Reference to previous Report, Annual Series No. 5140.

Report on the Trade, Commerce and Industries of the Consular District of Rouen for the Year 1913

By MR. ACTING CONSUL-GENERAL E. W. TAYLOR.

Port of Rouen. General trade.-The year 1913 showed the largest tonnage of imports yet known in the history of the port, the importations and exportations together reaching, according to statistics furnished by the harbour office, 5,597,608 tons, an increase over 1912 of 840,367 tons, the largest increase over any year for the past five years.

Imports. The imports during 1913 amounted to 5,147,746 tons, as against 4,293,508 tons in 1912. The export tonnage, which is always small at Rouen, in 1912 amounted to 463,733 tons, decreasing in 1913 to 449,862 tons.

Coal.-2,880,960 tons of coal were imported through Rouen in 1913, as against 2,257,287 tons in 1912, the increase in arrivals being mostly from the United Kingdom. It should, however, be remembered that there was a falling-off in the arrivals in 1912 due to the strikes in the coal trade. Of the total coal imports, 223,606 tons were anthracite.

The following table shows the coal supply for this district for the four years 1910-13 :—

Corn and flour.-363,627 tons of corn and flour were imported during 1913, as against 153,339 tons in 1912.

The increase in the importations in 1913 was due to the poor crops in France in 1912, which necessitated a call on foreign countries for the deficiency.

The greatest portion of the wheat and oats came from Russia, Germany, Argentina, and a small quantity from Algeria.

Maize was only brought from Argentina and Indo-China, and small quantities of barley and rye from Russia.

Timber.-301,315 tons were imported in 1913, as against 247,902 tons in 1912, an increase of 53,413 tons in favour of 1913. There is good reason for supposing that this class of merchandise will show for the future a yearly increase.

Cut wood for making pulp (rondins).—88,432 tons were imported in 1913, as against 60,202 tons in 1912.

Wood-pulp.-256,110 tons of wood-pulp of all kinds were imported in 1913, as against 213,375 tons in 1912.

The cut wood came from Russia, and the wood-pulp almost all from Sweden and Norway.

Petroleum and essence. During 1911 there was a falling-off in these importations. In 1912, 202,763 tons were imported, and in 1913 the quantity imported amounted to 182,589 tons.

To sum up, the port of Rouen during 1913 has kept its reputation entitling it to claim rank among the first large ports of France through which coal, timber, petroleum and cellulose-pulp are imported. Exports.-Among the chief exports may be mentioned the

Harbour and river improvements. During the latter part of 1913 all work on harbour and river improvements had practically come to a standstill. There is no immediate prospect of work being resumed.

Discharging facilities. The discharging facilities, as regards coal, are good, 3,000 tons of coal being frequently discharged in nine working hours. This quick despatch compensates in a way for an insufficiency at times of quay space.

During 1913 the Chamber of Commerce were considering the advisability of purchasing and adding to their discharging material two grain elevators, floating or otherwise. This plan, however, for various reasons, was found not to be practicable.

There is now a plan under consideration to subsidise one of the several stevedoring firms, yet to be designated, who would undertake to provide the necessary mechanical appliances for the rapid discharge of grain cargoes.

Industries. Cotton spinning.—At the beginning of the year 1913 raw cotton slightly fell in price, and no noticeable fluctuations occurred until about the middle of August, when unfavourable news concerning the American crop was received, and resulted in the price of cotton, at the end of September, rising from 75 to 90. fr. During the last quarter of the year prices again fell.

At first few transactions were effected, and the selling prices again fell without any reason to justify the same. Then fairly important

contracts were made, but at prices always insufficient. In May and June business again became calm.

Business became more active in September without, however, bringing on remunerative prices, the rise in the price of the raw material having always preceded that of cotton yarn.

At the end of the year prices were more remunerative, and thanks to the fall in the price of raw cotton, spinners were able to conclude fairly important business.

During the whole of the year stocks were small owing to exportation. Spinners of the north and of Normandy, representing from 1,600,000 to 1,700,000 spindles, have established a comptoir de ventes, or selling agency, for exportation, in order to centralise, regulate and extend the sale abroad of cotton yarn.

