8 Report of Schimmel $ Co. April 1913. 



have combined to advance by 5 p. c. all round, as from January 1 st , 1913, the prices 

 of soaps, perfumes, tooth-pastes, cosmetics, §c. 



The provisional statistics relating to the foreign trade of the Monarchy 1 ), which 

 have just been published, show an increase in the value of imports of 295,3 million 

 Kronen (the total being 3487,2 million Kronen), and those of the exports of 257,6 million 

 Kronen (the total being 2661,9 million Kronen). The total turnover, therefore, advanced 

 in round figures by 553 million Kronen, and the aggregate exceeded 6000 million Kronen. 

 As the increase in the imports exceeds that of the exports by 37,7 million Kronen, 

 the excess of imports over exports for the year shows a further growth to this amount, 

 and is now 825,3 million Kronen as compared with 787,4 million Kronen in the year 1911. 

 The Ministry of Commerce, however, points out that the figures for the year 1912 are 

 only provisional, and that in estimating the values for that year the prices of the year 

 1911 have generally speaking been taken as a preliminary basis, with the exception of 

 a few important articles to which the new scale of prices for 1912 has already been 

 applied. Moreover, the figures at present published refer merely to "special" trade, and 

 it is quite possible that when the totals relating to the industry of finished articles 

 (which every year shows a not inconsiderable balance on the export side) are available, 

 the commercial balance of the Empire may appear in a somewhat more favourable light. 



The import- and export-values of the three principal divisions of commercial com- 

 modities, as compared with the previous year, are as follows: — 



Imports Exports 



Millions of Kronen 



1912 comp. with 1911 1912 comp. with 1911 



Raw materials .... 1963,8 + 132,7 960,0 -f 142,4 



Semi-manufactures . . . 567,1 + 82,4 505,0 + 44,1 



Finished manufactures . 956,4+ 80,4 1196,8+ 71,1 



It will be observed that in each of these three divisions there has been an increase, 

 both in imports and exports. In the case of raw materials the increase in exports 

 exceeds that of the imports, whereas in the case of semi-manufactures and of finished 

 articles the rate of increase of imports continues to be greater than that of exports. 

 If a balance is struck in the three divisions, it will be seen that the traffic in raw 

 materials shows an excess of imports over exports of more than 1000 million Kronen; 

 whereas that in semi-manufactures shows a surplus of imports of, say, 52 million Kronen, 

 the traffic in finished manufactures alone exhibiting an excess of exports over imports, 

 to the extent of 240 million Kronen in round figures. Taking the commercial balance 

 all round, therefore, the great excess of imports over exports continues to be due 

 principally to the excess of imports of raw materials. 



The sale of our productions to France has made another considerable step in 

 advance during in the past year, especially in the winter months. We see in this 

 fact a welcome proof that the systematic outcry against German manufactures which 

 has lately been raised in the chauvinistic press of our Western neighbours is not 

 approved in those circles which are our criterion for estimating the state of our 

 relations with the Republic. Far be it from us to maintain that our German news- 

 papers are free from the besetting sin of jingoism, but it is a fact that, especially 

 quite recently, French press-attacks upon Germany have reached an extreme which any 

 impartial reader, no matter what may be his nationality, must admit to be unworthy 

 of the press of a civilised people. The recently-published returns of the French Customs 



L ) Handelsmuseam, XXVIII, 6. 



