1929 re.
cetpts and the average OF the past few
years"