Chemical Foreign Trade in 1937’ Highest Point in Seven Years I s Attained H E course of our chemiOTTO WILSON which was noted in 1936 was cal foreign trade in 1937 3025 Fifteenth Street, N. W., Washington, D. C. still more marked last year. Tfollowed t h a t of t h e Our foreign sales of these prodcountry’s foreign trade in general ucts also increased but not so by registering a marked gain over 1936 both in imports much as our purchases from abroad. Traffic in industrial and in exports and reaching a higher value than for many chemicals in both directions picked up substantially, the years past. The value of our chemical imports was the increases being about the same for imports and exports. highest since 1930, and that of exports since 1929. Chemical specialties of American make continued to add to The major factors contributing to this result were appartheir popularity abroad, and exports were more than a third ently much the same as those which swelled our total foreign greater last year than in 1936. This class of goods now tops trade. Higher prices played their part. The ever-growing all other groups of chemical commodities in value of exports, pace of world rearmament, the lowering of tariff barriers making up about 20 per cent of our total sales in the field of through our reciprocal trade treaties, greater business acchemicals. tivity in the first seven months of the year, and the drought The outstanding foreign-trade increase in this field last of the year before are listed as the leading causes of the general year, however, was that in imports of fertilizers and materials. expansion of the country’s foreign trade in 1937. Following These were 40 per cent higher than in 1936. At the same the first quarter, the gain was more marked in exports than time our sales of such commodities abroad fell off slightly, in imports, and final figures showed a 36 per cent increase in this group being the only one of the large groups of chemical outgoing trade over 1936 as compared with a 24 per cent commodities to register a decrease, either in imports or exincrease for the incoming trade. The balance of trade, ports. The United States is now buying nearly three times which had run slightly against the United States in 1936, as much fertilizer and fertilizer material from foreign counagain returned to the usual position of a substantial excess tries as it is selling to them. of exports over imports. Total foreign trade for the year was Exports of medicinals were a fourth higher than in 1936, more than a billion and a half dollars higher than in 1936. but imports remained about the same. The largest actual Chemical foreign trade followed thht of the general trade percentage gain by any chemical group was that in the minor in taking a big stride forward, although imports showed a group including explosives, fuses, etc. (for industrial uses), much greater proportional gain than exports. This is a exports of which were nearly 50 per cent above 1936 shipreversal of the trend for several years past. The actual ments. Import and export figures for each important class gain in total value was about the same for both branches of of chemical commodities in the last two years and in 1929, trade, chemical imports registering an increase of $22,596,with percentage of gain or loss in 1937 as compared with the 000 and exports $22,545,000, but the import figure was 28 previous year, are given in Table II.2 Changes in the trade per cent above that of 1936 and the export figure 19 per cent. in leading commodities of each class are noted in the following The combined value of imports and exports was greater paragraphs. - - in 1937 than for any previous year since 1929. The course of the trade last year as compared with several TABLE11. U. S. FOREIGN TRADE IN CHEMICALS AND RELATED preceding years is shown in Table I. PRODUCTS BY GREAT GROUPS (IN THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS) TRADEIN CHEMICALS AND RELATED TABLEI. U. S. FOREIGN PRODUCTS BY TOTAL VALUES(IN THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS) Year 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933
Imports $144,055 112,070 ’ 82,738 47,852 59,287
Exports $151,992 127,770 100,027 70,348 76,771
Year 1934 1935 1936 1937
Imports $ 65,117 68,716 79,975 102,571
Exports $ 92,565 103,092 116,902 139,447
Imports Coal-tar products Medicinals and pharmaceuticals Industrial chemicals Pigments, paints, and varnishes Fertilizers and materials Explosives Soaps and toilet preparations
1929 $22,824 6,422 30,152 3,823 72,886 960 6,988
1936 $15,212 4,890 20,960 1,971 33,394 738 2,811
Expoi ts Coal-tar products .Medicinals and pharmaceuticals Industrial chemicd specialties
Gain ( f ) or Loss ( - ) in 1937 Compared with 1937 1936 $18,353 f20 4,894 26,447 +26 2,179 4-11 46,704 f40 864 f17 3,131 fll
+ 8 f25
Practically all the larger groups of chemicals and chemical products shared in the advanc3 made by this class of commodities as a whole. The gains, however, were far from uniform. The upward trend in imports of coal-tar products
13,776 17.876 21,350 14,393 15,440 20,456 27,166 22,046 :$%$id varnishes 2 ~ , 1 1 1 17,788 20,441 17,750 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ f , 9 , , 8 , ~ , a ~ ~ 4,549 ~ ~ a 1 2,618 ~ Soaps 16,059) preparations
Since the Covern1 All 1987 figures in the present review are preliminary. ment has not yet published the final figures for 1936, It has been necessary to use the preliminary figures for that year also. There is seldom any material difference between preliminary and final figures.
