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kilogramries in the import of artificial silk floss and yarn and from $769,562 to $4,938,525 in arrivals of artificial silk piece-goods was attributed to the reduction in duty and the cessation of smuggling. The increased value of metals and ores from $13.3 million to $16.5 million was due more to an increase in price than to a bigger volume of trade. With a building boom, demand for structural steel was especially firm, but owing to high prices domestic materials were used wherever possible. Imports of machinery and tools reached an unprecedentedly high figure, many types of mining and agricultural machinery being granted examption from duty. Textile machinery and parts imported were valued at $7.3 million, an increase of over 100 per cent, heavy shipments being destined for the new Japanese cotton mills now under construction. The import of locomotives and tenders and railway and tramway carriages and wagons declined to negligible quantities. Motor trucks and cars, on
the other hand, showed substantial increases, the former advancing from 469 to 756 units and the latter from 234 to 299 units. Under miscellaneous metal manufactures, electric bulbs, practically entirely from Japan, increased in number from 83,360 to 2,533,156 pieces. Electric cable and insulated electric wire also increased, while the import of radio and parts nearly double. An embargo in July on the import of all kinds of wireless apparatus and materials was later modified to allow the import of receiving sets with a capacity of from 550 to 1,500 kilocycles. Fishery and -sea products reached the record value of $2.3 million as compared with $0.5 million in 1937, Japan supplying 87 per cent. Import of tea increased from 10,178 to 846,551 kilogrammes, of which 836,949 kilogrammes came from Japan. Imports of sugar, which in 1936 totalled only 19,043 quintals, rose to 484,074 quintals, Japan being the chief importer of refined sugar, with the trade in other varieties about equally divided between Netherlands India and Japan. Chemicals formerly supplied from Europe are now almost exclusively derived from Japan. Among the principal items in this group is sulphate of ammonia, which increased from 111,979 to 158.569 quintals, of which Germany contributed 53,876 quintals, Japan 49,048 quintals, Great Britain 39,982 quintals, and the Kwantung Leased Territory 11,099 quintals. In 1937 over 80 per cent of the business was shared between Great Britain and Germany. Imports of soda ash totalled 81,509 quintals, supplies from Great Britain falling from 95,292 to 50,200 quintals, with those from Japan increasing from 32 to 22,727 quintals. Shipment from Japan of mixed fertilisers virtually monopolised the trade. Prices of dyestuffs were comparetively high, and in many instances imports showed a much greater gain in value than in quantity. Aniline and other coal tar dyes increased in value, Germany being the leading importer, with Japan increasing her share nearly fourfold. Artificial indigo imported. totalled 758,756 kilogrammes as against 551,918 kilogrammes, but sulphur black failed to maintain the preceding year's level. Actual consumption of aniline dyes during the year was on the whole below normal, conditions in
up-country consuming districts being far from peaceful bonditions tanning
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materials, however, maintained their position. Unsettled conditions in the interior with the consequent interruption of communications caused considerable drop in the consumption of kerosene oil; imports, however, stood at 74,306, 374 litres as compared with 44,922,144 litres in 1937 and 77,246,549 litres in 1936, the decline in smuggling accounting for a greater total of legitimate importations, while a new feature has been the influx of kerosene from Japan and Korea, totalling respectively 6,910,737 litres and 2,481,832 litres. Gasolene, naphtha and benzine imports totalled 12,513,858 litres as compared with 11,855,219 litres in 1937 and 12,230,929 litres in 1936. British and American importers suffered from the fact that transportation in areas under Japanese occupation was controlled by the Japanese and the gasolene consumed by the various motor-bus companies. was mainly obtained from Japanese sources. Import of liquid fuel and lubricating oil totalling 3,697,223 litres, of which 1,826,701 litres came from America, with 1,233,202 litres and 485,226 litres from Japan and the Kwantung Leased Territory respectively. Japanese paper products continued to dominate the market. Imports of timber