Commerce Reports Volume 2 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1917 Excerpt: ... firms have recently instituted inquiries for Burma rice, probably for reexporting purposes. Many firms have mills and equipment and sales agents throughout South and Central America and the West Indies, but hitherto the production of the United States has not been sufficient to meet the demand, and, besides, the product is not the ideal one for ordinary trade purposes. American rice is considered much superior to other rice and is in consequence more highly priced. It is used by the wealthier classes and the trade is consequently limited. Carolina rice obtains the highest price of any rice in the world. In America and European countries this cereal is not used as a staple diet as in the East, but is used mostly for puddings and such like. Inferior qualities are. however, used in the brewing of cheap beers. After the opening for traffic of the Panama Canal easier access was obtained by ships to towns on the western coast of South America, and in consequence rice dealers were aible to compete with Japan, which previously had been almost the sole source of supply for the towns on this coast. Whether this fact has affected the Japanese trade to a very large extent is yet open to question, but the returns show that the exports to Japan are not nearly so large as formerly. In this connection it is interesting to record that the trade with the United States during the year was practically confined to the Pacific coast. The growth of the trade with the West Indies has clearly shown where the local millers might have previously done good business had a little trouble been taken. It did not need much ingenuity to discover that Germany could not be importing rice for its own use: but as the millers in that country were willing to supply rice milled in the manner desi...