THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[June 1, 1920. 



Rubber Tariffs of Asia, Oceania, and Africa. 



THE VALL'E of tlic exports of manufactured rubber goods from 

 the United States to Asiatic countries in 1919 was almost ex- 

 actly double what it was in 1918, the bulk of the increase be- 

 in;? in automobile tires and rubber shoes ; the figures are $5,222,693 

 for 1919 and $2,675,636 for 1918. The largest customer, as usual, 

 w'as Japan, which more than doubled its purchases, taking $1,- 

 469.076 worth of American wares, against $692,828 the year 

 Ijefore, folowed by the Dutch East Indies and British India with 

 over $800,000 each, and the Straits Settlements with over $700,000. 

 Japan bought more than three times as many tires, $425,432 

 against $118,685, and nearly six times the numl)er of shoes, 393,- 

 ■679 pairs instead of 67,330: the quantity of miscellaneous rubber 

 goods was more than doubled, $276,280 instead of $129,559. 

 .Siberia is opening up again after being closed to commerce ; it 

 took $558,025 worth of goods last year and only $12,097 in 1918. 

 Tires accounted for $266,674 of this, and rubber shoes for $204,- 

 823. China's quota was over two and one-half times that of 

 1918, $557,391 against $197,342; of this, $254,784 was for tires. 

 The tire demands of British India ($557,396), of the Straits 

 Settlements ($636,101), and of the Dutch East Indies ($686,- 

 873) were also large increases and formed the greater part of 

 their importations of American rubber goods. 



In Oceania the increase of exports was slight, being $5,158,885 

 in 1919 and $4,875,147 in 1918. A falling off of over half a 

 million in Australia was made up by increases in New Zealand 

 and the Philippines. x\ustralia and New Zealand each took over 

 $1,300,000 worth of American rubber goods, and the Philippines 

 $2,300,000. Preferential taritTs in the British colonies, strongly 

 favoring goods from Great Britain, have been put in force in 



each. Imports of tires in Australia fell from $1,144,405 in 1918 

 to $751,584 in 1919, while in New Zealand they rose to $1,023,807 

 from $950,985; in the Philippines the imports of tires were $1,- 

 372,544 against $982,224 the year before. There was a marked 

 diminution nf more than half in belting for Australia, while 

 rubber shoes, and druggists' supplies increased. In New Zealand 

 the increase in belting and rul)lier boots was marked. With the 

 British absorption of German Oceania and the elimination of the 

 Philippines, the Oceanian statistics will refer almost exclusively 

 to British possessions. 



Exports to Africa rose in 1919 to $1,676,014 from $1,391,530 in 

 1918, over three quarters, $1,294,798 worth, going to British South 

 Africa, which seems to have become a steady and permanent 

 customer for American goods. It took automobile tires to the 

 amount of $479,934, as against $591,378 in 1918; l)elting worth 

 $564,972, instead of $472,235, and miscellaneous rubber goods to 

 the amount of $136,183, instead of $75,435. British West .Africa 

 took $122,940 worth of tires as compared with $43,948 in 1918. 

 It may be noted that British East .\frica took $32,000, French 

 Africa $28,000 and Portuguese Africa $25,000 of American tires 

 in 1919. Belting to the amount of $70,000 to the Belgian Congo 

 seems to be an isolated case, but the $50,000 of belting that went 

 to Portuguese Africa follows on $64,000 sent the year before. 



The succeeding extracts from the tariffs of the principal coun- 

 tries of Europe show the competition to which rubber manu- 

 facturers of the United States are subject under existing tariflF 

 conditions. Owing to frequent tariiif changes the figures and 

 information given below should he periodically verified and 

 small trial shipments made to test the rates. 



