Washington, Dec. 15.
Trade between the United. States and the Far East set a new high {igure for the year of 1929, according to figures now available to the Far Eastern Section, United States Department of Commerce. Complete reports upon which to base total definite figures will not be received from the interior sections of China and other of the more isolated parts of the Far East until well into 1930, but the preliminary figures show that the year's total will be well above that of 1928, 'The percentage gain is expected to be below that of the previous year, but any gain at all would have been considered as satisfactory for 1929, according to department officials, because of various unsatisfactory' conditions throughout the year.
The general effect of Japan's retrenchment policy the continued uncertainties in China's trade due to internal disturbances, the irregular requirements of India and Australia, combined with fluctuating price tendencies in some American staples, would have resulted in a decrease instead of an increase in the year's figures had not the general underlying basis of the United States-Faz East trade been so well established, The Department bases its Far East trade reports on the business th 15 countries, provinces or cities. These are, named in the will be about 6 or 8 per cent. abovs the figure for 1928, and that the Far East will have' absorbed approximately 16 per cent. of the. United States total imports. The general Japanese retrenchment po-hey caused the large decrease in her buying of American products, e3- pecially of cotton and cotton pro-duets and. machinery. Completa figures for Japan are available f7e only nine months at the present time. The total for her importation of American products for the first nine months of 1929 was $172,- 174,000 compared with $183,909,000, for the same period in 1928.
Total figures for China also can only be given for nine months. The 1929 total was $93,280,000, compar-to $90,029,000 for the first nine months of the previous yea China's buying fluctuated throughout the year. During the early months of the year she bought heavily for the replenishment of markets in several staple products, only to show considerable decreases in the purchasing of the same pro duets later in the year.
This was particularly true of leat tobacco, one of China's large imports from the United States, Tobacco buyers placed heavy aniers near the close of 1928 so as to avoid a higher tariff duty. effective Inst February, and thus decreasing the 1920 buying. In this connection, it is noted that China is raising more of her own tobacco and steadily me Mr, Edward Kann Frowns on Silly Rumour-Mongers
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.