tective duties and compulsory guilds impose a sacrifice upon part of the population for the benefit of the other part, especially the obligation to buy goods at a higher price than would otherwise be the case, in order that this other part of the population may be insured bread and be protected. But protective duties have also the disadvantages that in the main they enrich only a few factory proprietors." In later speeches he stated that the protective policies of other countries compelled Germany also to adopt similar methods. Said he (1879): The abstract teaching of theoretical science leaves me perfectly cold. I must judge by the experiment we are making. I see that lands that are protectionist prosper, and lands that are free traders go back; and great and mighty England the strong champion who, after he had developed his muscles, stepped upon the market and said 'Who will strive with me? I am ready for anyone' even he is gradually going back to protection." 2

"Hitherto the wide-opened gates of our imports have made us the dumping place of all the overproduction of foreign countries. At present they can deposit everything with us, and their goods when once in Germany have always a somewhat higher value than in the land of origin at least our people think so--and it is the surfeiting of Germany with the overproduction of other lands which most depresses our prices and checks the development of our industry and the restoration of our economie condition." §

BISMUTH, one of the minor metals, is soft, reddish-white, and highly crystalline. It is a component of many easily fusible alloys which are used in manufacturing automatic fire sprinklers, electric fuses, and solders. Since it expands on solidifying from the molten state, it is employed in some forms of type and in metal bearings. The principal uses of bismuth, however, are in certain medicines and to some extent in the manufacture of cosmetics.

Production is about 300,000 pounds annually, practically all as a by-product from the smelting of lead, copper, gold, and silver ores in Utah. Bolivia produces most of the bismuth of the world; some ore is also obtained in Australia and Tasmania, but is usually refined in Great Britain. Considerable bismuth ore has been produced in conjunction with tungsten in China, which source promises to be of increasing importance.

Imports of bismuth were 133,190 pounds, valued at $241,448 in 1914. Imports come chiefly from Great Britain, but since 1915 some bismuth metal has come from South America, and still more recently China has become a principal source of supply. Statistics for the years 1918-1923 follow:

Bismuth chromate and bismuth oxychloride serve to a limited extent as pigments. Other salts and compounds have less important uses.

The above compounds are made from bismuth chloride or bismuth nitrate, which are respectively obtained by the action of hydrochloric and nitric acids on metallic bismuth.

Production.-Separate figures for the production of salts of bismuth are not available prior to 1919, when the output of bismuth salts was 502,300 pounds, valued at $1,235,500.

Imports of bismuth salts during 1914 amounted to 588 pounds, most of which came from Germany. Later statistics are included with those of gold, silver, platinum, and rhodium salts. Exports.-Statistics not available. Survey A-17.

BITUMEN. See ASPHALTum and BitumEN. BLACK, GAS AND LAMP. See GAS BLACK,

Exports.-Exports of hammers and hatchets are large compared with imports. During the years 1918-1923 they were as follows: 1918, $484,679; 1920, $1,303,185; 1922, $247,971; 1923, $396,925. The principal countries of destination were Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, and Australia. Survey C-9.

BLAINE, JAMES G. (1830-1893): 1863-1876, Member of the National House of Representatives; 1869-1875, Speaker of the House; 1876-1881, United States Senator; 1881, Secretary of State; 1884, candidate for President of the United States; 1889-1892, Secretary of State.

During the session of 1871--1872 Blaine appointed a Committee on Ways and Means favorable to tariff reform.”

In his "Paris Message" he criticised Mr. Cleveland's position on the tariff. Mr. Blaine was a strong advocate of reciprocity (see).

In 1890 Blaine engaged in a notable written debate with W. E. Gladstone, for a reference to which see GLADSTONE, WILLIAM EWART.

In his arguments for protection Blaine emphasized the differing economic needs of different countries, and affirmed that the history of the United States proved the, wisdom of protection. He also employed the home market and wages argument. (See PROTECTION.) He supported an extension of agricultural protection, but he believed that excessive protection was unreasonable and harmful, and that it weakened the defensive position of the adherents of the system.1

Both Sides to the Tariff Question, New York, 1890, pp. 45–72; Blaine, J. G., Condensed History of American Tariff Acts and Their Effects upon Industries, Boston, 1902; Twenty Years of Congress, Norwich, Conn., 1884; Stanwood, Edward, James Gillespie Blaine, Boston, 1905; American Tariff Controversies, New York, 1902.

