Strikes in Germany.—Consul-General Guenther, Frankfort, September 25, 1899, writes:

During the period from January 1 to June 30, 1899, there were 574 strikes inaugurated in Germany, affecting 2,910 establishments. and 89,048 employees. They were distributed mainly among the following industries:

Diamonds in Amsterdam.-Consul Hill sends the following from Amsterdam, October 18, 1899:

The diamond trade in Amsterdam shows the effect of the war in its inactivity. Prices of rough diamonds, which for some time have been noted as rising at intervals of two months, have been marked up twice within the last eight days. The rise must restrict sales, since manufacturers will find it difficult to buy at the advanced prices.

Under date of October 24, Mr. Hill adds:

The main reason for the great scarcity and high prices is the unusual demand from the United States and continental buyers. The whole output of the De Beers mines is sold in March of each year; this year, the syndicate had to consent to an advance of 35 per cent. There is great difficulty in obtaining supplies, scarcely any parcels of less value than £5,000, or $25,000, being sold.

Swiss Demand for American Coke.-Consul Gifford, of Basel, on October 20, 1899, says:

I transmit to the Department, for the benefit of American manufacturers, a communication from the Aluminium Industrie-Actien

Gesellschaft, of Neuhausen, Switzerland, of which the following is a translation:

To the American Consulate, Basel.

There has been such an increase in the price of coal and coke on the continent of Europe within the last year that there seems to be a possibility of importing these materials with advantage from the United States.

As our establishment uses more than 10,000 tons of coke yearly, we should be glad to establish relations with several American factories producing coke of acknowledged excellence, or with large business houses dealing in the same article. We shall therefore be obliged if you will send us a few addresses.

This may open a new and extensive field to American commerce.

Ankylostomiasis* in Coal Mines.-Under date of August 29, 1899, Consul Roosevelt, of Brussels, transmits the following:

According to a royal decree published in the Moniteur Belge of August 27, 1899, the sections of the councils of industry and labor representing the coal industry are convened to meet to study a preliminary project elaborated by the Government with a view to check the progress of "ankylostomiasis" in Belgian coal mines. The committee of each division will transmit to the Minister of Industry and Labor the agreements which have been adopted. In accordance with proposed regulations, a medical service and appropriate laboratory will be established and equipped for the purpose of thorough investigation of ankylostomiasis. Workmen will be obliged to submit to all hygienic measures ordered by the Government and by this special service.

Italian Showrooms in Port Said.-J. F. Monaghan, vice and acting consul, writes from Chemnitz, October 18, 1899:

German technical papers are calling the attention of local manufacturers to the efforts which Italy is making in the East to procure a market for her goods. She has established a display house at Port Said, wherein she shows to the Eastern world the cotton products of the looms of Lombardy, the porcelain and glassware of Milan, the silk goods of Como, etc. This enterprise was established but two months ago and has been a complete success in every respect. The manager, a man well posted, has his living apartments free,

* Mr. Walcott, Director of the United States Geological Survey, informs the Bureau of Foreign Commerce that ankylostomiasis is a disease produced by Ankylostomum-duodenale nematoid, a worm found in northern Italy and Egypt, parasitic in upper part of small intestine of man. It produces a fatal form of anæmia which has been named Egyptian chlorosis, Saint Gothard tunnel disease, etc.

with an allowance of £20 ($97.33) a month, and receives 50 per cent of the net earnings. Orders worth 40,000 francs ($7,720) have already been taken. This plan has been suggested to our export associations by a number of United States consuls.

Calico-Printing Trade Combination.-Consul Boyle writes from Liverpool, October 16, 1899:

The Liverpool Daily Post of the 16th of October prints the following from its Manchester correspondent:

The long-discussed combination of firms engaged in the calico-printing trade of Lancashire and Scotland has been accomplished. It embraces the majority of the firms in both districts, and the capital will probably reach the enormous sum of between £7,000,000 and £10,000,000 ($34,065,500 and $48,665,000). It is understood that stocks and valuations were taken at the end of last month, and that all the firms concerned have accepted the valuations. For a long time, the calico-printing industry has not joined in the general prosperity of the trade, owing to competition and the cutting of prices, and it is believed the combination will exercise a beneficial influence on the market.

Catalogues Free of Duty in Canada.-Consul Ledoux, of Three Rivers, on October 24, 1899, says:

A dispatch received this day from Ottawa announces that an order in council has been passed providing that bona fide catalogues and price lists of goods in any country beyond the limits of Canada, not exceeding three to any one address, shall be admitted through the mails or other conveyance free of customs duty, provided, however, that such catalogues and price lists shall not be held to include. almanacs or advertising periodicals or printed matter designed to advertise the sale of goods by any person in Canada.

