Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-25

merce Department of the Chamber OF
Commerce of the United States.
The Chambers report, Our World
Trade" shows the prices OF many prirl-
cipal American exports dropped sharply
in 1880. For example, 1t points out that
the average export price OF unmanu-
featured cotton declined 26 per cent
below the 1929 average price; the price
Of refined petroleum declined per cent;
wheat, 40 per cent, wheat flour, 10 per
cent: packing house products, z per
cent; bituminous coal, 90 per cent, and
cotton cloth, IA per cent.
American export trade IN 1880,
amounting in value to $3,843, 900, 900,
the Chamber says, represented a dollar
total and % per cent below the aver
age exports of the Swear period-1925
to 1929. The official index shows that
the quantity decline was 10 per cent
below 1929 and IL per cent below the
5-year average, the Chamber reports.
This falling-on in our export busi-
ness" the report continues, "attests the
low level which purchasing power in
many foreign markets reached last
year, due to business sluggishness fol-
lowing the downward course Of COM
modify prices and following overtrad-
ing and overproduction during recent
years.
80 Increased Export Values.
Although the values Of only out
Of our 100 chief exports increased in
1880 when compared with the values
Of the banner year, 1929, comparison
made with the average values Of the
last five years showed 80 increased ex-
port values, this In a year when the
average export price declined 10 per
cent below 1929 and Is per cent below
1925-1e29.
"a still better picture Is presented for
both periods in q quantity comparison.
Comparing 1880 with 1929, we find that
80 out of 210 leading export increased,
while, in the comparison with the s.
year average, 10 out of 206 items show
gains in volume exported.
number of exports which increased in
value stand out prominently in our for
eign trade picture. Items increasing in
value over 1929 were power-driven
metal-working machinery, radio appa-
ratus, canned meats, pears, electric
transformers and eggs. Increases in
value over the five-year average In
cluded the following commodities: Gas
oline, agricultural machinery and i'm
plements, power-driven Woodworking
machinery, crude petroleum, photo
construction and conveying machinery,
books and printed matter, radio appa-
ratuS, oil-well machinery, structural
iron and steel, coal-tar products, mining
and quarrying machinery, pruneS, cop
per rods, sodium compounds. musical
instruments, pumps, rice, batteries, per-
fumes and toilet preparations. cash reg
listers, electric motors. petroleum as
phalt aircraft, canned meats, pears.
al II kNor
scrap and freight cars.
During 1890 We exported 3;492, 000,-.
600 pounds Of manufactured cotton,
our leading export, valued at $497,-
OO0, 900, the smallest quantity exported
since 1924 and the lowest value since
1915. With q drop in the average ex-
port price Of 5 cents per pound, the
value declined 50 per cent below 1929
and 43 per cent below the five-year
average. France, Norway, China and
India purchased more cotton in 1880
than In 1929, while the quantity shipped
to Germany in 1880 was only slightly
less than the year before.
Lowest Since 1924.
"The foreign trade of the automotive
industry was badly hit in 1880, exports
Of automobiles in 1880 being only about
half what they were in 1929. Exports
Of automobiles, parts and accessories,
amounting to $277, 000, 900, were the
lowest since 1924. the value being 40 per
cent smaller than in 1929 and 80 per
cent lower than the 1925-l929 average
shipments abroad.
Exports of automobile tires held up
better than other automobile exports.
With an average price decline OF only
SO cents per casing, we shipped abroad
1854, 900 tires valued at $28, 900 900, a
decline Of II per cent in quantity and
10 per cent in value. Compared with
the 1925-1929 average, however, the
quantity increased 10 per cent, although
the value declined 8 per cent.
"Of the petroleum products, gasoline,
1880. We sold abroad in 1880 $4,000, 900
barrels, valued at $251 ,000,0 900, an in
crease Of per cent in quantity and a
decline of 8 per cent in value. When
compared with the Swear average the
quantity shows the striking gain Of SO
per cent in quantity and per cent
gain In value.
Exports Of lubricating Oil in 1890
declined 8 per cent in volume and IA
per cent in value from 1929, but were
only per cent In quantity and per
cent in value below the 1925-1929 aver
age exports. Illuminating oil exports
for 1880 were OF 16 per cent in quantity
and IS per cent in value from 1929 and
20 per cent in volume and % per cent
in value from the 1925-l929 average.
Our 1880 exports Of gas and fuel oil
stood up fairly well. Exports OF crude
petroleum in 1880 declined 10 per cent
in volume and Is per cent In value
below 1929 However, the volume was
80 per cent above and the value IL per
cent above the average shipments abroad
during the 1925-1929 period.
Tobacco Quantity Gained.
Leaf tobacco, our fourth chief ex-
port in value, was one Of the items the
quantity of which increased in 1880.
Exports amounted to Sol 100000
pounds, valued at $145, 100000 repre-
senting a 1 per cent gain in quantity
over 1929, although the value was OF
less than / per cent. The quantity
was per cent larger than the 5-year
average, while the value declined about
l per cent.
Exports Of machinery, which have
been increasing steadily since 1921, de-
clined Is per cent in value from the
1929 total. Exports Of agricultural ma
chinery and implements decreased ID
per cent in value below 1929, although
the 1920 value was IS per cent above
the Swear average exports. Large pur-
chases Of agricultural machinery by
Russia were noteworthy.
Exports of industrial machinery in
1880 were IS per cent below the 1929
value, but were slightly above the 1926
1929 shipments abroad.
1.-THE value of electrical machinery
and apparatus exports for 1890 was
per cent below 1929, but Is per cent
above the average for the 1925-29
period. Radio apparatus exports in
creased 3 per cent above 1929 and 80
Exports of coal and coke in 1880
declined IL per cent in quantity and Is
per cent in value below the 1929 figure.
Compared with the 1925-29 average