Table 51.-Principal Commodities in Trade of the United States With British South Africa-Continued 1 Not shown separately. 1,000 lb. 8,347 4,471 12, 918 28 450 495 1,226 1,469 152 55 410 362 882 852 2 Figures for 1929 and 1932 have not been adjusted for minor transfers in classifications of later years. Household refrigerators only. Less than 500. BRITISH WEST AFRICA Gross weight. United States imports from British West Africa (Nigeria, Gold Coast, Sierre Leone, and Gambia) regularly exceed in value our merchandise exports to those Colonies. In 1938, general imports amounted to $11,409,000 and exports to $5,369,000-both appreciably smaller figures, however, than in 1937. United States purchases of cocoa in British West Africa were greatly curtailed in 1938, principally because native farmers in the Gold Coast held back (as a result of disagreements over marketing arrangements) the major 1937 cocoa crop from marketing channels until the spring of 1938. In the preceding year the United States purchased an unusually large amount of cocoa as well as large quantities of other West African products, including palm oil, goat and kid skins, and manganese ore. Whereas British West Africa is usually the chief supplier of cocoa imported into the United States, one-fourth less cocoa was imported from that area in 1938 than from Brazil, which generally holds second place as a source of this important import. Principal United States exports to British West Africa include automobiles, mineral oils, tobacco, and wheat flour, all of which increased in value in 1937 and declined in 1938. The rise in price during 1937 and the subsequent decline in 1938 were important factors in the change in the values of flour and tobacco. In terms of quantity, the exports of both flour and tobacco varied only moderately in 1937 as compared with 1936, but both showed decreases in quantity and value in 1938. The exports of box shooks, a trade that has developed in recent years in connection with the retail distribution of mineral oils in West Africa, showed a smaller percentage decrease in 1938 than that shown by the other principal items. MILLIONS OF DOLLARS (Logarithmic Scale) 40 20 4 DD.9171 1901-1905 1906-1910 1911-1915 1916-1920 1921-1925 1926-1930 1931-1935 1936-19401 Figure 38.—Trade of the United States With British West Africa (Not Reported Separately 1901-02). Table 52.-Principal Commodities in Trade of the United States With British West Africa NOTE.-Data for individual export items include only United States products. Import commodities are "general imports" in 1929 and 1932; "imports for consumption" in 1937 and 1938. 3 Not shown separately. 2 Figures for 1929 and 1932 have not been adjusted for minor transfers in classifications of later years. EGYPT Exports from the United States to Egypt, valued at $13,317,000, declined only slightly in 1938 as compared with 1937. While exports of some commodities, including motortrucks, passenger automobiles, lubricating oil, and wheat flour, were smaller in 1938 than in 1937, exports of unmanufactured tobacco, cigarettes, industrial machinery, and fertilizers showed increases. Other exports, including fruit, iron and steel, automobile parts for replacement, and agricultural machinery, reached approximately the same values in 1938 as in 1937. United States imports from Egypt of all principal commodities were substantially smaller in 1938 in both quantity and in value, than in 1937. The value of imports of long-staple cotton declined by slightly more than one-half, while imports of hides and skins, 1901-1905 1906-1910 | 1911-1915 |1916-1920|1921-1925 | 1926-1930 1931-1935 1936-1940| Figure 39.-Trade of the United States With Egypt. D.D.9169 cottonseed oil, and carpet wool were reduced by even larger percentages. Total imports for consumption from Egypt decreased 60 percent in value from $13,297,000 in 1937 to $5,274,000 in 1938. Table 53.-Principal Commodities in Trade of the United States With Egypt NOTE. Data for individual export items include only United States products. Import commodities are "general imports" in 1929 and 1932 and "imports for consumption" in 1937 and 1938. Table 53.-Principal Commodities in Trade of the United States With Egypt—Con. 1 Figures for 1929 and 1932 have not been adjusted for minor transfers in classifications of later years. 2 Not shown separately. OTHER AFRICA Belgian Congo.