BLANC FIXE. See BARIUM COMPOUNDS. BLANKETS. See Wool. BLASTING CAPS are used in connection with a fuse to detonate high explosives employed in the blasting of coal, ores, in quarrying, and in farming. They consist essentially of a measured charge of high explosive pressed into a thin copper shell. In addition to the blasting cap there is manufactured an electric blasting cap of similar construction. Ignition in the latter is obtained by the use of an electric current instead of a fuse. Production.-Official statistics are not available. One manufacturer states that there are five establishments in the United States and that their combined product of blasting caps would range from 250,000,000 to 300,000,000 caps with sales value of $3,200,000 to $3,800,000. The production of blasting and detonating caps in 1919 was valued at $2,630,365, and in 1921 at $2,839,235. Germany, Belgium, and Japan are the chief foreign producers exporting to the United States.

Imports.-În 1914 imports were valued at $4,890. Later statistics are as follows: 1920, $191; 1922, $298; 1923, $81.

chlorine. The commercial manufacture of chlorinated lime was promoted by a duty of one-fifth cent per pound in the act of 1897, and the industry subsequently developed rapidly, supplying the greater part of domestic consumption. Bleaching powder is produced from lime and chlorine gas. The chlorine, which is a joint product in the manufacture of electrolytic caustic soda, is largely made at Niagara Falls, N. Y. It is also manufactured by two firms in Michigan and by one firm in California. Large consumers are installing electrolytic chlorine plants in order to produce their own bleach in liquid form.

Imports previous to 1914 were between 40,000 and 50,000 short tons a year; the United Kingdom supplied from 70 to 80 per cent, most of the remainder coming from Germany. Later statistics follow:

Ex

341, 812

6,787

342

5.04

1920..

2,474, 617

1921

12,440, 906

229, 113

12, 441

5.43

1922

7,981, 139

118,914

1922 † 1923..

463, 151 1,394, 745 50,532

15,618

Year.

Blasting, mining

or safety fuses:

Pounds.

1918..

1919.

4,878 1,554

1920.

8,215

3,771

1921

6,484

1,688

BLEACHING POWDER or chlorinated lime, incorrectly called chloride of lime, is a white powder which, when treated with an acid, evolves chlorine. It is sold on the basis of the "available chlorine" content. It is primarily a bleaching agent used for bleaching pulp and paper stock and cotton and linen in textile mills and laundries. Liquid chlorine, however, is fast replacing it for the purification of public water supplies.

Production in 1914 was 310,380,000 pounds, valued at $2,916,225, nearly twice that of 1909. Production in 1919 had decreased to 252,850,000 pounds, valued at $4,871,350. The 1921 output was 177,614,000 pounds, of which 168,800,000 pounds, valued at $4,296,409, were sold. This decrease may be attributed to competition from liquid

BLINDS, CURTAINS, SHADES, AND SCREENS are made in the United States in large quantities and in many forms. Under this title are included: The well-known wooden blinds with rigid slats; Persian blinds with movable slats which rotate to control the light and view; Venetian blinds, or flexible inside window screens, that may be raised or lowered, having horizontal slats fastened on a webbing, and that may be turned to admit or exclude light; wooden frames supporting screens of muslin, paper, etc., usually movable, so that they may be placed before a window, a fire, or an object which it is desired to conceal; porch screens constructed of parallel lengths of bamboo hung with small spaces between them, permitting a limited view from the porch, but not from the street; and other forms made from bamboo, wood, or straw, excluding view and light.

Production.-Figures are not available. Being of varied types, and produced in connection with numerous other articles, their segregation would be difficult. Observation, however, indicates that the annual production is very large and an element of much importance in the woodworking industries.