2 Comparison of recent figures with those for 1929 is not entirely accurate for two or three groups, chiefly chemical specialties, because of classification changes since that year.
I. Chemicals and Related Products
{
482
~;~~~
14,878 17,979 27,526 27,505
f35 +25
21,544 16,954 3,863
+2: +4S
A:$;
-
$:;
APRIL, 1938
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
Coal-Tar Products The notable increase in our purchases of coal-tar products still left the trade short of the 1929 value by several million dollars, but it brought the import total to a figure more than 20 per cent higher than that of our exports of these products. Fluctuations in imports may usually be accounted for by variations in the trade in creosote oil and other crudes. Such was the case in 1937. Creosote oil imports reached a total of 58,190,000 gallons, valued at $6,806,000, which compared with 1936 shipments of 41,384,000 gallons valued a t $4,566,000. This trade has nearly doubled in two years. The average valuation of 1937 imports was somewhat higher than in the year before. Other crudes showed almost as great a proportional gain, the 1937 total value of $2,972,000 comparing with $2,072,000 in 1936. Other coal-tar products were imported to about the same total value, a fair increase in intermediates being balanced by a similar falling off in finished products. Coal-tar acids, with a value of $507,000, and other intermediates, $2,198,000, were about 9 per cent above the 1936 trade; colors, dyes, stains, etc., the chief finished products, imports of which stood a t $5,201,000, were lower in about the same proportion. Imports of medicinals and other finished products, however, reached a value of $669,000, 70 per cent more than in the preceding year. Exports of colors, dyes, stains, and similar goods were slightly higher, the total value of $6,244,000 being about 3 per cent above the 1936 total. The increase, however, was due to higher prices as the volume of shipments for the year, 16,689,000 pounds, was smaller than in 1936 by about the same proportion. The second largest item in this export group, benzene, dropped from a value of $2,918,000 in 1936 to $2,824,000 in 1937 although the total volume, 20,481,000 gallons, was slightly more than in 1936. Exports of coal-tar, 7,150,000 gallons valued a t $453,000, were 35 per cent lower in quantity and 19 per cent lower in total value, whereas intermediates were valued a t $1,569,000, almost three times their value in 1936. Sales of rubber compounding agents, second only to colors, dyes, etc., among exports of finished coal-tar products, were valued at $921,000 last year as compared with $620,000 the year before.
