To Tons. £ All countries 140 701 (_iii._) Pulps and other materials. To Tons. £ United States 11,290 97,620 Other countries 363 3,023 ────── ────── 11,653 100,643 ━━━━━━ ━━━━━━━ {224} Our imports of “rags and other paper-making materials” from Norway increased from 23,483 tons, value 138,098_l._, in 1880, to 48,199 tons, 279,679_l._, in 1884, mainly owing to the development of the wood-pulp industry. Later figures will probably show a similar increment. The same articles from Denmark grew from 359 tons, 3406_l._, in 1880, to 1403 tons, 16,352_l._, from the same cause. German statistics have even a stronger upward tendency: 11,587 tons, 196,051_l._, in 1880, against 196,051 tons, 331,591_l._, in 1884. Our receipts of esparto from Algeria show an advance, but not a marked one, being 60,612 tons, 421,343_l._, in 1880, and 88,357 tons, 515,232_l._, in 1884. But shipments of the same fibre from Spain show a decline from 51,413 tons, 454,713_l._, in 1880, to 40,159 tons, 314,927_l._, in 1884; and from Morocco they have fallen away from 2879 tons, 18,231_l._, in 1880, to 260 tons, 1290_l._, in 1884; while the figures relating to Tunis and Tripoli also show a disposition to recede, though not at such a rapid rate. The wood-pulp industry of Norway for the year 1886 shows a very large increase upon the figures of a few years back, albeit prices have ruled very low. This latter circumstance is attributed, not so much to over-production, as to excessive competition among the sellers of this article. The quantity exported during the year 1886 is about 120,000 tons; in the year 1885 it was 107,651 tons; 1884, 88,220 tons; 1883, 70,464 tons; 1882, 58,884 tons; 1881, 42,194 tons; 1880, 26,055 tons. Several of the old works have extended their production during the past year, and several new establishments are in the course of erection, so the production this year may probably be put at 150,000 tons wood pulp with 50 per cent. water. The greatest part of the Norwegian wood pulp is exported to England, France, and Belgium; in Russia, the increase in the duty has stopped business, and the same can almost be said of Germany. America, too, has drawn part of her supply from Norway, but this trade is not expected to continue. {225} _Manufactured Material._ Our import trade in manufactured paper has been growing of late years, as the following figures will show:— Imports of paper and pasteboard, of all kinds except hangings: cwt. _l._ 1880. 1,021,952 1,159,646 1881. 1,065,912 1,138,943 1882. 1,098,118 1,202,905 1883. 1,160,104 1,245,861 1884. 1,447,335 1,403,446