July, 1923
I
I N Q UXTRIAL A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
765
COMMERCE REPORTS
Notice-Commerce Reports are rcceised by all large libraries and may bc consulted there, or single numbers can be secured by application to thc Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Department of Commerce, Washington, D . C . The regular subscription rate for these Commerce Reports mailed weekly i s $3.00 per year (10 cents per single copy), payable i n advance to the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Ofice, Washington. D . C.
May Peanut oil from France has practically displaced cottonseed oil and corn oil from the United States in the Guadeloupe market. American oils are considered superior to the French oil in body and flavor, but this superiority is not regarded as sufficient to overcome the handicap of higher price. (P. 351) Experiments conducted in the Philippines have shown that alcohol as fuel for trucks is successful, but such is not the case with passenger cars. Besides the offensive odor, the carburetors do not supply enough air, and the economy is not sufficient to warrant passenger-car users in changing their carburetors. (P. 356) Germany, in 1922, produced 6,000,000 kilos of artificial silk. The average monthly production a t the beginning of the year was 350,000 kilos, but by the end of the year it had reached 600,000 kilos. (P. 365) The Clhilean sulfur industry is reviewed, including a description of the principal mines, the growth of production, and a prediction as to the future of the industry. (Pp. 370-1) The output of Italy’s superphosphate plants for 1922 is estimated a t 900,000 tons, against 678,000 tons in 1921, and 665,000 tons in 1920. Her present potential capacity, however, is estimated a t from 1,300,000 to 1,400,000 tons a year. The manufacture of sulfate of ammonia from synthetic ammonia by the methods of the Italian chemists Casale and Fauser is now being undertaken. (P. 371) Japan has restricted the output of artificial fertilizers for the :;?Finder of 1923 by 35 per cent of capacity production. (P. 01.4)
Since December, 1922, great activity has been reported in the Aden gum market, particularly gum frankincense. (P. 372) Apricot gum can be used as a substitute for gum arabic in all the cruder processes in which the latter substance is employed. (P. 372) The export duty on crude mineral oil has been increased from 50 to 150 Polish marks per net kilo, by a joint orcler of the Polish Ministers of Finance. (P. 396) The outstanding facts brought out in the review of the world trade in the essential oils of citrus fruits are that Italy takes first place in world production; essential oil production is an important industry of Mediterranean countries and British West Indies; and the United States imports of citrus oils show a n increase since the war. (Pp. 417-9) A maximum of 36,020 long tons of Ceylon-produced rubber may be exported from the island during the year ending October 31, 1923. The amount is well below shipments for the past four calendar years. (P. 428) The standard production of rubber in the Federated Malay States has been assessed a t approximately 150,000 tons. For the whole of British Malaya statistics show a standard production of 267,000 tons, of which 160,200 may be exported. (Pp. 428-9) The total production of iron ore in France in 1922 was 20,831,993 metric tons, which is a considerable increase over production for 1921. (P. 442) A large deposit of kaolin, said to contain a t least 200,000 tons and extending deep into the earth, is said to have been discovered in eastern Finland. (Pp. 442-3) A recent Argentine petroleum decree provides for more stringent regulation of the operation of petroleum concessions in that Province. (P. 444) The government of Madras has appointed a committee of ten men, composed of government officials and civilian experts, to examine the steps which are desirable to further the development of the leather industry in the Presidency of Madras, with special reference t o the present constitution and aims of the Leather Trades Institute. (P. 447)
The exportation from France of sulfate of ammonia is again under restriction. (P.453) The quicksilver industry of Japan is reviewed. (P. 489) The chemical industry is generally rated as occupying third place among German industries in total exports in gold values, i t being only exceeded by the heavy metals industry and the textile industry. (Pp. 499-500) The chemical trade of the Netherlands in 1922 is reviewed. (Pp. 500-1) Under the restrictive rubber scheme now effective in the Federated Malay States, the standard production of estates of 25 acres or less amounts to 28 per cent of the total standard production of all estates. (P. 505) There is considerable optimism in Bolivia over the possible revival in the rubber industry. (P. 505) The prosperity which struck the British paper industry during the latter part of 1922 has continued through the first three months of 1923. (P. 509) Top prices appear to have been reached for German pulp wood from coniferous timber. (P. 510) It is reported that a discovery in the manufacture of highgrade paper now makes it possible to eliminate the brown stain, which hitherto has confined the use of New Zealand flax to the making of wrapping paper and millboard. (P. 510) Mangrove sources, development, and trade are described. Although not an exploiter of this product, the United States consumes important quantities of the bark and extract, obtaining its supplies chiefly from the African and Asiatic markets. The tannin content of the bark ranges from 5 to 48 per cent, and of the extract from 48 to 72 per cent, depending on the country of origin. (Pp. 552-4) The value of chemicals and allied products exported from the United States during the first quarter of 1923, according to preliminary figures, increased 17 per cent over the corresponding period of 1922. These increases in value ranged from 19 per cent in the case of medicinal and pharmaceutical products to 130 per cent in the case of wood and denatured products, and also included coal-tar products; naval stores; paints, pigments, and varnishes; and perfumery, cosmetics, and other toilet preparations. (Pp. 554-6) The Australian gypsum industry is reviewed. (P. 563) The first shioments of antimonv ore for several years from San Luis, Mexico, were made to tGe United States diring April. (P. 563) Czechoslovakia has announced that in the future the sales price of tin manufactured in the State ovens will be equivalent to the price in the London market, plus the Czechoslovak import taxes. The price of antimony will be similarly fixed. (P. 563) Chilean markets for petroleum products are described. Strange to say, there is no domestic production of crude petroleum, and all petroleum products consumed must be imported. (Pp. 571-2) Certain specified Portuguese lands have been declared free for registering for petroleum research and explorations. (P. 572) The Petroleum Division of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce has available for consultation copies of the translation of the law relating to the exploitation of petroleum deposits in the republic of Panama, which was approved on April 6, 1923. (P. 572) The consumption of petroleum products in Poland during 1922 amounted to 245,140 metric tons. an increase of 27,040 tons over 1921. (P. 572) There is a demand for paraffin in the Vera Cruz district to be used in the manufacture of candles. (P. 572) STATISTICS OR EXPORTS TO THE UNITBD STATES Athens-(P. 399) Chrome ore Magnesite ore Magnesite ore (calcined) Olive oil Saloniki-(P. 399) Opium Palestine-(P. 400) Olive oil Cyprus-(P. 527) Umber, calcined Umber, raw
Netherlands-(Pp. Magnesia. Glue Gelatin Ouinine E h i t e zinc
500- 1)
Gum tragacanth
