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Show TRADE DECREASE IN WAR PERIOD Total Shows Falling Off of $31,552,185 in German Trade During the War Period. HIDES AND LEATHER Cotton Manufacturers and Ex- j porters of Electrical Machinery Ma-chinery Supplies Suffer Generally. Berlin, Jan. 27, via London. 11:5$ a. m. Exports from Germany to the ( United States in the year 1914, according ac-cording to statistics complied by Julius Juli-us G. Lay, American consul general here, amounted to $159,056,250. This total shows a falling off of $31,552,185, as compared with the previous year. ! That this decrease falls entirely within with-in the period of the war, is proved by a comparison of the last six months ot lfiLJ. with the last six months of j 1914. This change is due, perhaps, not so much to general trade depression as to the prohibition on the export of articles ar-ticles of military value. Hide and Leather Export. Hides and leather alone count for $12,0(1(1,1)00 of the decrease, there hav-I hav-I ing been not a single shipment ,of these goods during the last quarter of I the year. Cotton manufacturers andi the exporters ex-porters of electrical machinery supplies sup-plies suffered generally, but certain other lines of trade showed surprising i activity or even gained during the 1 year It should be borne in mind that tlic supply of raw oouon was for a time interrupted and that it dropped fifty per cent and that copper enters largely into tbe manufacture of ele -tiical equipment. Few Contracts Made. falling off js to be expected, however how-ever In 1915, as a considerable proportion pro-portion of the exporting at the present time is due to the filling of incomplete incom-plete contracts. little new business is being contracted for. and the usual run of "American buyers in the winter season is not to be noticed this year The decision to hold the usual spring fair at Leipsic from March 1 to March v :,, perhaps will attract buyers In v. greater numbers. The freight rates for exports, owirr to the necessity- of finding return cargoes car-goes for American cotton ships, arc favorable. Cotton Shipments Arriving. According to the list o:' expected steamer arrivals cotton is coming In the rate of 125,000 bales a month to meet the estimated yearly demand Of 2,(i(M).0(i0 bales This indicates tha' the number of steamers engaged in this traffic is likelj to increase inther thnn decrease as the vear gets older. The opportunity recently afforded I to import turpentine and resin also will stimulate shipping. j American Trade buffers. American trade with Germany bow-ever, bow-ever, still is suffering from several incomprehensible difficulties American Ameri-can agents find it hard to understand why they cannot get supplies of carpet car-pet sweepers, typewriters and women's wo-men's shoes, the military availability of these particular goods not being clearly apparent to them. The difficulty diffi-culty of obtaining American photographic photo-graphic supplies is throwing this branch ot the trade Into the hands of German manufacturers and the British embargo on copper according to arguments advanced here, is likely to have a permanent effect on tho American copper trade after the war German manufacturers of articles In which copper is largely used under the spur ot necessity or influenced by the high price of the metal are finding find-ing that zinc or alloys, or even steel and cast irou. can be substituted in a number of cases. It is believed that, the lower cost of the materials will Induce manufacturers to contiuue with ( them even when the return of peac restores normal conditions. oo- I |