-Exports from the United States to Belgian Congo, which are always relatively small, amounted to $1,875,000 in 1938, as compared with $2,270,000 in 1937. As usual, automobiles, machinery, and mineral oils made up the major part of the exports in 1938, though shipments of each of these items were smaller in quantity and in value than in 1937. The statistics for principal exports in 1938, with 1937 figures in parentheses, were as follows: Automobiles, 'including parts and accessories, valued at $912,000 ($1,138,000), of which motor trucks and busses were 770 units at $497,000 (1,215 units, $675,000) and passenger automobiles 401 units at $269,000 (581 units, $337,000); machinery at $447,000 ($571,000 in 1937); refined mineral oils, 16,879 barrels at $153,000 (22,284 barrels, $213,000), of which lubricating oil represented 10,911 barrels at $122,000 (14,448 barrels, $170,000); and wheat flour, 15,721 barrels at $86,743 (11,947 barrels, $91,180). Total imports (for consumption) from Belgian Congo decreased in value from $2,556,000 in 1937 to $1,555,000 in 1938. Imports of palm oil amounted to 27,074,000 pounds valued at $784,000 (50,275,000 pounds, $2,149,000 in 1937); coffee, 5,178,000 pounds at $480,000 (nil in 1937); glaziers', engravers', and miners' diamonds, 94,634 carats at $205,000 (33,673 carats, $95,000 in 1937); and tin, 167,000 pounds at $77,000 (426,000 pounds, $246,000 in 1937). British East Africa.-Principally as a result of increased purchases of sisal fiber and pyrethrum flowers, the value of total imports for consumption from British East Africa increased from $4,732,000 in 1937 to $5,528,000 in 1938. British East Africa supplied nearly one-fifth of United States imports of the insect flowers, a much larger share than in other recent years, though Japan continued to be the major supplier. The principal commodities in the 1938 imports, named in order of value, were as follows: Sisal and henequen fiber, 24,390 tons valued at $2,360,000 (14,401 tons, $1,719,000 in 1937); coffee, 25,170,000 pounds at $1,512,000 (20,670,000 pounds, $1,630,000 in 1937); pyrethrum flowers, 2,864,000 pounds at $619,000 (1,423,000 pounds, $139,000 in 1937); goat and kid skins, 916,000 pounds at $252,000 (677,000 pounds at $283,000 in 1937); unground cloves, 2,009,000 pounds at $237,000 (1,834,000 pounds, $232,000 in 1937); and ivory tusks, 51,849 pounds at $115,000 (24,958 pounds, $75,000 in 1937). Exports to British East Africa decreased from a value of $5,138,000 in 1937 to $3,760,000 in 1938. Principal commodities in the 1938 trade were automobiles, including parts and accessories, valued at $1,198,000 ($1,980,000 in 1937), of which motor trucks and busses represented 950 units valued at $579,000 (1,844 units, $1,079,000 in 1937) and passenger cars, 606 units at $436,000 (966 units, $658,000 in 1937); machinery, $819,000 ($658,000 in 1937), of which tractors and parts were $354,000 ($221,000 in 1937); refined mineral oils, 74,195 barrels at $468,000 (282,445 barrels, $1,118,000 in 1937); metals and metal manufactures, $260,000 ($373,000 in 1937); textile manufactures at $122,000 ($189,000 in 1937); chemicals and related products, $122,000 ($124,000 in 1937); and rubber manufactures at $105,000 ($90,000 in 1937). Algeria and Tunisia.-Exports from the United States to Algeria and Tunisia increased 8 percent from a value of $3,828,000 in 1937 to $4,118,000 in 1938. Making up this total were machinery and vehicles valued at $2,428,000 ($2,532,000 in 1937), of which tractors and parts amounted to $1,254,000 ($1,388,000 in 1937); cooperage staves, 1,003,000 units valued at $332,000 (673,000 units, $192,000 in 1937); metals and metal manufactures, $331,000 ($40,576 in 1937); refined mineral oils, $264,000 ($362,000 in 1937); crude sulphur, 14,057 tons at $262,000 (10,502 tons, $174,000 in 1937); unmanufactured tobacco, 1,653,000 pounds at $159,000 (1,158,000 pounds, $111,000 in 1937); and all other articles, $342,000 ($416,000 in 1937). United States imports for consumption from Algeria and Tunisia decreased slightly in value (from $4,655,000 in 1937 to $4,326,000 in 1938). The increase in our imports of olive oil, though large, was not quite sufficient to counterbalance the decline recorded for imports of cork. Algeria and Tunisia provided a much larger proportion of our imports of inedible olive oil in 1938 as compared with 1937, as well as a part of our increased imports of the edible grades. Statistics for principal imports in 1938, with 1937 figures in parentheses, were as follows: Olive oil, edible, 9,469,000 pounds, $1,156,000 (2,653,000 pounds, $434,000); cork and cork manufactures, $757,000 ($1,661,000); crude argols, tartar, and wine lees, 7,485,000 pounds, $524,000 (4,032,000 pounds, $256,000); and goat and kid skins, 1,225,000 pieces, $424,000 (1,769,000 pieces, $937,000). Madagascar and other French Africa.-United States exports to Madagascar and to French Africa not on the Mediterranian declined from a value of $7,115,000 in 1937 to $4,331,000 in 1938, while imports for consumption were down from $6,013,000 in 1937 to $3,852,000. |