Evening star., 1939-07-25
Excess Of U. 5. Exports
Cut 10 $40 Millions
In Six Months
Trade Bolonce Drops
To About Half of
Mark Year Ago
BY the Associated Press.

| BY the Associated Press.
The Commerce Department said
today the United States sold $780,
864 900 more merchandise abroad
in the first half of the year than It
purchased from foreigners.
The export excess, however, was
only about half the size of the un-
usually large excess piled up in the
same period last year
Exports in the first half of 1899
| totaled S1415,427 900 and imports
| ST ,094 563 600 In the same months
| last year, exports amounted to ST.
! $50, ,7S8 900 and imports $3.50 ,955 .0O0
making an export excess of $629,-
833 600
| The department attributed the
decline in exports partly to lower
commodity prices, but primarily to
decreased volume shipments of cot
/ ton, wheat and corn.
Cotton exports of 1852 287 900
pounds in the six months were only
about half of the average for the
same months in the last 10 years.
Wheat exports, totaling 47,963 900
bushels, and corn exports, amount
ing to 16677.0O0 bushels. compared
with comparable figures last year
| of 50,327 900 bushels of wheat and
81 $4,000 bushels of corn.
These figures formed part of the
background for the Forthcoming
cotton export subsidy and other ef-
forts to promote foreign sale of
American grains.
All Lines Affected
The gain in merchandise imports
spread over virtually all types of
commodities. Whisky was an ex-
ception. imports declining because of
the growing availability of aged
whisky from domestic sources.
The department said that al
though June exports of S236 058 900
were somewhat below the S249,259
900 of May. they showed ''signifi-
can't increase over the 1892, ,726 900
figure of June, 1888 The decline
from May, officials added, was less
than the seasonal expectation.
June imports amounted to s178,-
405 600, compared with S194 1876 900
n May and STAT ,779 900 in June, 1888.
Discussing export trends since the
first OF the year a department sum-
mary noted:
Hit Low i'm January.
Exports of manufactured articles
have increased considerably since
January. when they reached the
lowest point of the past few years.
The volume OF manufactured exports
was per cent larger in the second
quarter of 1899 than in the CORE
spending quarter of 1898, whereas in
the first quarter they showed a de-
crease of 3 per cent from the pre-
ceding year.
While exports of certain COM
modities, including metal working
machinery, aircraft and rubber
manufactures, were larger in the
first quarter of this year than the
year before, there were increases
also in the second quarter in motor
trucks, passenger automobiles. iron
and steel manufactures, and various
other articles"
Gold imports in June totaled
$40 100000 and silver imports
sl4 10000, compared with s55 5,438,-
900 of gold and SIG ,186 900 of silver
in the same month last year. Ex-
ports remained small. amounting to
$4,000 of gold and 1903 900 of silver
in June.
Farm Data Given.
Agricultural export figures included
TOBACCO -ExportS of 11I46 Ooo
pounds IN June and 1892 90 pounds in
the hrst six months of the year. compared
with II ,425 600 pounds in June and IsS
100000 pounds in the first half of last
year year Imports Of 6;s65. 900 pounds in
June and 31.311 900 in the first six
months of the year compared with :, 793.N
600 pounds in June and b SO 900 pounds
IN the first six months of last year
RAW COTTON-Exports of 10 .O77, 600
pounds in june and 752. .2s7 900 pounds