Medicinals and Pharmaceuticals Little change in total value of imports in this group was recorded in 1937, and each of the larger items also was purchased in much the same amount. The largest increase was in Shipments of menthol, which reached 459,000 pounds valued a t $1,087,000 in 1937 as against 342,000 valued a t $831,000 in 1936. In the last two years this trade has grown by nearly 70 per cent. Quinine sulfate imports, on the other hand, dropped off about 14 per cent, the 1937 imports standing a t 1,340,000 ounces with a value of $677,000. Other cinchona, bark derivatives were valued a t $534,000, as compared with $545,000 the year before. Imports of “other alkaloids, salts, and derivatives,” the items of which are not classified separately, grew from $25,000 to $134,000. Preparations in capsules, pills, tablets, etc., were valued a t $593,000 in 1937, about the same as in the preceding year. American medicinal preparations have been selling in steadily larger quantities abroad for some time. Exports last year were much higher than in 1936, especially those of proprietary medicines, practically every item of which showed substantially increased sales, Most popular of all these remedies with foreign buyers are the “tonics, blood purifiers, emulsions, and appetizers.” I n 1937 these were exported to a total value of $2,071,000, about 25 per cent more than in the year before. Laxatives,
483
purgatives, and cathartics reached a value of $1,031,000, a 16 per cent gain, and salves and ointments a value of $1,442,000, an increase of 18 per cent. Other proprietary medicines which registered good gains in 1937, with the value of export shipments last year, included mouth washes, gargles, and personal antiseptics, $467,000; plasters, $432,000; liniments, $180,000; cold, cough, and bronchial preparations, $687,000; asthma, catarrh, and hay fever preparations, $349,000; malaria, chill, and fever remedies, $110,000; milk of magnesia, $185,000; digestive preparations, $244,000; and headache, neuralgia, and pain remedies, $131,000. Nearly 30 per cent of our exports of medicinals last year were made up of druggists’ nonproprietary preparations, chiefly tablets, pills, capsules, powders, and the like, sales of which totaled $3,203,000, or about 27 per cent more than in 1936. Sales of elixirs, tinctures, extracts, and similar liquid solutions reached a total of $1,948,000, a 21 per cent gain. A new item under this heading is “medicinal reagent chemicals” which was credited with exports of $219,000 in 1937. Of the biologics, serums and antiseptics for human use led in total export value, $995,000. This was an increase of 22 per cent. Glandular products, enzymes, ferments, etc., reached a value of $856,000, about 30 per cent more than in 1936; biologics for animal and veterinary use, $384,000, a loss of about 4 per cent; and vaccines for human use, $329,000, a 5 per cent gain. White mineral oil exports were much higher in 1937, with shipments of 2,488,000 gallons valued at $770,000 as compared with 1,427,000 gallons valued a t $496,000 in 1936. Shipments of castor oil, however, 79,000 gallons valued a t $88,000, were slightly less than in the year before.
Chemical Specialties All but a scattering few of the separate commodities included in the “specialties” group shared in the export increase registered by the group as a whole. The group is made up of articles of American manufacture, and there is no parallel classification in the import trade. Most popular of these articles with foreign buyers, as evidenced by values of exports, were pyroxylin products, sold under such names as Celluloid, Pyralin, Viscoloid, Fiberloid, etc. Pyroxylin plastic film support led the list with exports of 3,689,000 pounds valued a t $3,265,000, a considerable increase over 1936 shipments, which stood a t 3,171,000 pounds valued at $2,797,000. Pyroxylin sheets, rods, and tubes were sold to a value of $458,000, and scrap and film scrap to a value of $282,000, comparing with $427,000 and $168,000, respectively, for these goods in 1936. Cellulose acetate in the form of sheets, rods, and tubes showed a heavy increase, last year’s shipments of 944,000 pounds valued a t $719,000 comparing with 652,000 valued a t $482,000 the year before. Exports of cellulose nitrate and acetate in solutions, collodion, etc., amounted to 1,130,000 pounds and were valued at $259,000, and those of the same substances not in solution amounted to 3,179,000 pounds with a value of $571,000. The increases in value were about 5 and 7 per cent, respectively. Second in importance in this group last year was petroleum jelly, sales of which reached 39,361,000 pounds valued a t $1,731,000. I n 1936 they were 22,177,000 pounds valued a t $1,085,000. Synthetic gums and resins almost doubled, exports standing a t 6,906,000 pounds valued at $1,375,000 as against 4,301,000 pounds valued at $738,000 in the previous year. The largest increase, however, was in copper sulfate (blue vitriol), exports of which doubled in quantity and quadrupled in value. The 1937 trade totaled 23,528,000 pounds valued a t $1,212,000 as against 1936 figures of 10,734,000 pounds valued a t $343,000.
