During the fiscal year 1924, 5.310 inquiries were answered by letter and 817 memoranda were prepared. Trade journals reviewed and indexed numbered 1,589.

TEXTILE DIVISION

The textile division is constantly called upon by various other. branches of the Government for advice and direction in the matter of obtaining their textile supplies or in the disposition of surplus war materials; relations with the War and Navy Departments, the Public Health Service, and the Marine Corps have been especially close. The division has also held numerous conferences with a view to marketing prison-made goods in a manner less detrimental to the legitimate manufacturer. After the Japanese earthquake the division assisted the Red Cross in acquiring approximately $3,000,000 worth of clothing for relief work, and it is conservatively estimated that at least $300,000 was saved to the Red Cross through the serv ices of the division and its contacts in the textile industry. Reliable estimates of the destruction of raw-silk stocks and of cotton-mill machinery in Japan were obtained and supplied to interested persons in this country.

Difficulties experienced by cordage manufacturers in securing sup plies of sisal from Yucatan led to the inauguration of a monthly cable service beginning April 1, 1924, whereby the American consul in Progreso reports to the textile division the stocks of sisal on hand. shipments, export taxes, crop conditions, and other developments. The opinions of the fur trade as to the Government's methods of disposing of Alaska fur-seal skins were ascertained through personal interviews by the bureau's branch offices, and a complete tabulation of these reports was made. Executives of the Boy Scouts were advised as to clothing specifications and methods of placing their business for uniforms.

A large cotton export firm asked the bureau's assistance in the protection of 25,000 bales of cotton, worth about $2,500,000, in or on the way to the disturbed area in Mexico last December. The textile division intervened through the State Department in behalf of this firm, and arrangements were made for safe storage in warehouses. As a result of representations made by the division, through the State Department, the Bulgarian courts permitted an important cotton-goods house in New York to register its trade-mark, a previous application having been rejected. The division maintains close contact with nearly 50 organizations or committees representing various textile industries. Numerous conferences were held with their membership. In some cases displays and specially written articles were furnished for association meetings.

In May, 1924, the chief of the division sailed to Europe to inves tigate textile conditions and markets; his itinerary includes such important centers as Manchester, Bradford, Dundee, Belfast, Liver pool, Copenhagen, Havre, Paris, Lille, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Milan. Vienna, Prague, Hamburg, Berlin, Bremen, etc.

Through the bureau's representative in India, the textile division has helped a New York firm to sell hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of cotton-goods remnants. An American line of

athletic underwear, etc., has become established in some of the Latin American countries through the assistance of the textile division and field officers of the bureau. These are only two out of the many concrete results attained by American manufacturers through the specific services of the division.

The special statistical services of the division include: A world survey of the cotton situation every four months, showing production, consumption, and stocks; a world survey of wool production; Bradford wool top prices, received by cable each week, together with opening and closing prices of the London wool auctions; weekly statistics of imports of raw wool at New York, Boston, and Philadelphia; weekly average prices of cotton gray cloth for such important piece-goods markets as Osaka, Manchester, New York, Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay (released semimonthly).

The textile division tabulated, as soon as available, the year's figures of the United States imports of cotton piece goods, not only by countries of origin but by classes, weaves, and yarn numbers, and mailed these statistics to interested manufacturers, importers, and exporters. In cooperation with the statistical division, arrangements were made to tabulate the imports of cotton cloth at New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago, showing commercial names; at present these figures are released soon after the close of each month. A number of articles analyzing the foreign-trade figures of the United States were published in Commerce Reports during the year. Regular bulletins dealing with special sections of the industry include: "The cotton service bulletin," weekly: "What the world's cotton-goods markets are doing," weekly; "Foreign-trade notes on yarn and knit goods," about once a month; "World's wool digest," weekly: Comparison of international cotton gray cloth prices," semimonthly; "Dry-goods merchants' world news letter," fortnightly, designed for the domestic trade. The number of copies of these regular bulletins mailed out during the fiscal year 1924 totaled 260,000 (against 69,000 in the preceding year), in addition to 150,000 copies of special bulletins (as compared with 48,000 in 1923), covering 156 different subjects, such as "Review of the British wool industry," "Kapok production and marketing in Japan," "Notes of interest to the carpet and rug trade," "Argentine market for American textiles," and "Australian hosiery market." Trade information bulletins issued by the division included The London Market for American Textiles, Cotton Goods in Survey, Selling American Hosiery Abroad, and The Belgian Wool Industry. The division prepared 770 articles for Commerce Reports.

The textile division received 37,000 pieces of incoming mail during the year, and outgoing letters totaled 11,500, of which 5,500 were answers to definite requests from the trade; of these latter about 3,000 required special research. Members of the division discussed textile questions with 550 visitors to the Washington office.

