First half of 1933 import trade reviewed

Media

Part of The American Chamber of Commerce Journal

Title: First half of 1933 import trade reviewed
Creator: Hester, E. D.
Language: English
Source: The American Chamber of Commerce Journal Volume XIII (Issue No.9) September 1933
Year: 1933
Rights
Fulltext: 14 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL September, 1933 First Half of 1933 Import Trade Reviewed By E. D. Hester, American Trade Commissioner Philippine overseas trade during the first calendar semester of 1933 was 1*121,811,422 exports and P71,860,132 imports. Compared with the January to June totals, 1932, exports were up about 16 per cent and imports were off in nearly the same proportion. Comparing the two semesters, the net effect was an increase in the overall visible balance from about P21,000,000 to nearly 1*50,000,000—a very wholesome development in the face of depressed price levels in export commodities. Chief customer of the Philippines was the United States, taking over 90 per cent of all exports, Pl 10,371,229 in amount, which is 2 per cent more in share and 20 per cent more in pesos than were the relative figures for January to June, last year. The reciprocal character of trade between the two countries was lessened in degree through declines in both share and amount of Philippine imports of American goods. For the first semester 1933 these imports were valued at P43,140,304 or 60 percent of all In sular overseas purchases and for the first half, 1932, at P55,549,901 or 65 per cent of the total. Thus on the American side the share declined 5 per cent and the amount 20 per cent. The Philippines-Japan record was altogether favorable to the latter. Japan purchased P2,531,019 worth of Philippine goods against P3,156,633 and sold to the Islands P8,243,870 against P6,407,748—thus increasing her dollarsand-cents advantage in value of commodity exchanges. Imports from all other countries except from Australia declined. Exports either declined or were unchanged except to China, France and Belgium, where limited increases occurred. Philippine overseas trade, in millions of pesos, by countries, January to June, 1933 and 1932: European: Belgium................................... Germany................................. &Br.ta,n Other European countries*. European balance............ Other foreign balance.............. Total foreign balance.............. United States balance............ OvERBEAB ThaIIE BALANCE... * Includes Canada. Import values The loss in value of imports was fairly well distributed through the various major commo dity groups. Arrivals of footwear ordered in anticipation of increased customs duties brought their import value up nearly a third. All other groups snowed declines ranging from 9 per cent in foodstuffs to nearly 50 per cent in tobacco products, the latter due in part to competition of locally manufactured blended type with standard marks of American cigarettes. The Philippine Customhouse does not report sources or quantities of imports (except for textiles and automotives) until the year's end, but the trade is convinced that much lower prices caused greater losses in values than in quantities in most categories. Value of Philippine imports, January to June, >32 and 1933, in pesos: January to June 1933 1932 Textiles....................................... Cotton piece goods.............. Cotton manufactures (a).. Silk piece goods................... Itayon piece goods.............. Silk and rayon manufacWool and manufactures. . . Vegetable fibers and manu factures ............................. Country . January to June Imports Exports 193 3 1932 1933 1932 19,931,960 9,868.282 5.451,920 831.944 837.387 23,300,452 12,068.404 5,781,734 703,375 879,185 848,861 1,275,934 295,628 368,235 1,797,938 2,223,585 U. S. and Possessions. . Japan................................. China................................. Germany........................... Great Britain................... British East Indies........ Netherlands East Indies. Breadatuffs........................... Wheat flour..................... Other breadstuffs............ Dairy products.................... Eggs, natural....................... Fish and fish products........ Meat products..................... Vegetables, fresh and pre served................................ Other foodstuffs (b).......... 13,270,172 3,514,076 (1,905,271) (1,048,478) ( 560,327) 2,477,278 479,168 1,035,820 1,294,014 1,283,584 14,610,032 3,732,207 (2,763,333) ( 434,868) ( 534,006) 2,904,425 833,891 1,025,280 1,266,519 1,623,771 1,612,320 1,573,912 1,518,579 1,705,360 French East Indies........ Australia........................... Belgium............................. Other countries............... Iron and steel goods (c)........ 5,261,588 6,660,366 Total............................. 71.9 84.8 121.8 105.6 Petroleum produets.................. Crude..................................... Gasoline................................. Kerosene............................... Lubricating........................... 2,690,494 961,483 441,250 1,762,430 3,165,232 1,245,617 679,567 As usual the Philippines turned in negative visible accounts with all oriental countries, in fact with all foreign countries except small pluses with Spain (approx. P2,100,000) and France (approx. 1*500,000). The total unfavorable visible balance with foreign countries was over 1*17,000,000. But, in trade with the United States, the Philippines profited greatly, yielding a favorable return exceeding 1*67,000,000, sufficient to wipe out the trade losses in all other areas and leave some 1*50,000,000 net gain from which the invisible negatives were settled and from which all economic advancement was derived. It is significant to note that the favor able balance in these six months was about equal to the Insular Government’s budget for the year. Visible balance of Philippine overseas trade, in millions of pesos, January to June 1933 and 1932: Machinery................................. 4,741,193 Agricultural implements... 158,189 Electrical machinery (d).. . 1,723,053 Industrial machinery (c)... 2,590,455 Instruments and appa ratus (f)............................ 269,496 Chemicals and products.......... Chemicals, drugs, dyes and medicines.......................... Explosives............................ Fertilizers (g)...................... Paints, pigments and var nishes................................. Perfumery and cosmetics. . 4.928,701 1,872,132 379,901 1,527,752 557,960 590,956 514,445 860,864 cars. Trucks................................... Motor cycles........................ Parts and accessories........ Tires....................................... 2,513,562 977,078 1,536,484 597,407 6,506,825 95,652 2,593,052 3,341,427 476,694 5,638,779 2,105,703 273,155 1,881,366 629,121 749,434 3,990,633 1,531,716 991,884 546 688,820 777,667 Oriental: Australia............................. British East Indies.......... French East Indies.......... Netherlands East Indies. Other oriental countries.. 1,504.532 2,934.559 997,188 1,937,371 829,760 2,892,994 707,724 528,573 156,506 22,645 Cotton cloth imports Cotton piece goods constitutes by^ all odds the largest of Philippine imports and the Islands are the greatest export market for American textile factories, and require ‘the cultivation of more than 200,000 acres of cotton land to produce the raw fiber for their cloth. But, in spite of record low prices per yard, the cumu lative effect of three consecutive years of lessened purchasing power especially in upcountry dis tricts told heavily on consumption. The im ports, over 57,000,000 square meters at nearly 1*10,000,000, were 14 per cent less in amour)', and 18 per cent less in value than for January to June, 1932. Losses in grey goods and prints and the gain in dyed goods (which includes both dyed-in-the-piece and woven of dyed yarns) were very slight while bleached goods was tjown over 40 per cent both in yardage and declared value. Considering the four classes, American cloth held a larger fraction of the totals in unbleached and dyed, about the same position in prints, but a less share in bleached. Japan, chief competitor in each class, gained relatively in bleached and prints, held up in dyed, and was down in unbleached. Quantity, value, and source of Philippine cotton cloth imports, January to June, 1932 and 1933: Jan. to June, Jan. to June, 1933 1932 Unbleached' United States.. . . Japan..................... China.................... Others................... Total................. 1000 of pesos 5,722 101 83 17 747 37 23 2 5,923 644 6,805 809 Bleached United States.. . . 9,250 Japan..................... 1,017 Switzerland.......... 959 Great Britain.... 743 China.................... 106 Others................... 16 Total................. Dyed and iroren of dyed yarns United States.. . . Japan.................... Great Britain.. . . Switzerland.......... Others................... Total................. United States.. . . Switzerland.......... Great Britain. . . . Others................... Total................. 