Imports of porch and window blinds, curtains, shades. or screens of bamboo, wood, straw, or com

Rate.

20 20

20

20

1922+

14, 185

4,913

35

9,075

35

Exports of these items are not segregated,
Survey, D.-4.

BLOOD, DRIED. Dried blood is used chiefly for its nitrogen content in the manufacture of fertilizers. This slaughterhouse product is valued on the basis of its ammonia content.

Production of dried blood, chiefly in the meatpacking industry, was about 40,000 tons in 1914. Import values of dried blood decreased from $446,698 in 1911 to $80,145 in 1913. The value was $391,816 in 1914 and $196,600 in 1916. Argentina has provided the principal foreign supply. Imports since 1917, chiefly from Argentina, Uruguay, and Australia, have been as follows:

BOARD OF UNITED STATES GENERAL APPRAISERS. The Board of United States General Appraisers consists of nine members, appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.

Such board has exclusive jurisdiction on protests against decisions of collectors of customs, including the legality of all orders and findings entering into the same, as to the rate and amount of duties chargeable on imported merchandise, and as to all exactions of whatever character (within the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Treasury), and his decisions excluding merchandise from entry or delivery, under any provisions of the customs revenue laws, and his liquidation of entries, or refusal to pay claims for drawback, or his refusal to reliquidate entries for clerical errors within one year from the date of entry or within 60 days after liquidation when such liquidation is made more than 10 months after entry.

Such board has authority to remit additional duties incurred for undervaluation upon petition of the importer, supported by satisfactory evidence

The boards of general appraisers and the members thereof have all the powers of a district court of the United States in preserving order, compelling the attendance of witnesses, the production of said board establishes from time to time rules of evidence, and the punishment for contempt. The evidence, practice, and procedure necessary for the conduct of its proceedings, which are published in the Treasury Decisions for the information of customs officers and others. The Secretary of the Treasury has charge of the appointment, promotion, and other matters affecting the clerical force of the board.

A board of three general appraisers has power to reports thereon, by laboratories and bureaus of the order an analysis of imported merchandise, and

United States.

The office of the Board of United States General Appraisers is at 641 Washington Street, New York, N. Y.

Regular calendars will be called at the ports of Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Portland (Oreg.), St. Louis, St. Paul, San Francisco, and Seattle, and at such other ports as in the judgment of the president of the board occasion may require.

The president of the board will prepare and have promulgated for each calendar year a list of ports at which regular hearings in classification and reappraisement cases will be held. All such cases, unless otherwise ordered by the president of the board, will be placed on the calendar of the port nearest to the port of entry; but the president of the board may order special hearings in classification and reappraisement cases at ports other than New York and those ports on the regular calendar when occasion requires.

At such hearings all cases pending will be called on the dates fixed therefor and tried or otherwise disposed ot as the board or single general appraiser may direct.

All decisions of the general appraisers shall be preserved and filed and shall be open to inspection, and it shall be the duty of the Board of General Appraisers to forward a copy of each decision to the collector of customs for the district in which the merchandise affected thereby was imported and to forward an additional copy to the Secretary of the Treasury. 1

(See also CUSTOMS ORGANIZATION AND PROCEDURE, UNITED STATES (Appeal for Reappraisement); also CUSTOMS LAW, U. S., SPECIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS, secs, 518, 519, 501, 508, 509, 514, 515, 517, 563, etc.)

1 Cust. Reg., 1923, Art. 1243.

BOLTING CLOTH. Silk bolting cloth is a strong, fine, gauze-woven silk fabric used for sifting flour or other finely pulverized materials. For fine sifting it is absolutely necessary. Flour mills use 75 per cent of the bolting cloth, and kindred industries, together with those extracting grit from certain chemicals, the remainder.

Production.-Silk bolting cloth is not produced in the United States. It is successfully made only on hand looms, and in Europe its manufacture is a household industry. Switzerland is the chief source of this article.

Imports during the five years 1909-1913 averaged $244,710 in value. In 1914 they were $266,338. The record value of imports in 1918 was due partly to higher prices and partly to advance purchases looking to a long-continued war. Later statistics follow:

1918.