VOL. 30, NO. 4
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
484
4
I
-
AND EXPORTS OF INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS (IN THOUSANDS) TABLE111. IMPORTS
1936 Pounds Value
I
Imports Acetylene, butylene, ethylene, propylene derivatives Acids and anhydrides: Acetic or pyroligneous Arsenious (white arsenic) Formic Oxalic Sulfuric (oil of vitriol) Tartaric All other Alcohols, including fusel oil Ammonium compounds, n. e. Chloride (muriate) Nitrate All other Barium compounds Calcium compounds
and
1,652
$332
2,118
$357
28278 35:172 655 189 1,986 360 2,488
1,518 741 53 10 13 50 752
31,633 38,543 844 218 2,752 327 3,363
1,696 820 67 12 17 52 447
.... 5.9
-
1937 Pounds Value
I
6
....
2
9,283 3,390 747 1,675 1,359
218 43 84 58 40
8,448 6,444 713 1,681 1,508
203 72 93 58 39
15
41
11
37
100
102
74
67
194
38
149
28
2,286 1,049 1,967 814 4
625 470 637 886 1
1,912 1,016 1,828 843 33
554 466 643 1,059 1
(Glycerol, crude Glycerol, refined Iodine, crude Lime chlorinated, or bleaching powder MagAesium compounds
11.149 3,447 592 1,708 11,171
1,199 594 558 44 173
13,598 7,378 1,967 2,154 13,617
2,291 1,780 1,784 56 208
Potassium com-oounds, n. e. E.: Carbonate Chlorate and perchlorate Cream of tartar Cyanide Hydroxide (caustic) Areols, tartar, and wine lees Alrother
2,795 13,952 191 100 3,092 16,806 2,960
151 769 19 41 210 911 207
1,576 13.911
81 585
87 2274 23:820 4,414
34 168 1,699 329
135 11 4,612 27.179 2,301
1,334 226 206 2,901 166
197 14 7070 351292 1,283
1,872 289 266 3,762 82
b
.. .?
1 614
236
378 3.375
Cellulose products, n. e. s.: Acetate All other: Sheets more t h a n 0.003 inch thick and other forms Sheets bands and strips more t h a n 1 inbh wid:. not over 0.003 inch thick Camphor: Natural, crude Natural, refined Synthetic Cobalt oxide Copper sulfate (blue vitriol)
Sodium compounds: Sulfate (salt cake), tons Sulfate, anhydrous, tons Chlorate Cyanide Ferrocyanide (yellow prussiate) Nitrite Phosphates (except pyrophosphate) All other Radium salts grains (not in thousands) Other i n d u s t h chemicals
1
7
... 263 ....
1 594 700 3,240
(I
1
.. . .