This innovation will greatly benefit United States exporters issuing large catalogues, as the Canadian recipient of these catalogues had to pay 15 cents per pound duty, and in many cases refused to pay this amount and left them with the customs officers.

Iron Bedsteads in Canada.-Consul Martin, of Amherstburg, on October 30, 1899, says:

I desire to call the attention of manufacturers of iron and brass bedsteads to the opportunity offered in Canada for the establishment of one or more factories for their manufacture. Many of the dealers throughout Canada are at the present time buying their iron. and brass goods in the United States and paying the duty of 30 per

cent, while the iron and brass from which they are made are free of duty under item 617 of the Canadian customs act of 1897, viz:

Tubes, rolled iron, not welded or joined, under 11⁄2 inches in diameter; angle iron, 9 and 10 gauge, not over 11⁄2 inches wide; iron tubing, lacquered or brass covered, not over 11⁄2 inches in diameter-all of which are to be cut to lengths for the manufacture of bedsteads, and are to be used for no other purpose; and brass trimmings for bedsteads, when imported by or for manufacturers of iron or brass bedsteads to be used for such purposes only in their own factories, until such time as any of the said articles are manufactured in Canada,

Improved Steamship Service with Para.-Consul Kenneday, of Para, under date of October 13, 1899, writes:

Beginning in November, 1899; the two lines of steamships plying between this port and the United States-the Booth Steamship Company, Limited, and the Red Cross Line of steamers-have changed their schedule so as to leave Para for New York on the 6th, 16th, and 26th, instead of the 4th, 14th, and 24th, of each month. Commencing next month, a ten days' service will be established by said. companies between Manaos and New York. On the Ist of November, 1899, a ten days' service will also be established between here and Galveston, Tex., by the same fleets that are now operating between Para and New York. The Spanish Steamship Company, established between Habana, Cuba, and Europe, has sent an agent here to complete arrangements for the extension of said line, touching at Para on the return voyages to Europe.

Quarantine in Brazil.-Consul Furniss, of Bahia, on September 12, 1899, writes:

The Brazilian Government has instituted at this port, in conjunction with the other ports of Brazil, a strict quarantine for the prevention of the introduction of the bubonic plague by ships proceeding from Portuguese ports. To establish the quarantine at this port, the cruiser Tupey has been sent here and is now at anchor in the Brazilian man-of-war anchorage, shown on all charts of this harbor. All vessels entering the harbor are required to display signals showing port of departure and call and to answer any signals displayed by the Tupey before proceeding to the anchorage, otherwise they will be fired at by blank shot, to be followed by ball, provided they do not heave to. At night, it is not advisable for vessels to come farther into the harbor than midway between the Fort São Maria and Fort São Marcello do Mar lights.

Tariff on Corn in Venezuela.-Consul Goldschmidt sends from La Guayra, September 20, 1899, copy of a decree issued by the Government of Venezuela under date of September 9, concerning reduction of duties on several articles of food. The decree, adds the consul, may have considerable importance in relation to indian corn, which has been almost prohibited. Many importers have already received shipments by steamship Caracas, which arrived on the 17th, bringing several consignments of corn. This is the first American corn received at La Guayra for several years.

The decree sets forth that, in view of the lack of rain and the consequent shortage of crops, corn, beans, and frijoles introduced through the custom-houses will be exempt from the payment of import duties during sixty days. Rice in the grain will pay only 10 centimos of the bolivar (1.9 cents) per kilogram, or 2.2 pounds.

The same information has been furnished the Department by Consul Plumacher, of Maracaibo, under date of September 19, 1899.

Rice Crop of Japan.-Consul-General Gowey sends from Yokohama, September 9, 1899, a clipping from the Japan Herald, from which it appears that from all the prefectures throughout the country, except Shiga, Hiroshima, and Kumamoto, the year's yield of rice is estimated at 41,841,993 koku (214,649,424 bushels), the figures showing a decrease of 11.7 per cent and an increase of 6.5 per cent, as compared with those of the preceding year and of ordinary. years.

Quay at St. Malo.-Under date of September 28, 1899, Consul Thackara, of Havre, reports that St. Malo is about to expend 1,000,000 francs ($193,000) in building quays along one of its basins. As the quays are to be built of stone, he adds, it is not likely that Americans could compete with the French, who know just what stone is required, where to procure it, the best ways of transporting it, the prices to be paid, etc.

Business Conditions in Christiania.-Under date of October 7, 1899, Consul Bordewich, of Christiania, writes:

The Christiania money market continues very close, and many failures have occurred among business men. It would seem advisable for American firms doing business with importers in my district to be cautious. Of course, there are a great many solid firms with which it is entirely safe to deal, but all new connections should be investigated.

No. 231- —10.