— 12 — 



able to get much of a footing in household-soaps, of which Britain and 

 France supply large quantities. The selling prices of toilet-soaps run 

 chiefly from 6 d. to 6/- per dozen cakes. There is a good market for 

 glycerine soap, ordinary coal-tar soap and medicated tar-soap. In these 

 varieties the German soaps are the most popular, but Italy has lately 

 made strong efforts to gain the market, especially in tar-soaps. The better 

 grades of soap are put up in parchment paper, tinfoil and coloured paper; 

 the cheaper, wrapped up in paper, are packed loose in boxes and the more 

 expensive kinds in handsome cardboard-boxes holding V 4 dozen. The usual 

 terms of payment are cash against B/L with from 2 to 5% discount, or 

 against 3 months' acceptance, but the term of credit is often exceeded. 



The improvement in the commercial condition of Egypt has continued 

 during the time under review, and the business in our articles of manu- 

 facture has shared therein, although the tendency to buy "cheaply" has 

 at times made the sale of such qualities as we are in the habit of supplying 

 very difficult indeed. The German Consulate in Cairo has published a 

 few hints on the export of toilet-articles to Egypt 1 ) which we reproduce 

 textually for the benefit of those of our readers who are interested in the 

 manufacture of perfumes. In the better classes of soap, it is stated, 

 imports from Germany show a slight decline (2074 £E in 1910, against 

 2556 £E in 1909), but in perfumery there has been an increase from this 

 quarter (8341 £E in 1910 against 4687 £E in 1909). In the trade in fine 

 soaps, Britain and Austria are ahead of Germany, and in perfumes France 

 has a long lead. It is about 25 years ago since German manufacturers 

 began to cater for the Egyptian market, and gradually their success be- 

 came more pronounced until it reached its highest point in the years 1903 

 and 1904, after which, by degrees, German commerce gave way to that 

 of other countries. In view of the fact that both the native Egyptians 

 and the Levantines are very partial to perfumery, and considering further 

 that some of the leading perfumery-shops in Cairo and other towns are 

 owned by Germans, an effort should be made to gain a fresh footing in 

 this business. 



Our New York branch-house reports as follows on the state of trade 

 in North America: — 



"A characteristic feature of business in the United States in the summer 

 of 1911 has again been the regular increase in the sales in all the multifarious 

 branches of our business, and not only in those articles which must be 

 regarded as special season-goods, such as for instance the materials for 

 "soda fountain" and other "soff'-drinks, which are always largely in demand 

 in the summer. This fact alone explains that our sales during some of 

 the summer-months have been actually higher than those of the corre- 

 sponding winter-months. Generally speaking the trend of business has been 



!) Nachrichten f. Handel u. Industrie 79 (1911). 