b
b
Exports Acids and anhydrides: Acetic acid Acetic anhydride Other organic acids and anhydrides Inorganic: Hydrochloric (muriatic) Boric (boracic) Other Alcohols: Methanol, gallons Butanol (butyl) Glycerol Other Acetone Butyl acetate
r 1936--. Pounds Value
-
1,521 65 1,988
$ 82
8
150 76 1,659
8 17
330
6,094 9,257 13,073
98 498 432
7,629 15,844 16,731
123 735 552
668 3,124 1,146 8,573 5,636 4,072
283 298 183 977 456 274
839 3,346 1,375
314 288 338 1,433 626
4,998 1,844
226 89
Carbon disulfide Formaldehyde (formalin) Amyl acetate Synthetic collecting reagents for oqncentration of ores, metals, or minerals Other organic chemicals
15,246
Aluminum sulfate Other aluminum compounds Calcium carbide Calcium chloride Hydrogen peroxide (or dioxide) Potassium compounds (not fertilizers)
12,140 9,654 3,941
Industrial Chemicals An increase of one-fourth in both imports and exports of industrial chemicaIs in 1927 testifies to the healthy condition
9 280
399
5,882 2,865 379
261 119 45
2,250
6,990 16,516
1,165 2,110
57,576 2,966 4,164 55,662 370 4,660
578 250 148 504 52 487
63,615 5,217 4,831 43,463 188 4,189
679 426 157 415 28 484
512,141 Sodium compounds: Bichromate and chromate 6,553 Cyanide 750 Borate (borax) 204,042 Silicate (water glass) 13,282 Soda ash 88,535 Sal soda 1,512 Bicarbonate (acid or baking soda) 16,529 Hydroxide (caustic soda) d r y weight 153,912 Sodium phosphate (mono-, di-, tri-, 6,922 meta-, or pyro-) 20,102 Other
9,321 397 117 3,120 202 1,075 20 275 3,082
C
C
Tin compounds 345 Gases, compressed, liquefied, and solidified: Ammonia, anhydrous 1,740 Other gaseous refrigerants 1,046 Chlorine 7,582 Liquefied petroleum gases 25,931 Helium gas C Other 8.889, n. e. 8. 1,597 Other iniustrial chemicals 26,080
E
E
213 820
703,196 12,011 6.321 402 '889 123 307,544 4,709 15,594 241 109,469 1,253 2,080 25 19,271 307 204,535 3,641 5,869 31,625
220 1,091
97
218
70
255 267 244 302
2,195 1,916 8,589 9,120
251 424 347 159 1 348 2,889
C
a
292 2,766
.1,929 .. .
a Less than 500 pounds. b Less than $500. 0
Not separately stated.
,
-L
Other important chemical specialties showing an increased value in 1937, with the value last year and the percentage of gain over 1936, were: nicotine sulfate, $317,000, 16 per cent; household and industrial insecticides and exterminators, 11,364,000, 10 per cent; household and industrial disinfectants, etc., $261,000, 3 per cent; baking powder, $462,000, 14 per cent; dextrin or British gum, $256,000, 11 per cent; textile specialty compounds, $388,000, 12 per cent; tanning specialty compounds, $254,000, 88 per cent; water softeners, purifiers, etc., $378,000, 19 per cent; metal-working compounds, $332,000, 54 per cent; cementing preparations, $722,000, 47 per cent; shoe polishes and cleaners, $416,000, 17 per cent; leather dressings and stains, $351,000, 11 per cent; floor wax, wood and furniture polishes, $195,000, 20 per cent; automobile polishes, $236,000, 4 per cent; and flavoring extracts, $345,000, 23 per cent. Decreases were registered in the items: calcium arsenate, $243,000, 11per cent; tobacco extracts, $256,000, about $1000 less than in 1936; specialty cleansing and washing compounds, $318,000, 8 per cent; and metal and stove polishes, $128,000, 7 per cent.
---
1937 Pounds Value
of this branch of the trade. Between one-fifth and onefourth of our total foreign trade in chemicals and chemical products last year was made up by the commodities under this heading. The trade in detail as compared with 1936 is shown in Table 111.
Pigments, Paints, and Varnishes Consisting, as usual, mostly of pigments, imports in this group showed a fair gain in 1937. The leading item was iron oxide and hydroxide, of which 16,674,000 pounds valued at $489,000 were imported. These figures compared with 15,675,000 pounds valued a t $415,000 in 1936. Ochers and siennas to the amount of 13,111,000 pounds with a value of $224,000 in 1937 compared with 10,220,000 pounds valued at $191,000 in 1936. Lithopone and other zinc sulfides were the leading chemical pigments. They showed a considerable increase in 1937, imports totaling 11,202,000 pounds and being valued a t $302,000 as against 9,562,000 pounds and $274,000 in 1936. Zinc oxides and leaded zinc oxides, with a value of $98,000, were slightly higher in value than in the year before, but paints, stains, and enamels, $290,000, were about 4 per cent less. Varnishes, with $28,000, were also slightly lower than in 1936.
