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They should be made of red oak or white oak for the purposes stated in No. 2.

The demand is regulated by the requirements of the cane crop.
The importations are all from the United States.

While all the staves imported into the Island of Trinidad last year were from the United States, the importations of shooks and wood hoops were as follows:

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The principal importers of staves are Messrs. A. Cummings & Co.; Colonial Company, limited; Tennant's Agency, and Messrs. Gordon Grant & Co. Custom-house duty, 12 shillings per 1,000 staves. WM. P. PIERCE,

UNITED STATES CONSULATE,

Trinidad, April 10, 1891.

Consul.

FRENCH WEST INDIES.

MARTINIQUE.

REPORT BY CONSUL KEEVIL.

The annual consumption is 1,000,000, valued at 350,000 francs. Whiteoak staves are wholly used. The staves in use are from Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The price is 250 francs per 1,000, including freight, insurance, and commission (per short 1,000). Dressed staves are preferred, but "culls," costing less, are mostly imported.

The dimensions are 3.5 feet long, 3 inches wide, and 1 inch thick. White oak is the timber most desired. Staves are imported from December to July; the market at present is comparatively bare, and demand large, in consequence of increase in manufacture of rum, induced by low price of molasses, large quantity of which has been recently imported from Cuba.

Few, if any, staves are used but those from Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee; shipping ports, Norfolk, Baltimore, New York, and Portland, Me.

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The duty is 8 francs per short thousand on culls, and 5 francs 40% centimes ad valorem on dressed staves, say, about 20 francs per short thousand. I am of the opinion that staves could be placed here at less

cost for freight via Fernandina, Wilmington, N. C., or Mobile, Ala. Shooks for sugar hogsheads are but little in demand, bags being now used for exporting sugar crop, costing much less in proportion both as to freight and material.

UNITED STATES CONSULATE,

Martinique, May 20, 1891.

ALFRED B. KEEVIL,

Consul.

HAITI.

REPORT BY CONSUL-GENERAL DOUGLASS, OF PORT AU PRINCE.

Diligent inquiry on my part discloses the fact that there is at present practically no importation of that article, as such, at this port.

Barrels and casks are used here for containing tapa and rum, of which there is no exportation, and for raw sugar and honey, which are sent abroad. For this purpose the barrels and casks in which wines are brought from Europe and pork from the United States are carefully and skillfully cleaned and "recoopered." There are also small importations, at irregular intervals, of empty barrels from the neighboring island of Jamaica and occasionally from the United States. FREDERICK DOUGLASS, Consul-General.

UNITED STATES CONSULATE-GENERAL,

Port au Prince, Haiti, April 14, 1891.

SPANISH WEST INDIES.

SAGUA LA GRANDE.

REPORT BY COMMERCIAL AGENT MULLEN.

An approximate estimate of the number of staves used gives about 15,000 sugar shooks, containing 33 staves each; value of each shook, without heading, $1.40; about 5,000 molasses shooks, containing 33 staves each; value of one shook, without heading, $2.25; and 350,000 wood hoops; value per M, $31.

The kind in greatest demand are oak shooks, hickory and oak hoops. The source of supply is invariably the United States. Cost of shooks, $2 and $2.75; hoops, $55 per thousand. The condition in which staves should be delivered, in order to command the best prices and to give the most satisfaction, are, shooks in bundles of 33 each; hoops in bundles of 40 and 50 each; dimensions of shooks, 42 inches long by about 4 inches wide; hoops, 14 feet long. The kind of timber most desired

for shooks is seasoned sawed oak; for hoops, unshaved oak or hickory, and supply abundant. Demand yearly declining.

These

All the staves used here come from the United States. The stave trade is likely to die out in this country in a few years, excepting a small amount of rum staves used by distillers. are of oak and chestnut, and worth from $4.50 to $6. The great enemy of staves is the bag, which is becoming universal on account of its cheapness and the better facility it offers for handling and stowing. In former years shippers used hogsheads exclusively, whereas at present all the shipments of sugar are made in bags.

UNITED STATES CONSULATE,

Sague la Grande, April 30, 1891.

D. M. MULLEN,
Commercial Agent.

SANTIAGO DE CUBA.

REPORT BY CONSUL OTTO E. REIMER.

For many years past the sugar crop of this consular district has been exported in 200 and 300 pound bags, and for this reason the trade in staves is almost of no account. The molasses is not exported by the sugar planters, but made into rum. The latter article of commerce is partly consumed in this island, the rest is principally shipped to England. The puncheons are purchased in the United States in bundles, and command here, heads and staves, about $5 to $5.50 per bundle. Duties amount to about 40 cents each bundle.

The puncheons are of oak, staves and heads, and are made to contain 125 wine gallons.

From 2,000 to 3,000 are imported annually from the United States. OTTO E. REIMER,

UNITED STATES CONSULATE,

Consul.

Santiago de Cuba, July 30, 1890.

CONTINENT OF ASIA.

CHINA.

FOOCHOW.

REPORT BY CONSUL SAMUEL L. GRACEY.

It is impossible to give any definite figures as to the number or value of the staves used at this port. Fuchau is the center of a large trade in all kinds of wood and wooden ware; in fact supplies a large part of the country with these products.

All staves made are of soft pine.

The chief source of supply is the wooded hills about the headwaters of the Min River.

There is no import trade in these articles and no chance of one, as the supply is greatly in excess of the domestic demand. They constitute a large article of export.

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Barrel and bucket making is carried on to a limited extent only; about 30,000 barrels are required each year for the molasses produced, material for which is brought chiefly from Japan in logs. The barrels are 20 inches in diameter and the staves 31 inches long, the material in each costing 70 cents made up. They are sold for $1.80 Mexican. Soy and ginger casks are made from staves obtained from old wine casks; water buckets from pine brought from the main land of China, west of Canton. They hold from 5 to 8 gallons and sell for 20 to 30 cents each.

Machinery is not used in the manufacture of staves, nor are finished staves brought to the colony. The business of manufacturing is carried on altogether by Chinese, whose shops are scattered here and there about the city of Victoria. It is impossible to get from them anything like accurate accounts of the amount of material consumed yearly or the number of articles finished.

UNITED STATES CONSULATE,

Hongkong, May 6, 1891.

O. H. SIMONS,

Consul.

INDIA.

REPORT BY CONSUL-GENERAL MERRILL, OF CALCUTTA.

There is no record of any staves having been imported into Calcutta. The atmosphere of India is subject to great changes, at times being very dry, but more frequently surcharged with moisture, thus rendering wooden vessels worthless for holding fluids.

In addition to this, only constant vigilance can keep insects from destroying almost everything that is made of wood.

There is a species of timber found here, however, not liable to the attack of these enemies, from which the natives construct some useful articles.

A few tubs are made also by cutting in two barrels which have been emptied of their contents on arrival at this port.

UNITED STATES CONSULATE GENERAL,

SAMUEL MERRILL,

Calcutta, July 14, 1891.

Consul-General.

JAPAN.

REPORT BY VICE-CONSUL-GENERAL SCIDMORE, OF KANAGAWA.

There is practically no demand in this market for staves. During the year 1890 "timber, wood, and planks" were imported into Japan only to the value of Yen 27,622.14, equal to about $22,097.71.

The use of staves by the Japanese is confined to small tubs, buckets, lining for wells, and barrels for tobacco, etc. Rice and other grain are usually conveyed in straw bags. Wheat flour, mostly imported from California, is brought here in bags.

Wood is comparatively abundant and labor is cheap.

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