1.532 178 212 193 16 3,032 151 278 38 3 12,091 2,137 20,601 3,913 18,842 4,785 677 362 77 25,905 4,753 24,416 4,595 10,087 3,081 142 94 8 1,738 10,830 532 3,259 34 409 24 150 2,157 429 127 32 13,412 2,330 14,673 2,751 Silk and rayon cloth imports Both silk and rayon piecegoods registered increases in yardage and decreases in values. The gain in silks was altogether for the American and Chinese shares and Japan lost in ratio. In rayons the increases were heavier and almost entirely in the Japanese brae ket. Quantity, value, and source of Philippine silk and rayon cloth imports, January to June, 1932 and 1933: Jan. to June, Jan. to June, 1933 1932 Silk United States.. Total................. Rayon United States.. . . Japan.................... 1000 sy. 192 486 1000 of 142 248 310 3 1,257 832 1,083 703 Total................. 3,495 837 3,372 879 (a) Except cotton shoes. (b) Includes cocoa, coffee, confectionery, starch, sugar, (e) Includes hardware, cutlery and tools. (d) Includes electrical apparatus an'd appliances. (c) Includes rice threshers and mills, sugar central and oil-expresser machinery, and tractors. (f) All non-cleclrical instruments and apparatus. (g) Chemical and natural. (h) Includes books. (Please turn to page 16) Oriental balance. -15.1 -13.2 Total Imports..................... 71,860,132 84,846,660 16 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL September, 1933 Pan-American Airways Would Extend Service Here Bulletin Photo Landing at Manila Foreground, Assistant Pilot William Ehmer; standing, Pilot W. S. Grooch; cockpit, in front of Photographer Claudio of TVT, M. H. Bixby. PHILIPPINE • NATIONAL • BANK ALBAY ANTIQUE CAMARINES SUR CAGAYAN CAPIZ CAVITE CEBU SULU This bank has “acquired properties" for sale in the following provinces: DAVAO ILOCOS NORTE ISABELA LAGUNA LA UNION LEYTE MANILA TARLAC ZAMBOANGA MINDORO NUEVA ECIJA NEGROS OCC. NEGROS OR. PANGASINAN RIZAL SORSOGON TAYABAS These properties are mostly agricultural lands, and the Bank is willing to sell them on instalments covering periods up to ten years. INTERESTED PARTIES MAY APPLY TO — the branches of this Bank at: BACOLOD, OCC. NEGROS, CABANATUAN, NUEVA ECIJA, CEBU, DAVAO, ILOILO, TARLAC, LEGASPI, ALBAY, and LUCENA, TAYABAS You may also apply to Provincial Treasurers, most of whom are agents of this Bank. PHILIPPINE • NATIONAL • BANK ESCOLTA MANILA, P. I. In August Vice-President M. H. Bixby of Pan-American Airways, in a Sikorsky/seaplane with Pilot W. S. Grooch and Assistant Pilot William Ehmer, flew to the Philippines from Hongkong and undertook an exploration of the field here for a commercial airline between Luzon and China. Before leaving Manila on the return trip to Hongkong, Sunday, Sep tember 3, Bixby had made application to the Philippine legislature for the franchise for this project, which he had determined would be feasible if the necessary support should be forth coming. In conjunction with the Chinese National Airways this company is operating a line of airplanes on schedule 1600 miles up the Yangtze river in China, daily trips between Hankow and Shanghai. Public response has been remarkable, Bixby says, no doubt largely on acCUttat of the mail advantages, so the line is already on a paying basis. If a mail subsidy can be procured here, for mails between the United States and the Philippines especially, Bixby says schedules can be arranged in conjunction with steamships that will effect a 12-day time between Manila and San Francisco, about half the time of the steamship schedules now. On such details the plan depends. There would be every advantage in a mail schedule of 12 days between Manila and the Pacific coast of America. The Bixby proposal brought another, from Dutch interests, for a line between Manila and Singapore or Batavia connecting with the Dutch company’s air service to Europe. The Iloilo-Negros Air Express run ning an air taxi service between Iloilo and Negros and making semiweekly trips between Iloilo and Manila nas surveyed the field for extending its service to Cebu and Zamboanga and also to Batavia, this flight to connect pas sengers with Europe by the Dutch line of air planes from Batavia. The Bixby flight from Hongkong to Manila via Lingayen gulf was highly noteworthy in the records of aviation here, the more so as it was undertaken in every-day manner without the blare of much publicity. Landing was made at Lingayen gulf and Santiago point tentatively chosen as a regular landing place; in the same vicinity are other possible landing places, im portant from the refueling standpoint. Base stations at Manila may be either Bacoor bay at Cavite, during much of the year, or Laguna de Bay; and passengers and mail may be landed and taken on at Admiral’s landing opposite the Manila hotel. By using some point at Lingayen gulf as a way station for refueling, 300 pounds more of pay load may be carried. Pan-American Airways is not a manufacturing company, but strictly an operating company free to buy whatever planes it prefers. Bixby said that for the