APRIL, 1938
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING$CHEMISTRY
The much more important export trade in this class of goods was characterized by substantial increases in which practically every item shared. Carbon black or gas black, as :usual, was the outstanding commodity, accounting for 40 per cent of the export value of the group. Its total of 184,030,000 pounds, valued a t $8,689,000, represented a good gain over the 1936 trade, which stood a t 154,718,000 pounds valued a t $7,251,000. Among the other chemical pigments zinc oxide was most prominent, exports of $378,000 -representing an increase of practically 100 per cent. Titanium dioxide and titanium pigments were valued a t $240,000; they were not separately stated in the 1936 trade tables. Lithopone with $232,000, litharge with $220,000, red lead with $159,000, and boneblack and lampblack with $124,000 recorded increases of various proportions up to 40 per cent. White lead was the only article in the group registering a loss in value; shipments of $112,000 for dry white lead and $96,000 for white lead in oil compared with $131,000 .and $135,000 in 1936. Among the mineral-earth pigments the various forms of iron oxide for paints, including ocher, umber, sienna, etc., were sold abroad to a value of $376,000, a gain of 13 per cent. Ready-mixed paints, stains, and enamels steadily increased their popularity with foreign buyers, who increased their purchases from $3,847,000 in 1936 to $4,735,000last year. Sales ‘of varnishes reached 486,000 gallons valued a t $654,000, about 10 per cent more than in 1936. Exports of pyroxylin lacquers continued to advance notably, their total value being a third more than in 1936. Pigmented lacquers were valued a t $1,636,000 as compared with $1,302,000 the year before; clear lacquers a t $447,000 as against $239,000; and thinners a t $719,000 as against $625,000. Sales of bituminous paints increased from a value of $286,000 in 1936 to $331,000 in 1937; paste and semipaste colors from $339,000 to $407,000; and calcimine from $406,000 to $459,000.
485
000. Guano imports were also lower, being valued a t $376,000 as against $457,000 in the year before. Dried blood, valued a t $708,000, was more than 50 per cent higher than in 1936, but urea and calurea, $271,000, were 11per cent less. Phosphates more than doubled the 1936 trade, the total of 114,000 tons valued a t $2,085,000 comparing with 49,000 tons valued a t $931,000 in 1936. Fertilizer compounds, containing potash, phosphoric acid, and nitrogen, were imported to a value of $415,000, a 30 per cent gain. I n the export trade there was a considerable falling off in shipments of ammonium sulfate, which reached only 74,000 tons valued a t $2,014,000 as against 106,000 valued a t $2,682,000 the previous year. Other nitrogenous chemical material, however, 123,000 tons valued a t $2,919,000, was only slightly under the 1936 totals. Reduced exports of phosphates were in evidence, land pebble phosphate rock standing a t 932,000 tons valued a t $5,023,000 as against 1,053,000 tons valued a t $5,653,000 in 1936. High-grade rock, valued a t $796,000, was about 37 per cent under the previous year’s total. Superphosphate, however, with a total valuation of $841,000, was higher by 22 per cent. Potassic materials were valued at $3,279,000 and nitrogenous-phosphatic types a t $1,001,000, both much the same as in 1936.
Explosives Firecrackers, valued at $779,000, were the only imports of importance. The trade was about 20 per cent higher than in the previous year. Exports of dynamite were valued a t $1,982,000 as against $1,568,000 in 1936. Safety fuses, $484,000, and blasting caps, $577,000, both sold in considerably larger quantities last year.