The disastrous condition of the industry in 1913, which caused the closing of several establishments in the district, appeared to be on the way to an improvement for 1914, but it was feared, however, that a diminution in the consumption by the weaving industry and a maintenance of high prices for the finest qualities of cotton would

occur.

Cotton weaving. During 1913 the condition of this industry was bad. Notwithstanding the efforts made, it was impossible to increase the price of the tissues proportionally to the rise paid for raw cotton, and the stocks on hand at the end of December, 1913, were larger than at the end of December, 1912, when they were by far too large.

One was, therefore, in presence of a general crisis. Buyers withdrew from the market, on the ground that they still had goods in stock and that they could not afford to pay the advance.

The colonies sent no orders, on account of the market price of the raw cotton, and business with Algeria was reduced to a minimum. Printed tissues.-Among the cotton industries, that of prints continued to be the most successful, or rather the least unfortunate.

Sales for home consumption were good, fashion always favouring prints to the detriment of woven coloured tissues. On the other hand, orders from the colonies were fewer, the financial crisis. throughout the world having affected the French colonial market, especially Algeria, where during the last six months of the year the demands were very limited.

If the year 1913 can be considered a very good one so far as the manufacturing and selling are concerned, the financial results do not at all correspond to the work effected, on account of the continuous fall in the selling prices.

The Calico Printers' Union and its connection, the Comptoir Français de Vente de Tissus Imprimés, having arrived at the expiration of the term for which they had been constituted, have not been continued, but six calico printing firms of Rouen, Bolbec, Epinal and Marly (Nord) in 1913 again formed a comptoir de vente, or selling agency, for the sale of their second qualities and remnants.

Chemical products.-The sale of chemical products in the district was generally less active, and for several of these goods the selling prices gave manufacturers a greatly reduced margin of profit.

Notwithstanding the rise in the cost of manufacture, the market

price of sulphuric acid and fertilisers remained at the very low rates at which they had previously fallen as a result of the over-production caused by the establishment, during recent years, of four new factories.

The use of chemical fertiliser having diminished during the autumn, stocks on hand at the various factories at the end of the year were very important.

The improvement in the market prices of formic acid, mentioned in 1912, was not maintained, and foreign competition having been extremely active, a noticeable diminution occurred in the sale of this article, newly manufactured in the district.

The sale of alum and sulphate of aluminite was active, and prices were more remunerative.

The lowering of the import duty on sulphate of copper at the time the customs tariff was revised, has been a death-blow to the industry, and several French factories have been compelled to give up manufacturing the article, with the result that practically no sulphate of copper was produced in this district during the year. This industry will most probably completely disappear if present conditions are continued.

Tanneries. At the beginning of the year, important business was transacted, but excess of sales in January caused business to be very calm during the whole of the summer, the sale of the manufactured article having been most difficult.

The market price of the raw material was very high. During the past four years native raw hides have risen 70 per cent. and foreign raw hides 110 per cent., and prices will naturally remain high as long as the world's supply is insufficient.

The condition of the tanning industry, formerly so prosperous, was disastrous in 1913.

Manufacture of machinery.-During the whole year the shipbuilding yards were actively engaged, but the firms working for the industry had but very little to do.

A fall in the price of metal occurred during the last quarter of the year, but the workshops of the district would benefit more by an improvement in the condition of the cotton industries.

Shipbuilding. The Chantiers de Normandie during 1912 completed and delivered the passenger and cargo steamer, "Puerto Rico" for the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique's service between Havre and the West Indies; the motor-driven bulk oil carrier "Motricine," of 107 metres in length, built on the Isherwood system, for the Société Naphthe Transports of Marseilles; and several lighters and pontoons for Rouen owners.

On the stocks are three cargo steamers of 140 metres in length and a deadweight capacity of 12,500 tons, for German owners at Hamburg, and a passenger and cargo steamer to be called the "Jacques Fraissinet," for a firm at Marseilles.

New industries.-The Compagnie des Forges et Hauts Fourneaux de Chatillon, Commentry and Maisons Neuves, whose head offices are at 19, Rue de la Rochefoucauld, Paris, have purchased 175 acres of land, in the suburbs below Rouen, for the purpose of building blast furnaces,