Production of hanging paper in United States, 1899-1919 Production of wall paper in United States, 1899–1921.. Imports of paper hangings, by countries, 1911-1921. 14 Par. 328.-Jacquard designs on ruled paper, or cut on Jacquard cards, and parts of such designs, 25 per centum ad valorem. * * GENERAL INFORMATION. DESCRIPTION AND USES. Jacquard designs or Jacquard cards are used with the Jacquard loom, a machine for fancy weaving, having a chain of perforated cards passing over a rotary prism. The perforations permit the passage of wires that determine the raising of warp threads, causing the figure to be woven in accordance with the prearrangement of the perforated cards. DOMESTIC PRODUCTION AND IMPORTS. Jacquard designs used in the United States are almost exclusively domestically produced. They are made by punching holes in pieces of cardboard with a plate (or a piano) punching machine. Imports compared with domestic production are of no importance. They are accounted for in part by the fact that one American company weaving with Jacquard looms has a mill in France which sends for reference to the American mill copies of the designs it produces. Imports of Jacquard designs and their parts increased from $1,906 worth in the fiscal year 1907 to about $11,000 worth per year in the three fiscal years 1912 to 1914. During the war imports fell rapidly, amounting to only $14 in the fiscal year 1918. In 1920 they increased to $7,059, and in 1921 to $11,293. TARIFF HISTORY. Jacquard designs first received separate mention in the tariff law of 1897, when they were made dutiable at 35 per cent ad valorem. The duty remained the same by the act of 1909. The act of 1913 lowered it to 25 per cent. No effect of the different rates on the amount of imports is to be traced. STATISTICAL TABLES. Jacquard designs on ruled paper, or cut on Jacquard cards, and parts of such designs-Imports for consumption-Revenue, 1907-1921. Jacquard drafts on point paper, and Jacquard cards, the designs having been used as patterns and drafted on the point paper and then by that means transferred to or cut on the cards, were held dutiable under the act of 1897 as though imported separately and not as an entirety. (G. A. 8658, T. D. 29511, of 1909.) Paper articles consisting of Jacquard designs on ruled paper, and readings from such designs also on ruled paper, necessary for the production of the Jacquard cards for lever lace or Go-through machines, were held to be dutiable under paragraph 415 of the act of 1909. (Abstract 31382, T. D. 33217, of 1913.) WALL PAPER AND HANGING PAPER. Par. 328. * value of paper, Par. 332.** * * TARIFF ACT OF OCTOBER 3, 1913. paper hangings with paper back or composed wholly or in chief * * 25 per centum ad valorem. * * all papers 25 per centum ad valorem. * * not specially provided for in this section, SUMMARY. The printing of wall paper (paper hangings) is a separate business in the United States, conducted by firms which buy their unprinted paper (hanging paper) from paper mills. Hanging paper is to a large extent produced by mills whose main output is newsprint paper, the production of hanging paper, which closely resembles newsprint in appearance and material used, being subsidiary to filling large contracts for newsprint. In the calendar year 1920 the production of hanging paper amounted to 113,824 tons and that of wall paper to 99,511 tons. In 1921 only 69,725 tons of hanging paper were produced. The production of hanging paper fluctuates considerably from month to month, according to the time that the machines are allowed to suspend newsprint making in order to operate on hanging paper. There is no tariff problem in hanging-paper manufacture. Both imports and exports, although not separately stated, are undoubtedly small. At the present time the domestic wall-paper industry meets little foreign competition. Although in 1914 imports amounted to 6 per cent of domestic production, in 1919 the United States imported only 0.43 per cent by value of domestic production, and exported 3.90 per cent. Since that time, however, imports have increased and exports have decreased. In 1919 exports of wall paper amounted to $899,457, while imports were only $99,674. In 1921 exports amounted to $590,549 and imports to $355,760. The last-named figure equaled probably between 1 and 2 per cent of domestic production. Imports come almost exclusively from Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Before the war Germany held first place in the international wall-paper trade. Her total exports were four or five times those of the United States. In our own markets in 1913 Germany sold wall paper amounting in value to 4 per cent of domestic production. The United Kingdom exported to us much more than she imported from us, but was also a large importer of wall paper from Germany. 40823-23-M-7—2. 3 |