Soaps and Toilet Preparations
Perfume materials, valued a t $1,882,000, and perfumery, bay rum, and toilet water, a t $501,000, mere the two leading items among the imports. I n 1936 these goods were valued, Fertilizers and Fertilizer Materials respectively, a t $1,580,000 and $515,000. Imports of toilet The large 40 per cent advance in fertilizer imports in 1937 soap, valued at $200,000, marked a 12 per cent gain and those was due chiefly to heavily increased purchases of potash from of castile soap, $165,000, a 10 per cent loss. .abroad. Both in quantity and in value these were fully twoIn the export trade “toilet or fancy soaps” were the leading thirds larger in 1937 than in 1936; last year’s shipments item among the soaps. Shipments reached a value of $1,332,reached a total of 701,000 tons valued a t $16,793,000 as 000, 10 per cent more than in 1936. Laundry soap, $811,000; against 423,000 tons valued a t $9,989,000 the previous year. scouring bricks, pastes, powders, etc., $337,000; and powdered All types of potash imports shared in the increase but the or flaked soap, $122,000, all showed good gains as compared gains in chloride and kainite were particularly striking. Dewith the previous year but did not approach that made by tails of the trade in the last two years are shown in Table IV. medicated soap, whose total value, $258,000, was about 75 per cent above that of 1936. Dental creams continue to be the most popular American FERTILIZERS (IN THOUSANDS) ‘TABLE IV. IMPORTS OF POTASH toilet preparation sold abroad. They reached a value of -1936-1937$1,683,000 in 1937, an 8 per cent gain. Other considerable Tons Value Tons Value items in this class of goods were lipsticks, $585,000; toilet 211 $5,194 373 $9,725 Chloride, crude 53 529 116 1,139 Kainite powders, $966,000; hair preparations, $592,000; and mani35 475 40 592 Manure salts 65 2,090 104 3,316 Sulfate curing preparations, $324,000. All were well above the 1936 Nitrate (saltpeter) 3 1,701 68 2,021 trade. Total 423 9,989 701 16,793 ~~
~
There was much greater variation in the import trade in nitrogenous fertilizer materials. Sodium nitrate continued to gain, imports for the year totaling 629,000 tons valued at $11,649,000, as against 472,000 tons valued a t $9,160,000 in 1936. In. the last two years these imports have in.creased 61 per cent in quantity and 46 per cent in value. Calcium cyanamide also increased from a value of $2,622,800 in 1936 to $3,041,000 in 1937, and calcium nitrate from $956,000 to $1,084,000. Ammonium sulfate, on the other hand, dropped sharply from an importation of 153,(000 tons valued a t $3,269,000 to 83,000 valued a t $1,917,-
11. Materials Related t o Chemical Industries Commodities of many kinds hold an interest for chemical industries, as raw materials or otherwise, which are classified in other than chemical groups in our foreign trade statistics. The more important ones are mentioned in the following sections.
Mineral Oils A fair increase in imports and a very marked increase in exports featured the trade in petroleum products last year.
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
486
Table V shows the course of trade for the various grades of oil in the last two years.
ports of crushed, ground, and refined sulfur, etc., fell off from 44,143,000 pounds valued at $747,000 to 29,669,000 valued a t $501,000.
Rubber
TABLE V. FOREIGN TRADE IN PETROLEUM AND PRODUCTS (INTHOUSANDS) -1936Barrels
Imports Petroleum and roducts, total Petroleup, cru& Refined oils
....
33,018 25,331
Value $40,205 23,321 16,413
-1937Barrels 32,693
Value $44,586 20,761 22,104
2j;iio
Exports Petroleum and roduots, total Petroleum, cru& Natural aasoline Refined Gila: Gasoline and other petroleum mrtor fuels
Lubricating oil Fuel or bunker oil for vessels in foreign trade (not included in exports)
. . ..