China-Manila run seaplanes with cruising economical speed of 150 miles an hour would be advisable, and that such planes could now be obtained. The Sikorsky used for the pioneer flight cruises economically at 110 miles an hour. The faster plane ought to make the crossing Hongkong-Santiago Point in less than 4 hours, possibly in 3-1/2 hours. (The marine distance between Manila and Hongkong is 635 nautical miles, and between Manila and Linga yen 110 nautical miles). Passengers landed at Lingayen might go directly to Baguio before visiting Manila, and passengers leaving the islands might embark at Lingayen. Unques tionably there would be some desirable develop ment of Lingayen as a hotel point. First Half of 1933 . . . (Continued from page 14) A utomotive imports For the first time in the Philippines, American motor equipment was forced to snare the market with cars of foreign make. More than a fourth of the total number of passenger units imported during the period were of European manufac ture. This was due entirely to the introduction of various “bantam” types for use as “ten and five centavo” taxis, a new system of transporta tion which is rapidly supplanting the two-wneeled horse-drawn traditional calesa in Manila. The business was encouraged by a liberal franchise IN RESPONDING TO ADVERTISEMENTS PLEASE MENTION THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL September, 1933 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL 17 policy adopted by the Philippine Public Service Commiision. To a considerable extent the foreign ^'bantams” were not in actual competi tion with American cars but had created their own new market, one which United States exporters were1 not prepared to seize. There have recently been sola a number of a new “near-bantam” model of American manufacture which is reported superior to the smaller Euro pean type for cheap taxi service and very accept able both to operators and passengers. Cars for private use numbered about 800 and this figure is the more comparative with the 1,140 of Vhe first semester 1932. In trucks, foreign competition, also a new feature, was limited to aiesel-engined models from Germany. With the development of similar equipment by United States manufacturers-^tkapcompetition should be checked. “Motorcycles continued without general accep tation in the Philippines, those imported being principally for Government or other special uses. The quantity as well as the American share in auto parts declined. Parts from Great Britain and Germany followed the sales of their “bantam” cars, while the increased imports from Japan represented general competition in selected lines of parts. The tire business was exceptionally good considering declines in cars and trucks. The United States dropped slightly in its share due to growing competition from Japan. The only other feature was the re-appearance of British and French tires, however, in very limited quan tity. Number, value and source of Philippine auto motive imports, January to June, 1932 and 1933: Passenger cai United Sti Germany.''. Italy.......... Singapore.. Jan. to Ju 1932 .V umber Pe ACETYLENE Dissolved Acetylene for all purposes HYDROGEN Compressed Hydrogen 99.8% pure OXYGEN Compressed Oxygen 99.5% pure WELDING Fully Equip ped Oxy-Ace tylene Weld ing Shops. 'BATTERIES Prest-O-Lite • Electric Stor age Batteries Philippine Acetylene Co. 281 CALLE CRISTOBAL, PACO MANILA, P. I. Trucks United States.......... 649 708,513 809 991,884 Germany................... 7 8,104 Japan......................... 1 304 Total..................... Motorcycles United States.......... Italy........................... 657 716,921 809 991,884 7 3,715 2 410 2 42 1 688 1 104 1 136 Total..................... 11 4,549 3 546 Parts for autos United States.......... 487,422 675,576 11,326 6,783 8,617 5,955 35 Total..................... 860,864 777,667 Great Britain.......... Germany................... 5.169 600 When overcome by fatigue... A Glass of Italy........................... Canada...................... China......................... Singapore.................. Australia................... Total..................... Tires for autos United States.......... Japan......................... Canada...................... Great Britain.......... France....................... Dutch East Indies. Australia................... Singapore.................. 742 241 131 11 514,445 787,803 748,625 56,359 18,599 8,605 8,167 7,866 171 60 697 1,504 75 Mineral Water will* quickly restore your pep and energy Take a glass after meals! Nothing Better For your digestion/ IN RESPONDING TO ADVERTISEMENTS PLEASE MENTION THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL
pages: 14, 16-17