German Porcelain Industry; Gives Statistics on Insulator Production

German Porcelain Industry.

A brief review of the German porcelain industry was recently published in the Frankische Kurier, of Nuremberg, which Consul H. W. Harris summarzes [sic] summarizes as follows:

The rapid growth of the industry in recent years is referred to, the value of exports in this branch having risen from 32,100,000 marks ($7,639,800) in 1897 to 71,200,000 marks ($16,945,600) in 1907. In 1897 the product of the German porcelain factories was estimated at from 79,000 to 80,000 metric tons (metric ton — 2,204.6 pounds), while the total product for the year 1907 was not far from 200,000 metric tons.

Two periods of depression are noted in the German porcelain industry within the past ten years, the first from 1901 to 1903 and the second beginning near the close of 1907. The first crisis was marked by a fall in prices without any diminution in exports. The present depression in the industry, on the other hand, is characterized by relatively stable prices, but by a marked falling off in amount and value of export. Thus the values of porcelain exports for the first six months of 1908 amounted to 31,790,000 marks ($7,566,020), as against 34,110,000 marks ($8,118,180) for the same period of 1907, or a decrease of 6.8 per cent.

The following figures are given as showing the classes of porcelain included in the export trade, and the amount of exports during the first half of 1907 and 1908 respectively:

Metric     Metric

Tons.      Tons.

Articles...................................................... 1907.        1908.

Tableware.................................................. 15,440     14,338

Articles of luxury......................................... 2,117        2,480

Buttons, pipes and pipe bowls....................... 525             383

Insulators for telegraph and telephone lines... 2,367        2,684

Other porcelain ware................................... 2,438        1,892

Thus in quantity the export of porcelain fell off from 22,887 tons for the first six months of 1907 to 22,777 during the corresponding months of 1908, the largest single item being that of tableware. Of the total decrease, amounting to about 1,200 tons, approximately 1,100 tons is due to decreased shipment to the United States.

The review referred to states that the month of June, 1908, showed a somewhat marked tendency for the industry to recover from the depression of last year, and especially as regards the export trade. The same tendency was reflected by the stock exchanges during June and July, the stocks of porcelain concerns having, as a rule, advanced in price.

The average dividends declared by 22 concerns, whose balances for the last fiscal year had been published up to the time the review was prepared, show a falling off of 2 1-2 per cent as compared with the previous fiscal year. Sixteen of these concerns paid an average of 10.5 per cent dividend for 1907, as compared with 14.03 per cent for 1906. The falling off is, however, ascribed chiefly to a few concerns out of the 16. 7 of them having paid the same dividend as in the previous year.

It is stated that but little new capital has been invested in the industry during the current year, and that the home market shows a dullness from which recovery is slow.