50,321 1,897
260,845 66,143 4,204
ti7ii27 3,738
376,274 96,431 9,465
22,550
56,735
30,488
84,921
1,517 6,709 18,329 12,955 9,106
5,342 14,817 23,675 11,244 64,552
1,511 8,664 28,993 12,810 10,899
5,936 20,898 42,864 11,709 56,634
33,407
34,298
37,688
43,545
VOL. 30, NO. 4
There was a considerable increase in quantity of crude mbber imports in 1937 but a much greater increase in total value. Last year's trade stood a t 1,287,105,000 pounds valued a t $237,307,000 as compared with 1,046,223,000 valued a t $152,072,000 in 1936. Rubber latex t o a value of $10,214,000 and jelutong to a value of $2,018,000 featured the import trade.
Dyeing and Tanning Materials Quebracho extract continues to dominate the import trade in dyeing and tanning materials. Last year it accounted for 60 per cent of the value of these imports, shipments being 142,412,000 pounds valued a t $4,628,000. This was an increase of nearly 40 per cent in value over 1936. Myrobalan fruit with $396,000, valonia with $380,000, and gambier with $319,000 figured prominently in the incoming trade. Exports of vegetable dyeing and tanning extracts were valued a t $1,754,000 in 1937 as against $1,758,000 in 1936.
Gums, Resins, and Naval Stores
Vegetable and Essential Oils
The leading import in point of value in 1937 was chicle, of which 10,660,000 pounds valued a t 83,009,000 were purchased from abroad. This was a large increase over 1936 when imports stood a t 6,750,000 pounds valued a t $1,605,000. Unbleached shellac valued a t $2,177,000 compared with a value of $1,723,000 in 1936. Other important items were crude lac, '%1,735,000;tragacanth, $1,382,000; and dammar, $1,205,000, all considerably higher than in 1936. Exports of naval stores, gums, and resins in the last two years are shown in Table VI.
The traffic in vegetable oils continues t o grow to large proportions. The total value of imports of vegetable oils in 1937 (not including some oils classified in special groups) was $86,664,000. I n 1936 it was $67,581,000. Most of the 1937 total was made up of expressed oils, with tung oil the leading item. Of that commodity we imported $20,100,000 worth in 1937. It was closely followed by coconut oil from the Philippines, with $19,886,000. In 1936 tung oil imports were valued a t $17,838,000 and coconut oil a t $12,226,000. Palm oil imports reached a value of $15,835,000 last year as against $11,631,000 the year before, and palm-kernel oil, $8,396,000 as against $591,000 in 1936. Imports of essential oils are shown in Table VII.
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TABLEVI.
EXPORTS OF NAVALSTORES, GUMS,AND RESINS (IN THOUSANDS) -1936Quantity Value
Pine oil, gallons Tar and pitch of wood, pounds Other gums and resins, pounds ~
87 4 321 12,342 1,448 1,405 9,170 7,456
$8,514 2,723 5,175 573 762 168 1,005
-1937Quantity 749 280 11,550 2,060 1,730 19,278 7,339
Value
TABLEVII. IMPORTS OF ESSENTIAL OILS (IN THOUSANDS)
$11,208 3,405 4,233 773 1,032 323 1,167
Sulfur Crude sulfur exports, 644,000 tons valued a t $11,588,000, were considerably higher in 1937 than the year before when the trade stood at 547,000 tons valued a t $10,147,000. Ex-
~
Cassia and cinnemon Geranium Attar of roses, ounces Bergamot Citronella and lemon grass Lavender Lemon Orange Sandalwood Lime All other Total
-1936--, Pounds 486 131 35 108 1865 299 149 176 4 53
3229 ..
Value $314 546 263 183 425 851 188 189 14 270
1496 4738
-1937-7 Pounds 482 134 39 87 1982 261 59 205 5 118 3963
..
Value $357 464 270 282 618 514 239 287 18 611
1798 5458
RWCEIVED Maroh 14, 1938.
Courtesy, The Dow Chemical Company
