SUMMARIES OF TARIFF INFORMATION WASTE ROPE (EXCEPT PAPER STOCK) Tariff Status Par. 1704. Waste rope, which was free of duty under the Tariff Act of 1922, is free of duty also under the Tariff Act of 1930. in the Geneva agreement. Its duty-free status was bound Trade Statistics Table 1.- Waste rope (except paper stock): United States imports for 3/ Includes 44,750 pounds, valued at $1,585, imported from France. Source: Official statistics of the U. S. Department of Commerce. Note.- Probably substantial quantities of the imports of waste rope shown in the above table were used for paper making. Statistics on the domestic collection of waste rope not used as paper stock are not available; exports, if any, are negligible. 877032 O 50 - 12 UNITED STATES TARIFF COMMISSION WASTE ROPE (EXCEPT PAPER STOCK) Comment Avail This summary covers waste rope other than that used for paper making. able information indicates that virtually all of the waste rope consumed in the United States (probably over 95 percent) is used in paper making and, therefore, not covered by this summary. 1/ The only significant use of waste rope in the United States other than for paper making is in the production of plumbers' oakum. The waste rope used for this purpose is understood to be that of soft fibers such as hemp and jute. Statistics on United States collection and exports of waste rope other than paper stock are not available. Official statistics of United States imports of waste rope other than paper stock are shown in table 1. Probably most of the reported imports of waste rope other than for paper stock consist of waste rope which is in fact used in paper making. See separate summary on Paper stock, except rags and wood pulp, free of duty under par. 1750. SUMMARIES OF TARIFF INFORMATION KELP (PAR. 1705) Tariff Status Par. 1705. Kelp, which was free of duty under the Tariff Act of 1922, is free of duty also under the Tariff Act of 1930. Trade Statistics Table 1.- Kelp: United States imports for consumption, by 1/ Preliminary. $11,178 $31,709 2/ Includes 42 thousand pounds, valued at $7,715, from Mexico; and 11 thousand pounds, valued at $1,225, from Chile. Source: Official statistics of the U. S. Department of Commerce. UNITED STATES TARIFF COMMISSION KELP Comment This summary covers kelp in both crude and manufactured forms. 1/ The term "kelp" originally applied to seaweed ash from which iodine, potash, and soda were manufactured, but in present-day usage it denotes any of the seaweeds of the Laminariaceae and Fucaceae families. The three most important species used commercially are the horsetail kelp, Laminaria digitata, the broadleaf kelp, Laminaria saccharina, both of which are found on the Atlantic coasts of America and Europe, and the giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, found on the coasts of the Pacific Ocean. Kelp is valuable as a source of alginic acid, which in the form of sodium alginate (algin) is used as a stabilizer in ice cream, certain dairy and food products and in candy; in various medical and cosmetic preparations; and as a latex creaming agent in the manufacture of natural rubber products. In the form of ammonium alginate it is used in the processing of synthetic rubber, as a sizing material for cloth, and as a waterproofing compound. Kelp is also used in the manufacture of fertilizers, cattle feeds, and oriental-type foods. Statistics on the domestic production of kelp are not available, but it is believed that the annual harvest of kelp off the coasts of California and New England, although representing only a small fraction of the amount that grows in those areas, is at least equal to, if not more than, the quantity imported. United States imports of kelp, were small in the early 1930's, but ranged from 1.1 to 2.7 million pounds annually in 1937-39. They increased sharply during the war, reaching a high of 10.1 million pounds, in 1944. Imports have since declined, and in the postwar period ranged from 4.9 million pounds, in 1946, to 1.6 million pounds, in 1947; they amounted to 2.5 million pounds, valued at $101,000, in 1948. Imports have always consisted chiefly of crude kelp supplied by Canada; the imports from Japan both before and since the war are believed to have consisted almost entirely of prepared kelp for orientaltype dishes. United States exports are not separately reported; they are probably small, if any. For other seaweeds in the crude form see summary on miscellaneous crude or unmanufactured vegetable substances, under par. 1722; for other seaweed in the manufactured form see summary on moss and sea grass, eelgrass, and seaweed, dyed or manufactured, under par. 1540. SUMMARIES OF TARIFF INFORMATION KIESERITE (EXCEPT CALCINED KIESERITE AND MIXTURES Tariff Status Par. 1706. Kieserite, which was free of duty under the Tariff Act of 1922, is free of duty also under the Tariff Act of 1930. Comment Kieserite (magnesium sulfate, monohydrate) is a naturally-occurring white, friable mineral found chiefly in Germany, Austria, and India. The only important commercial production is in Strassfurt, Germany, where the mineral is one of the chief constituents of the huge German potash deposits. German kieserite is converted principally to magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts) (see separate summary, par. 49) and to calcined magnesium sulfate; 1/ formerly small quantities of kieserite were used also in the manufacture of rayon. Comparatively little kieserite is sold on the open market or exported from Germany in its original form. There is no United States production of kieserite and there are no domestic exports. United States imports of kieserite have been small and irregular, and have come chiefly from Germany. During the period 1928-48, imports were reported in 4 years only. Imports totaled 213,000 pounds, valued at $1,354, in 1933, and 606,000 pounds, valued at $4,930, in 1934. In 1936, imports were 112,000 pounds, valued at $250, and in 1937 they were 807,000 pounds, valued at $6,630. Calcined kieserite and mixtures chiefly used for fertilizer are free of duty under par. 1685; see separate summary. Calcined kieserite, not fertilizer, is dutiable at 25 percent ad valorem under par. 5; see separate summary on magnesium compounds, except those provided for in par. 49 and except talc. * |