TRANSPORTATION DIVISION

Much time was devoted by the transportation division to the preparation and publication of special reports, of which the most important was Packing for Foreign Markets, containing about 275 pages of text and 245 illustrations. The more general parts of this

INVESTIGATIONS OF RAW MATERIALS AND AGRICULTURAL

PRODUCTS

The raw-material surveys begun during the preceding fiscal year were continued and brought toward completion in 1923-24.

The primary purpose of the crude-rubber survey has been to study areas capable of producing rubber in competition with the plantations of the Far East, where the exportation of rubber is under monopoly control. Of the four parties sent out the so-called "Middle East" party left for India, Ceylon, British Malaya, and the Dutch East Indies in May, 1923, and returned in March, 1924. Its report was finished the 1st of May and was sent to the Printing Office May 18, the first proof being received June 25. The Caribbean party left in July, 1923, and, after covering the Central American States, Panama, the Atrato region of Colombia, and certain parts of the coastal region of Ecuador, returned early in April, 1924, and is now getting its report in shape for publication. The Amazon party left in July, 1923, and in cooperation with the Brazilian Government, which furnished a river steamer, explored all the political units of the Amazon Basin except Colombia and Ecuador. The members of this party returned in June, 1924, and are preparing their report. Those in the Philippine party left in September, 1923; they covered the southern Philippines and British North Borneo and obtained information concerning Sarawak. They returned the latter part of May, 1924, and their report is nearly ready for publication. The office force at Washington has collected information. concerning all the countries not covered by the field parties, especially Africa. It has also been working on statistics with regard to the production of crude rubber, from all political units where it grows, from 1900 to the present. Publications covering these studies are being prepared. Statistics concerning the production and Sources of gutta-percha, balata, and chicle have also been compiled. It is planned to send an investigating party to southern Mexico and also to Haiti, and perhaps another party to Liberia.

The nitrogen survey was continued. A field investigation into the factors controlling the costs of Chilean nitrate was undertaken: the results of this were incorporated in Trade Information Bulletin No. 170, The Cost of Chilean Nitrate, issued in January, 1924. A comprehensive study was made of the nitrogen situation in the United States, the results being embodied in Trade Information Bulletin No. 226, issued in May, 1924. A survey was made of the technical development and economic aspects of the air-nitrogen industry of the world, the results being published in June, 1924, in Trade Information Bulletin No. 240. Two additional reports are now being assembled, namely, Part VI, dealing with the nitrogen situation in various countries of Europe, and Part V, which is a bibliography and guide to technical and economic literature with particular reference to the air-nitrogen processes.

The results of the sisal investigation carried out in Yucatan were embodied in Trade Information Bulletin No. 200, entitled "Sisal: Production, Prices, and Marketing."

The study of the domestic resources of vegetable-tanning materials of the United States, coupled with an analysis of our growing dependence on foreign os and of the production and consumption

book were condensed and published as a trade information bu which was distributed to 20,000 shippers and shipping comp The American Railway Association reprinted excerpts which to 400,000 individuals and companies in the United States an ada. A handbook on Railways of Central America and th Indies, the first of a series on Latin American railways, w pleted and sent to the printer, while the work on Mexican R is well along toward completion. A report on Highways America was undertaken, and preliminary reports on all were completed in time for the meeting of the Pan Americ way Conference in June. Trade information bulletins of the one already mentioned included Transportation in R the Export Trade in Agricultural Products, Rate Pro Steamship Conferences, and The Geneva Conference a Shipping.

The chief of the division served on a number of speci tees, including the President's Committee on Shipping. portation division represented the Department of Comm negotiations leading to the Pan American Highway mentioned above. In cooperation with the domestic con sion, the transportation division has undertaken a activity in connection with domestic packing, which is develop important improvements through reductions in pilferage and in initial container costs.

The chief sailed for Europe June 14 to make an ex of foreign steamship rates and conferences, free ports, cipal locomotive and car-building industries.

The division aided the freight-claim-prevention wor ican Railway Association with the object (attaine reducing the waste due to loss and damage. Nun surveys were made for leading exporters, and packin and instructions were furnished which resulted in 1 economical shipping containers.

The increase in the work of the division is indic that the inquiries answered during 1924 numbered pared with 15,193 in 1923.

In the fall of 1923 an investigation was begun o' tion of perishable fruits and vegetables, more especi commodities.

A publication is now being completed which will tial information concerning shipments by mail to Miscellaneous Series No. 121, International Con prepared by the chief of the communications secti who left May 15 for Mexico City as secretary to gation to the Pan American Electrical Communi which opened May 27. The communications quiries covering traffic, rates, schedules, and legi commercial aviation abroad. A map showing the routes in western Europe was prepared. The s tistics showing the financial standing, equipme cessions of many of the telephone systems th especially in China. Reports of telegraph, cabl regulations, equipment, and proposed extension and used as reference material to aid in answer