1919.

1920.

1921.

1922.

1923

Year.

Survey L-3.

BOLTS, NUTS, AND WASHERS OF IRON OR STEEL. The uses of these articles are for the most part well known. The word "blank" used in connection with nuts and bolts signifies a piece of, metal that has been prepared for manufacture into these various forms. The term "washer" denotes a ring of metal or perforated plate used to distribute pressure and to prevent motion or play. Spiral nut locks are special devices for locking a nut, as on a bolt, so that it may not be loosened by jarring.

Production. The output of bolts, nuts, rivets, and washers was valued at $23,403,000 in 1914 and at $48,747,994 in 1921.

Imports.-Imports are small compared with exports, and since 1917 have been as follows:

1

BONE, CHIPS, GRASS, HORN, QUILLS, PALM LEAF, STRAW, WEEDS, OR WHALEBONE. This paragraph covers a considerable variety of the manufactures of bone, chip, grass, horn, etc., the qualification n. s. p. f." not restricting narrowly the number of items. Among articles held dutiable are mats made of braids of straw sewn together with cotton; millinery ornaments consisting of natural straw twisted together loosely and looped or tied, used in the crowns of straw hats; palmleaf baskets; baling twine consisting of strands of braided grass; bottle covers and caps of palm leaf: and so-called paintings on straw mattings.

Production data under these various classifications are not shown in official sources. Unclassified manufactures of bone and horn are included in the census classification of "Ivory, shell, and

bone work."

Imports in 1914 of manufactures of the various substances and the chief countries of origin were: Palm leaf, $13,073 from Germany; bone and horn, $109,909 from France, United Kingdom, and Germany; chip, $4,086; quills, $21,682 from France and Austria-Hungary; whalebone, $713; grass and straw, $426,438 from Japan, Canada, and the Netherlands; combs composed wholly of horn, or of horn and metal, $127,137. Later statistics follow:

washers: 1

Quantity.

Value.

Pounds.

$486, 824

47,996, 545

707, 720

169, 564, 3672,835, 349

51,457,682

759, 764

76, 724, 952

836,842

110,972,510

Tons.

1,386,982

5,098

153,349

3,948

182,785

17,793

908, 130

21,516

799, 591

32,274

860,683

2741

1923..

* Or animal carbon, bone ash, and bone meal.

8888833

14

20

20

BONES, BONE DUST, BONE MEAL, AND BONE ASH. Bones contain from 35 to 50 per cent of phosphate of lime and from 4 to 4 per cent of nitrogen and are valuable as a fertilizer. They yield glue, gelatin, and grease when treated with steam or boiled with water. When highly heated away from a supply of air, bone oil and other volatile products are obtained, and bone char, which is used for decolorizing liquids, especially sirups, remains. When burned in the air, bone ash (principally phosphate of lime) is obtained, and is used directly as a fertilizer, in assaying, in china manufacture, and as a source of phosphorus. Bone dust and bone meal as fertilizers are obtained by grinding bones which have had most of the fat extracted.

Production of ground bone in 1914 was 25,139 tons, valued at $593,226; of raw bones (fertilizer), 64,590 tons, valued at $1,603,353; of steamed bone fertilizer, 55,067 tons, valued at $1,178,959. The corresponding figures for the 1919 production were as follows: Ground bone, 16,471 tons valued at

!

Certain classes of books or printed matter are granted free admission when imported under conditions prescribed or for specific purposes. Among these are books or libraries brought in by persons emigrating to the United States, for their personal use and not for sale; importations by societies or institutions for religious, philosophical, scientific, educational, or literary purposes, for the use of such societies and not for sale; importations for the use of the United States or the Library of Congress; charts and publications issued by scientific societies for the use of their subscribers and exchanges; publications of individuals for gratuitous private circulation; and books to be used exclusively by the blind or for teaching the blind.

Other publications and printed matter for which free admission is provided are books, charts, etc., more than twenty years old at time of importation; books in languages other than English, and public documents issued by foreign governments. Production data for the publishing and printing book and job industry follow: