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PACIFIC COAST
WATERBORNE FOREIGN TRADE, 1954




Supplement to

MONTHLY REVIEW
JU N E , 1956




• • CONTENTS • •
Page

INTRODUCTION.......................................................................

.

1

THE PATTERN OF PACIFIC COAST WATERBORNE FOREIGN TRADE
IN 1954 ................................................................................ 2
Pacific Coast Waterborne Foreign Trade by Port and Customs
District ......................................................................................................3
Commodity Composition of Pacific Coast Im p o rts.............................. 3
Commodity Composition of Pacific Coast E x p o r ts .............................. 4
Pacific Coast Foreign Trade by C o u n t r y ................................................ 6
In-transit T r a d e ..........................................................................................9

STATISTICAL T A B L E S .................................................................. 12

Prepared by William A. Hurst, Economist, and Lynn Mah, Assistant
Economist, under the direction and review of officers
of the Research Department.

PACIFIC COAST WATERBORNE FOREIGN TRADE — 1954
INTRODUCTION
statistical supplement presents data on
the waterborne foreign trade of the Pacific
Coast for the calendar year 1954 from the official
records of the Bureau of the Census, United
States Department of Commerce. F or the most
part, the data presented here are not included in
the official published reports. This is the second
year that this information has been made avail­
able ; a similar study was made of 1953 trade sta­
tistics in an earlier supplement to the Monthly
Review dated August 1955.1
As in the 1953 supplement, the statistics cover
merchandise exports and imports by vessel only.
Shipments by air, rail, and truck are therefore
excluded. Vessel exports represent exports of
both domestic goods and foreign goods (re-ex­
ports) laden at United States ports or customs
districts for shipment to foreign destinations. E x ­
port shipments to United States civilian Govern­
ment agencies and exports under foreign aid pro­
grams made on commercial vessels not controlled
by the Department of Defense are included. Ves­
sel shipments controlled by the Department of
Defense, such as certain cargoes shipped under
the foreign economic and military aid programs,
are excluded, as are shipments for the use of
United States Armed Forces abroad, shipments
between United States territories and posses­
sions, and shipments of “special category” goods
(excluded for security reasons). Im ports are
general imports unladen from vessels, that is, im­
ports for immediate consumption plus entries
into customs bonded storage warehouses. In ­
transit trade includes all merchandise shipped in
bond through the United States in transit from
one foreign country to another without having
been entered as an import.
The data furnished by the Bureau of the Cen­
sus were again in the form of machine tabulation
cards covering all vessel shipments for the calen­
dar year 1954. The Bureau of the Census regu­
larly publishes statistics on the total shipping

weight and total value of the foreign trade of the
Pacific Coast customs districts, but these reports
do not show any commodity or country detail.
By tabulating the cards, commodity and country
information was obtained for this study. The
country, commodity, port, and customs districts
definitions are those employed by the Bureau of
the Census in their waterborne trade statistics
publications.1
In the arrangement of the statistical tables in
this supplement, an effort has been made to fol­
low closely the same arrangement used in the
first supplement to facilitate comparisons of the
data shown for the two years. Some of the more
detailed tables which were of less general inter­
est have been eliminated, however.
Data on the in-transit trade of the Pacific
Coast have been summarized in one table in the
present supplement, replacing the five tables pre­
sented in the earlier supplement. The data show­
ing the detailed breakdown of the in-transit trade
by commodity and country were not tabulated
because of the limited interest shown in this rela­
tively small segment of total trade.
Two tables, “W aterborne Dry Cargo Trade
of Pacific Coast Customs Districts by Foreign
Country of Origin or Destination” and “Tanker
Trade of Pacific Coast Customs Districts by F or­
eign Country of Origin or Destination,” have
also been omitted. These two tables, which con­
tained a complete listing of foreign country data
for both exports and imports by dry cargo and
tanker vessels, were omitted because of their
length and because the information of greatest
general interest is summarized in other tables in­
cluded in this supplement. These data have been
tabulated for 1954, however, and mimeographed
copies are available upon request.
The remaining tables are identical with those
contained in the earlier supplement. In addition
to the one new summary table on in-transit
trade, there are two tables which indicate the

*A limited supply of this earlier supplement, “ Pacific Coast W ater­
borne Foreign Trade, 1953,” is available. Requests should be di­
rected to the Research Department, Federal Reserve Bank of San
Francisco, San Francisco 20, California.

1 For a more detailed explanation of the terms employed, see the sup­
plement to the M onthly Review , dated August 1955, “ Pacific Coast
Waterborne Foreign Trade, 1953.”

h is

T




1

relative importance of dry cargo and tanker
trade by customs districts and the over-all im­
portance of the trade of individual ports, four
tables showing commodity and commodity group
detail, and four tables showing country and
trade area detail. The commodity tables show
the most im portant individual commodity ex­
ports and imports for the Pacific Coast as a whole
and the commodity composition of trade for each
Pacific Coast customs district by m ajor commod­
ity groups. The country tables show the leading
markets and sources of imports for the Pacific
Coast and the distribution of Pacific Coast ex­
ports and imports by customs district and trade
areas.
W hile an attem pt has been made to maintain
comparability of the data by keeping essentially
the same organization and tabular content, the
1954 and 1953 data are not strictly comparable
because of a change in coverage of the sampling
procedures used in the two years. In 1954,
sampling procedures, which were first intro­
duced in 1953, were further extended to reduce
a heavy workload attributable to a sharp in­
crease in the number of documents that had to
be processed.1 Sampling procedures only were
used to estimate export shipments valued at less

than $500 and import shipments of 2,000 pounds
or less and thus did not affect m ajor summary
figures to any significant extent. The range of
variability increases (o r the accuracy of the es­
timates decreases), however, as the statistics are
broken down into more detailed classifications
by customs districts, foreign countries, and com­
modities. Consequently, it has been considered
advisable in this supplement to incorporate the
estimates only in the broader group classifica­
tions. The estimates are included in the tables
of total trade by customs districts and ports, and
Pacific Coast totals by trade areas and by com­
modity groups. Statistics showing trade area and
commodity group detail by individual customs
districts do not include the estimates nor do the
tables on trade by individual country and com­
modity. Unless otherwise indicated in the text
the omission of the estimates based on the
samples does not affect the relative ranking of
the countries or commodities. All of the 1953
data presented in the earlier supplement included
estimates based on the samples of that year.
In the following section of this study some of
the more significant developments in Pacific
Coast waterborne foreign trade during 1954 have
been summarized from the statistical tables. The
purpose of this section is to provide readers who
dislike working directly from statistical tables or
those with more limited interests with a thum b­
nail sketch of the detail presented. T here is
only a limited amount of data in this section
which is not included in the tables, so that the
reader who is more interested in the statistical
material may proceed directly to the statistical
section.

1 For January-June 1953, export shipments of domestic and foreign
merchandise valued a t $100 or more were completely covered. For
the period July-December 1953, data for export shipments valued
from $100 to $499 were based on a 10 percent random sample. Im orts valued a t $100 or more were compiled on a complete coverage
asis for the entire year 1953. As in previous years exports and im­
ports valued a t less than $100 were excluded from the totals.
In 1954 export shipments valued from $100 to $499 were esti­
mated on the basis of a random 10 percent sample for the whole cal­
endar year. Im port shipments of 2,000 pounds or less, irrespective
of value, were also estimated for the first time in 1954 on the basis
of a random 2 percent sample of all import declarations comprising
this category. All shipments valued at less than $100 were again ex­
cluded from total export and import figures.

THE PATTERN OF PACIFIC COAST WATERBORNE FOREIGN TRADE IN 1954
n

totals, reflected a larger percentage increase in
the value of exports and a smaller percentage de­
cline in imports. An increase of 16 percent in ex­
port value gave the Pacific Coast a 12 percent
share of United States exports, equaling the
1952 high. A t the same time, due to the rela­
tively smaller decline in imports, the Pacific
Coast’s share of total imports increased to 9.7
percent, the highest level since 1947.
In terms of shipping weight of waterborne car­
goes handled, the Pacific Coast did not make
such a good showing relative to the country as a
whole. W hile the United States totals showed

1954 the Pacific Coast customs districts

maintained their share of United States w ater­
Iborne
foreign trade. The total value of United
States waterborne foreign trade (exports and
imports combined) remained virtually un­
changed in 1954 compared with 1953. In con­
trast, the Pacific Coast total increased by 8 per­
cent to within 4 percent of the postwar peak of
1951. As a result the Pacific Coast’s share of
U nited States waterborne trade value rose from
10 to 11 percent, a postwar record.
The relatively better performance of Pacific
Coast value totals, compared with the national




2

Vegetable food imports again first by value

practically no change, Pacific Coast tonnage de­
clined 9 percent from 1953 to 1954. This was
largely due to a 15 percent decline in the ship­
ping weight of Pacific Coast imports in con­
trast to a 1 percent increase for the United
States. The shipping weight of Pacific Coast ex­
ports showed a more modest decline of 5 percent.

Although vegetable food imports in 1954 were
$19 million below the previous year, this com­
modity group was still the most important in
value terms. A large part of the decline can be
explained by a $16 million decrease in coffee im­
ports. Coffee, however, continued to be the P a­
cific Coast’s most important import on the basis
of value. High coffee prices, resulting from an
anticipated shortage of supplies from Brazil be­
cause of frost damage, discouraged imports and
consumption, but also served to cushion the ef­
fects of a 24 percent decline in physical volume.
During 1954 Colombia replaced Brazil as the
Pacific Coast’s most important supplier of cof­
fee. Guatemala and El Salvador were the third
and fourth most im portant suppliers.
The lower level of coffee imports hit the San
Francisco customs district most severely since it
is the m ajor coffee importing district on the P a­
cific Coast. Coffee imports still comprised 86 per­
cent of the San Francisco district’s imports of
vegetable food products and the district re­
mained the leading importer of vegetable food
products.

Pacific Coast W aterborne Foreign Trade
by Port and Customs District
In 1954, as in 1953, twelve ports, out of a
total of 37 ports handling foreign cargoes, ac­
counted for the m ajor part of Pacific Coast
waterborne foreign trade. In 1954 the 25 smaller
ports handled only 6 percent of the total value.
Among the m ajor ports, San Francisco, Los A n­
geles, and Long Beach were again the first three,
in that order, accounting for 60 percent of the
total value with individual shares of 28, 21, and
11 percent, respectively. Of the larger ports only
Portland, Longview, and Seattle failed to show
an increase in the dollar volume of trade. In
terms of shipping weight, however, only San
Francisco, Oakland, Alameda, Vancouver, and
Tacoma among the larger ports showed in­
creases in 1954 over 1953.
Of the five Pacific Coast customs districts, San
Francisco was again the leader in dollar volume,
followed by Los Angeles, W ashington, Oregon,
and San Diego. But Los Angeles was first on the
basis of tonnage instead of San Francisco—with
the other districts in the same order as above.
There were only slight variations from 1953 in
the percentage share of each district in the over­
all total. Oregon was the only customs district
to register a decline in value, while total tonnage
was less for all districts except W ashington and
San Diego.

Imports of metals and manufactures
second largest in 1954

Im ports of metals and metal manufactures
totaled $100 million in 1954, just a little over $1
million less than in 1953. More than threefourths of the total consisted of nonferrous ores.
Declines in some of the principal commodities in
this group—copper ores, lead ores, zinc ores,
crude and semifabricated tin, and rolled and fin­
ished steel mill products—were offset in part by
a $6 million increase in imports of copper in
crude forms from Chile.
W ashington was the largest Twelfth District
importer of metals primarily because of the con­
centration of copper refining facilities in that dis­
trict. Increases in copper ore imports from the
Philippines, Canada, and Australia were count­
erbalanced by smaller imports from Chile, Peru,
and Mexico. Two-thirds of the imports of rolled
and finished steel mill products entered the ports
of the Los Angeles district while the San F ran ­
cisco district held a dominant position (70 per­
cent) in lead imports. Bolivia and Peru were the
most important sources of lead imports. The

Commodity Composition of
Pacific Coast Imports
O ut of the eleven broad commodity categories
used by the Department of Commerce in its for­
eign trade statistics, the five which led in 1953
again accounted for four-fifths of the value of the
Pacific Coast’s imports in 1954. These five cate­
gories also retained their relative standings: the
vegetable food group was first, followed by metals
and metal manufactures, wood and paper prod­
ucts, inedible vegetable products, and nonmetallic minerals in that order.




3

leading suppliers of steel mill products were
Japan, W est Germany, the United Kingdom,
and Belgium.

total in 1954. Crude petroleum imports in 1954,
however, were down sharply with a more than
30 percent decrease from the 1953 level. As a
result of this decline crude petroleum fell from
second to fourth place in value among individual
commodity imports, being surpassed in impor­
tance by both newsprint and copra.

W ood and paper imports increased

W ood and paper imports increased 13 percent
in value in 1954. Newsprint accounted for almost
half of the Pacific Coast’s imports in this cate­
gory, with Canada supplying approximately
seven-eighths of the total and Finland most of
the remainder. Although imports declined 5 per­
cent in value, newsprint became the Pacific
Coast’s second most important individual import
product.
Perhaps the most interesting development
within this commodity group during 1954 was
the increase in imports of plywood, 85 percent of
which was supplied by Japan. Logs (principally
from C anada), lumber and shingles (from the
Philippines and Japan), and miscellaneous wood
manufactures (from Japan and Hong Kong)
comprised most of the remainder of the wood
and paper imports.
The Los Angeles district was the principal
importer of wood and paper products in 1954
followed by W ashington and San Francisco in
that order. Newsprint accounted for approxi­
mately three-fifths of both Los Angeles’ and San
Francisco’s imports in this category.

Other important import commodities

O ther important commodities which were
among the ten leading import commodities d ur­
ing 1954, but which were not included in the
broad commodity groups previously described,
included : automobiles, trucks, busses, and p a rts ;
fresh and frozen fish; miscellaneous fish prod­
ucts ; and meat and meat products other than
fresh and frozen. Im ports of automobiles were
down 10 percent by value from 1953, with the
decline in United Kingdom imports not com­
pletely compensated for by an increase in im­
ports from W est Germany. Im ports of fresh and
frozen fish, consisting largely of tuna and sal­
mon, increased 46 percent in value. Japan was a
m ajor factor in this increase, but P eru and Can­
ada also shipped more of these products to the
Pacific Coast. By contrast, imports of miscel­
laneous fish products (mostly canned) fell 10
percent by value as imports from Japan, Canada,
Portugal, and the United Kingdom declined.
Im ports of miscellaneous meat products (also
primarily canned) increased by 24 percent over
1953, with larger supplies coming from the
Netherlands, Denmark, and Uruguay while A r­
gentina supplied a smaller amount.

Lower copra and rubber imports resulted in
decline in inedible vegetable product imports

Despite declines in copra and rubber imports,
the two most important commodities in the in­
edible vegetable product group, this group re­
mained the Pacific Coast’s fourth most important
in 1954. Copra imports amounted to 57 percent
of total import value in this category. Practically
all of the copra was shipped from the Philippines
into the Los Angeles and San Francisco customs
districts. Crude rubber imports entered largely
through the Los Angeles district and the prin­
cipal suppliers were British Malaya and Indo­
nesia.

Commodity Composition of
Pacific Coast Exports
The five commodity group categories that con­
stituted the m ajor proportion of export value in
1953 were again dominant in 1954, accounting
for 75 percent of the value of total exports.
Vegetable food products again the
principal commodify group export

Exports of vegetable food products declined
10 percent in value in 1954; this decline was
more than accounted for by a 43 percent decline
in wheat exports. Nevertheless, vegetable food
products were, as it had been in 1953, the prin­
cipal export commodity group, making up 27
percent of the total value of Pacific Coast ex­
ports. W ithin this commodity group, grains and

Nonm etallic mineral imports
ranked fifth by value

Although nonmetallic mineral imports ranked
fifth among the commodity groups in terms of
value, they ranked first in terms of shipping
weight. Crude petroleum is the principal com­
modity within this group— 67 percent of the




4

tributed among the United Kingdom, the N eth­
erlands, Belgium, and France. A large part of
the cotton exports was financed by the United
States Government under E xport-Im port Bank
loans or under section 550 of the Mutual Se­
curity Act.1
The concentration of cotton production in the
state of California resulted in the predominance
of the Los Angeles customs district, which
shipped 70 percent of the cotton, and the San
Francisco district in the export of textile fibers
and manufactures. The San Diego district,
which has enlarged its facilities for handling cot­
ton, exported $4.6 million of textile products in
1954.

grain preparations accounted for half the to ta l;
fruits and preparations, 25 percent; and vege­
tables and preparations, 10 percent.
The decline in wheat exports was largely ex­
plained by the disappearance of exports to In ­
dia, which had amounted to $33 million in 1953,
and a decline of $9 million in shipments to P ak­
istan. Exports to both of these countries had
been stimulated earlier by emergency aid pro­
grams. A further result of the decline in wheat
exports was that this commodity, which was the
leading individual export commodity by value in
1953, slipped to a second place position behind
cotton.
Among the other individual commodities
within the vegetable commodity group which de­
clined in value during 1954 were canned fruit
and canned vegetables. Commodities showing
increases were barley and rye, which increased
50 percent in value and 77 percent in volume,
and edible vegetable oils and fats (much of it
shipped under the Government’s surplus dis­
posal program s), which rose to almost four
times the 1953 value and five times the 1953 vol­
ume. The value of fresh and frozen fruit and
dried fruit exports also increased moderately
but physical volume was down. Rice and wheat
flour exports were little changed in terms of
value but showed increases in tonnage.
Because of the decline in wheat exports, the
San Francisco customs district became the lead­
ing exporter of vegetable food products in 1954,
replacing the Oregon district which is dependent
to a m ajor extent on its wheat exports. Lower
wheat exports also exerted a depressing effect
on the W ashington district’s exports in this
category.

Exports of machinery and vehicles
declined in importance in 7954

F or the United States as a whole, machinery
and vehicle exports continued to be the leading
export commodity group in 1954. The same sit­
uation does not prevail on the Pacific Coast. In
fact, machinery and vehicle exports fell from
second to third in importance in 1954 as the ex­
port value of this group declined by 10 percent.
This decrease was due to lower exports of con­
struction and mining machinery, which were
down 27 percent; automobiles, trucks, busses,
and parts, down 33 percent; and agricultural
machinery, down 12 percent. Exports of electri­
cal machinery were an exception, showing a
small increase in value, while other industrial
machinery and parts remained at about the 1953
levels.
Japan and the Philippines continued to be the
principal markets in 1954 for Pacific Coast ex­
ports in this category. The San Francisco cus­
toms district was by far the most important in
this trade, accounting for 60 percent of the ma­
chinery and vehicles exports, while the Los A n­
geles district was next with 29 percent of the
value.

Exports of textile fibers and
manufactures increased sharply in 7954

Exports of textile fibers and manufactures in
1954 were more than double the value of ship­
ments in 1953, and they comprised 20 percent of
total Pacific Coast export value. O ut of a total
value of $210 million in exports in this group,
cotton accounted for $200 million, an increase of
124 percent over 1953. W ith this sharp increase
cotton became the most im portant single com­
modity export. Cotton shipments to Japan in­
creased by $48 million, and there were also sub­
stantial increases in shipments to India and W est
Germany. The remainder of the increase was dis­




Larger exports of metals
and manufactures

E xports of metals and metal manufactures in­
creased by 46 percent in value from 1953 to
1954, an increase which was exceeded only by
the textile fibers and manufactures commodity
group. An increase of 45 percent by value and
56 percent by weight in refined copper exports
1 Sale of surplus agricultural commodities for foreign currencies.

5

contributed much to this improvement. Exports
of refined copper, which made up 40 percent of
the exports of metals and manufactures, were
destined mainly for Europe, Brazil, Japan, and
Australia. Most other products included in this
group, except rolled and finished steel products,
showed increases in value, with Japan and W est
Germany the m ajor purchasers. E xports of
rolled and finished steel products declined 42
percent as shipments to Asia and Latin America
fell off.
All of the refined copper was shipped out from
W ashington refineries, with the result that the
W ashington district was the most important ex­
porter of metals and manufactures, accounting
for almost half the total value.

nificant increase of 38 percent. The two Pacific
Northwest districts of Oregon and W ashington
handled the m ajor proportion of these ship­
ments.
Among other individual commodities which
showed an improvement in 1954 over 1953 were
industrial chemicals, which increased 10 percent
in value although shipping weight was down 12
percent, and condensed and evaporated milk, up
15 percent in both value and shipping weight.
Among the commodities registering decreases
were two commodities, formerly important
among Pacific Coast exports, which have shown
a downward trend in recent years. These were
raw hides and skins, exports of which dropped
$2 million in value, and canned fish, exports of
which fell below $10 million in 1954.

Nonmetallic minerals showed largest
percentage decline of all commodity groups

Pacific Coast Foreign Trade by Country

E xports of nonmetallic minerals showed the
largest percentage decline in value of all Pacific
Coast commodity groups in 1954, falling by $20
million or 18 percent from 1953. Despite the
drop in value, nonmetallic minerals were still the
most important export commodity group on the
basis of shipping weight. Much of the decline in
this group was concentrated in exports of motor
fuels and gasoline and crude petroleum, which
were down 43 and 60 percent in value, respec­
tively. E xports of these two commodities to Can­
ada, which was the principal customer, were
most severely affected. Exports of residual fuel
oil and gas oil and distillate fuel oil were little
changed from 1953.
Ninety-six percent of nonmetallic mineral ex­
port value in 1954 was accounted for by the Los
Angeles and San Francisco districts.

Asia was the Pacific Coast’s most
important trading area in 1954
In 1954 Asia (including South, Southeast,
and East Asia) continued to play its traditional
role as the Pacific Coast’s most im portant trad ­
ing area. Asia is not only the Pacific Coast’s
principal market, taking 52 percent of total ex­
ports by value in 1954, but it is also the leading
source of imports, supplying 32 percent of im­
port value. Asia’s importance to the Pacific
Coast increased somewThat in 1954. W hile imports
were maintained at about the 1953 level, ex­
ports to Asia showed a 10 percent increase.
South Asia (including India, Pakistan, and
Ceylon) and Southeast Asia (including such
countries as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaya, and
the Philippines) usually account for a much
larger share of the Pacific Coast import trade
than East Asia (including Japan, Korea, T ai­
wan, and Hong K ong). The reverse usually
holds in the case of Pacific Coast exports. In
1954 this characteristic of Pacific Coast trade
with Asia was accentuated somewhat due to a
further shift in export markets within the area.
All of the 10 percent increase in exports to Asia
was attributable to larger exports to E ast Asia
which more than offset a 10 percent decline in
exports to Southeast Asia.

Other important export commodities
Significant changes in other im portant indi­
vidual export commodities not included in the
dominant commodity groups described above oc­
curred during 1954. Of particular importance
were some of the products of Pacific Coast for­
ests. Exports of lumber and shingles increased
27 percent in value in 1954 and ranked fourth
among individual commodity exports. The most
spectacular increase took place in wood pulp ex­
ports which were two and a half times larger
than the 1953 value. This increase raised wood
pulp to ninth place among individual Pacific
Coast exports. Paper products also showed a sig­




Japan
Among the individual countries of Asia, Japan
is by far the most important to the Pacific Coast.
6

arations, lumber and shingles, chrome, and un­
manufactured hemp. Among the few commodi­
ties showing gains were copper ores and con­
centrates and cotton manufactures. On the ex­
port side, smaller Pacific Coast shipments of con­
struction and mining machinery, canned fish,
and automobiles, trucks, and busses accounted
for most of the decrease.
San Francisco continued its usual dominant
role in the Philippine trade in 1954, handling
half of the imports and a m ajor share of the ex­
ports. Los Angeles was in second place. On the
import side the W ashington and Oregon dis­
tricts handled a somewhat larger dollar volume
in 1954 while San Francisco and Los Angeles
import totals were lower than in 1953. On the
export side Oregon remained in third position
ahead of W ashington despite a decrease for the
year.

Japan is also the Pacific Coast’s most important
trading partner on an over-all basis. It continued
as the principal export market in 1954, with 30
percent of total value, and became the leading
source of imports1 in place of Brazil, which held
this position in 1953.
Pacific Coast exports to Japan in 1954 showed
a 12 percent increase over 1953. Raw cotton
shipments were the m ajor factor, increasing by
$48 million to a total of $79 million. W heat, rice,
barley and rye, iron and steel scrap, copper,
dried milk, and wood pulp exports also in­
creased. There were substantial declines in ex­
ports of residual fuel o il; raw hides and skins;
industrial machinery; automobiles, trucks, and
busses; lumber and shingles; and coke.
Im ports from Japan which were larger in
1954 included fresh and frozen fish (mostly
tu n a), burlap and jute bagging, miscellaneous
textile products (mostly silk), lumber and
shingles, plywood (manufactured from both im­
ported Philippine and native woods), and clay
products such as chinaware. Substantial de­
creases were shown in Pacific Coast imports of
rolled and finished steel mill products and crude
and semifabricated aluminum.
Among the Pacific Coast customs districts,
Los Angeles handled the largest share of the
Japanese trade in 1954, followed closely by San
Francisco. W ashington and Oregon were third
and fourth respectively on the import side, but
their positions were reversed on the export side.

Other Asian countries

Pacific Coast export and import trade with
India declined in 1954. India was the Pacific
Coast’s fourth most im portant export market in
1953 but slipped to seventh in 1954 as export
value fell by 9 percent. This decline was due al­
most entirely to a sharp reduction in wheat ship­
ments. Smaller wheat shipments were in part
compensated for by increased exports of raw
cotton, lubricating oils and greases, and textile
sewing and shoe machinery.
Pacific Coast trade with Indonesia and Malaya
in 1954 was characterized by a lower value of
rubber imports from both countries, while the
value of crude petroleum imports from Indo­
nesia and tin from Malaya was relatively un­
changed from 1953.

The Philippines

Another Asian country of particular impor­
tance to the Pacific Coast, and one which has
often rivaled Japan in past years, is the Philip­
pines. Despite a 7 percent decline in Pacific
Coast exports, the Philippines remained the sec­
ond most important export market in 1954. Its
import position, however, deteriorated from sec­
ond in 1953 to fourth in 1954 as Pacific Coast
imports also fell.
A wide variety of commodities were involved
in the decline in Philippine imports, including
copra, copra meal for animal feed, nuts and prep-

Pacific Coast trade with Europe
showed largest increase

Pacific Coast trade with the countries of
Europe showed the largest increase of any area
during 1954 although total trade (exports and
imports) was still less than half the value of
trade with Asia. In 1954 total trade with
Europe was up 35 percent. Of the increase of
approximately $100 million, exports accounted
for over $90 million and were 51 percent above
the 1953 figure.
The revival of economic activity, the achieve­
ment of new highs in industrial production, and
greatly improved gold and foreign exchange po­

* If the Bureau of the Census import sample estimates are added to
Japan’s total, imports from Japan of more than 2,000 pounds ship­
ping weight compiled on a complete coverage basis totaled $69.7
million in 1954. The estimate for shipments of less than 2,000
pounds in shipping weight, irrespective of value, was $15.1 million.
Such imports are particularly large for imports from Japan because
of the predominance of low-valued a n d /o r light-weight commodities
exported from th at country. The inclusion of the import sample
estimates for other countries does not affect their relative standing.




7

sitions were responsible for the rapid upsurge of
exports from the Pacific Coast to Europe in
1954. As a result of this increase Europe was
easily the second most important export trade
area for the Pacific Coast. Among the individual
countries, W est Germany, the United Kingdom,
and the Netherlands were responsible for most
of the increase. These three countries moved
into third, fourth, and fifth positions, respectively,
among Pacific Coast export markets. Only Japan
and the Philippines took a larger dollar amount
in export commodities. The increases over 1953
totals for these three countries w e re: W est Ger­
many, up $31 million; the United Kingdom, up
$28 million; and the Netherlands, up $25 mil­
lion. In terms of percentage changes the United
Kingdom showed the largest increase— 126 per­
cent, followed by the Netherlands with 115 per­
cent and W est Germany with 104 percent.
Food products and basic industrial raw mate­
rials played the most im portant roles in the more
than doubling of exports to Europe. Among the
food products showing significant increases were
dried and canned fruit, edible vegetable oils and
fats, and fresh and frozen fruit. Raw cotton was
by far the most important of the industrial raw
materials.
Italy was the only im portant Pacific Coast ex­
port market in Europe to register an absolute
decrease in value during 1954. The value of ex­
ports to France remained about the same as in
1953, but France’s relative position as an export
m arket weakened in the face of the large in­
creases in trade with other European countries.
Exports to Belgium increased substantially and,
as a result, Belgium became the tenth ranking
export market.
On the import side Europe was the third most
im portant area of supply for Pacific Coast im­
ports in 1954 as it was in 1953. The increase for
the year of slightly over 4 percent was a very
modest one when compared to the performance
of the export totals. W hile total imports from
Europe showed only a small change, there were
offsetting movements among the individual
countries. Im ports from W est Germany, Den­
mark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Italy1 in­
creased, while those from the United Kingdom,
Belgium, Sweden, and Finland decreased.

Among the commodities imported from E u ­
rope, assorted food products (such as meat and
fish products and beverages), newsprint, metal
manufactures (rolled and finished steel mill
products, tools, household utensils, etc.), vari­
ous types of machinery and automobiles, and
chemicals continued to account for the m ajor
share of the total as they did in 1953.
T urning to the trade of the individual Pacific
Coast customs districts with Europe, we find
that slightly more than four-fifths of the im­
ports from this area entered through the Los
Angeles and San Francisco districts, with W ash­
ington and Oregon sharing the balance. On the
export side the Los Angeles district was the
leading exporter to W est Germany and the
Netherlands, but San Francisco led Los Angeles
in exports to the United Kingdom. The W ash­
ington and Oregon districts handled about onefourth of total export shipments to Europe com­
pared with 15 percent for imports.
Trade with South Am erica
declined in 7954

Although total Pacific Coast trade with South
America was smaller in 1954 than in 1953, this
area maintained its position as the third most
important trading area. Exports to South Am er­
ica increased 11 percent in 1954 but the absolute
amount of the increase was only $7 million. This
was overshadowed by a 10 percent decline in
imports, which amounted to $21 million. Never­
theless, South America continued to rank sec­
ond in imports and fourth in exports in trade
with the Pacific Coast. Im ports from South
America are usually about two to three times
larger than exports.
Coffee dominates the Pacific Coast’s imports
from South America and in 1954 was mainly re­
sponsible for the decline that took place. Brazil
bore the brunt of the drop in coffee imports
with a decrease of 25 percent in value, or $21
million, to $61 million. Colombia, the other
m ajor South American supplier of coffee, suf­
fered a decline of only $1 million with shipments
totaling $71 million. Due to high coffee prices
during the year, the decline in value was much
smaller than the decline in physical volum e; in
the case of Brazil, shipping weight was down 40
percent, while Colombia’s fell by 20 percent. In
1953 Brazil was the most im portant individual

a This is true for Ita ly only if Bureau of the Census import sample
figures are included which apply to individual import shipments
below 2,000 pounds in weight.




8

wood, newsprint, and copper ores, concentrates,
and scrap. There was also $2 million in imports
of crude aluminum in 1954, compared with no
aluminum imports by ship in the previous year.
Coffee accounted for most of the increase in im­
ports from Mexico.
Because it handled half of Canada’s shipments
to the Pacific Coast, the W ashington customs
district was the most im portant district in the
N orth American import trade. The order of im­
portance of the other districts were: Los A n­
geles, San Francisco, Oregon, and San Diego.
Oregon had virtually no imports from Canada
in 1954.
The decline in export trade with Canada was
explained largely by a drop of $28 million in
shipments of crude petroleum. A $9 million in­
crease in exports to Mexico was due almost en­
tirely to increases in refined petroleum products
and wood pulp. Because of the importance of its
petroleum trade, Los Angeles was the most im­
portant district in the N orth American export
trade followed by the W ashington and San
Francisco districts. E xports from the San Diego
and Oregon districts were small.

country supplier of Pacific Coast imports, but in
1954 it dropped to fifth place. Colombia, on the
other hand, because of its relatively better for­
tunes, moved up to second place— second only
to Japan.
Of the other countries of South America,
Peru, Chile, and Ecuador increased their ship­
ments to the Pacific Coast in 1954. Larger ship­
ments of fresh and frozen fish (mainly tuna),
coffee, and lead and zinc ores contributed to
P eru ’s better showing; copper ore shipments,
however, were down slightly. Chile’s increase
was explained by larger shipments of refined
copper which more than offset declines in cop­
per ore shipments. Coffee accounted for most of
the increase in imports from Ecuador. Smaller
shipments of crude petroleum and coffee were
responsible for a decrease in imports from Vene­
zuela, while declines in imports of copper, lead,
and zinc ores depressed trade with Bolivia.
The San Francisco customs district was again
the dominant district in import trade with South
America in 1954, while W ashington dropped to
third place principally because of smaller cop­
per shipments. Los Angeles was second in im­
portance and Oregon fourth.
On the export side, Brazil, Argentina, Chile,
Colombia, Bolivia, and Venezuela1 all showed
increases, while shipments to Peru were smaller.
The year-to-year increases were fairly evenly
distributed among a large number of commodi­
ties including wheat, fruits, lumber, paper prod­
ucts, wood pulp, raw cotton, and industrial and
agricultural machinery. The Los Angeles, San
Francisco, W ashington, and Oregon customs
districts ranked in that order of importance by
value in export trade with South America.

Pacific Coast trade with
other countries

Among the other countries not previously dis­
cussed, only Australia and Saudi Arabia showed
developments of significance in 1954. In both
cases there was a substantial decrease in Pacific
Coast imports. Im ports from Australia fell by
19 percent, with the largest share of the decrease
accounted for by smaller imports of raw wool
and lead and zinc ores. Imports from Saudi
Arabia, which consist almost entirely of petro­
leum products, were cut back even more dras­
tically. Crude petroleum imports from Saudi
Arabia declined by 84 percent or $21 million.

North Am erica the fourth most
important Pacific Coast trading area

In-transit Trade

Pacific Coast trade with N orth America (C an­
ada and Mexico) during 1954 was only 3 percent
below the total value in 1953. A $14 million de­
crease in exports was largely offset by a $9 mil­
lion increase in imports. Both Canada and M ex­
ico shared in the increase in Pacific Coast im­
ports. Small increases were registered in such
leading Canadian imports as fresh and frozen
fish, miscellaneous fish products, logs, pulp-

Although in-transit trade forms but a small
segment of the foreign trade activity of the P a­
cific Coast, its role in the transshipment of goods
between foreign countries continues to be im­
portant. The total value of in-transit trade in
1954 was 10 percent below 1953, with a decline
of 29 percent in inbound cargoes and 15 percent
in the outbound movement.
In 1954, Los Angeles succeeded San F ran ­
cisco as the customs district handling the largest

1This is true for Venezuela only if the Bureau of the Census export
sample figures, which apply to individual exports valued a t less than
$500, are included.




9

volume of inbound in-transit shipments with 43
percent of the value. More than half of Los A n­
geles’ total consisted of in-shipments of rubber.
The San Francisco district was second with 31
percent, and W ashington third with 24 percent.
In the over-all totals, rubber accounted for about
a third of the inbound shipments and vegetable
food products another 30 percent. Textile fibers
and manufactures, metals and metal manufac­
tures, and wood and paper products were also
important. Among the principal sources of these
shipments were British Malaya with 29 percent
of total inbound value, Japan with 16 percent,
and Costa Rica with 11 percent.
The Los Angeles district was also the leader
in outbound in-transit trade by value with a




share of 60 percent of the total. San Diego was
in second place with 24 percent while San F ran ­
cisco’s share was only 12 percent. As in 1953,
textile fibers and manufactures were the most
important, amounting to 74 percent of the total
in 1954. Most of this was raw cotton from M ex­
ico en route through Pacific Coast ports (San
Diego and Los Angeles prim arily) to foreign
destinations. These shipments of raw cotton
were not included in the waterborne inbound in­
transit statistics because they commonly enter
southern California from Mexico by land car­
riers. Japan easily held her position as the prin­
cipal country of destination with Belgium far be­
hind in second place with only 10 percent of the
total.




STATISTICAL TABLES
Page

Table

1. Pacific Coast Foreign Trade by Customs Districts and Type of
Vessel, 1954

12

........................................................................

2. Pacific Coast In-transit Trade by Customs Districts, 1954 .

. . .

3. Pacific Coast Waterborne Foreign Trade by Port, 1954 .

.

.

12
.

13

4. Important Pacific Coast Waterborne Commodity Imports, 1954

.

15

5. Important Pacific Coast Waterborne Commodity Exports, 1954

.

15

6. Waterborne Imports of Pacific Coast Customs Districts by
Commodity Group, 1954 ...................................................................... 16
7. Waterborne Exports of Pacific Coast Customs Districts by
Commodity Group, 1954 ...................................................................... 17
8. Leading Pacific Coast Sources of Imports, 1954
9. Leading Pacific Coast Export Markets, 1954

.................................. 18

.................................... .... 18

10. Waterborne Imports of Pacific Coast Customs Districts by
Trade Area, 1954

19

11. Waterborne Exports of Pacific Coast Customs Districts by
Trade Area, 1954 ............................................................

11

20

T

1

able

P a c i f i c C o a s t F o r e i g n T r a d e b y C u s t o m s D i s t r i c t s a n d T y p e o f V e s s e l , 1954

(Value in dollars; shipping weight in pounds)

Customs district
Im p o rts
San D i e g o .........................................
Los A ngeles ..................................
San Fran cisco ................................
O regon .............................................
W ash in g to n ....................................
T o tal .............................................

,-----------------D ry cargo---------------- N ,----------------- T anker----------------- ,
,------------------ T otal1----------------- *
V alue
W eight
V alue W eight
V alue
W eight
3 885 791
54 173 629
219 77216 432 640
4 183 063
70 625 719
225 067 528
2 492 847 235
13 163 094
1 839 091 970
249 467 872
4 346 872 105
298 705 184
2 088 201 597
26 876 648
3 942 641 049
341 186 982
6 045 963 846
35 181 259
234 937 690
411 982 17 535 869
36 518 941
253 842 609
111 086 327
4 159 330 096
1 746 573
163 620 491
116 422 950
4 328 140 287
673 926 089

9 029 490 247

42 418 069

5 979 322 019

747 779 808

15 045 444 566

Exports
San D iego .......................................
Los A ngeles ..................................
San Francisco ................................
O reg o n .............................................
W ash in g to n ....................................
T o tal .............................................

5 089
279 391
383 993
145 333
142 887

485 21 590 408
...........................
543
2 830 006 564
55 883 213
258
3 697 204 480
20 679 207
151
4 107 182 785
332 603
039
2 410 150 284
4 220 655

956 694 476

13 066 134 521

81 115 678

6 047
1 772
13
313

............
955 734
547 159
588 206
316 068

8 147 407 167

5 105
340 418
424 319
147 463
151 807

065
676
625
344
074

1 069 113 784

8
5
4
2

21
909
596
141
749

631
947
163
101
870

848
378
089
751
702

21 418 714 768

1 Figures do not add to totals because the export and import sample estimates are included in the totals by customs district but are not segre­
gated by dry cargo or tanker. The export sample totaled $31.3 million and 205.2 million pounds shipping weight. The import sample figures
were $31.4 million and 36.6 million pounds.

T

a b le

2

P a c if ic C o a st I n - T r a n s it T

rade , 1 9 5 4

(V alue in d o llars; shipping w eight in pounds)

C ustom s district
San D ie g o ..............................................................................................................................
Los A n g e les............................................................................................................................
San F ra n c is c o ........................................................................................................................
O reg o n ...................................................................................................................................
W ash in g to n ..........................................................................................................................




T o tal ..............................................................................................................................

12

/ O utbound------------ \
t------------ Inbound------------ \
V alue
W eight
V alue
W eight
581 752
9 477 693
20 667 562
83 083 269
11 949 498
56 917 008
50 624 770
192 298 148
8 651 863
29 032 241
9 705 684
32 011 197
216 787
625 356 152 959
2 532 411
6 590 269
63 887 321
2 364 552
16 871 345
27 990 169

159 939 619

83 515 527

326 796 370

T
P

a c if ic

Coast W

able

F

aterborne

3

o r e ig n

T

rade b y

P o r t ,1 1954

(Value in dollars; shipping weight in pounds)

Customs district and port

-Im p o rts W eight
V alu e
70 625 719
4 183 063

San Diego
San D i e g o ...........................
L o s A ngeles
L os A ngeles ......................................
P o rt San L u is ....................................
L ong B ea c h .........................................
E l S e g u n d o .........................................
H u e n e m e .............................................
M orro ..................................................
T o tal ...............................................

196 623 085
....
52 582 448
262 339

San Francisco
E u r e k a .............
M onterey
San F rancisco .
S tockton .........
O a k la n d ...........
R ichm ond
A lam eda .........
M artinez .........
Redwood C ity .
Selby ................
O th er ports . . .

288 485
1 079
12 347
16 286
2 695
6 366
81
8 300
5 544

T o tal ...............................................
O regon
A storia
N ew port . . ,
Coos B a y . .,
P ortland . .,
Longview ..
V ancouver .
O ther ports ,
T o tal

388
969
160
300
080
024
558
746
757

4 324
92
3 758
86
37
611

201
096
367
316
452
512

968
811
852
371
338
038

-T o tal trade—
W eight
V alue
92 257 567
9 288 128

384 416
767
195 408
1 638
483
7 171

067
983
434
665
610
789

1 027 696 143
26 323 057

4 346 872 105

340 418 676

8 909 947 378

589 886 548

1 510
85
148
2 462
39
886
180
146
586

2 322
6
212 824
42 446
80 933
20 634
56 529
3 178
503
807
4 132

148
2
1 299
896
707
1 030
396
442
149
15
507

087
000
392
591
834
770
475
968
418
728
826

2 322 485
6 300
501 310 189
43 526 292
93 280 929
36 920 686
59 224 569
9 544 197
585 151
9 108 056
9 677 753

5 596 163 089

765 506 607

177 391
14 123
553 616
1 768 812
886 896
713 525
26 736

9 536
313
12 545
107 166
29 469
24 166
783

264
380
927
259
196
545
023
987
378

397
331
966
683
386
332
627
807
317

341 186 982

6 045 963 846

3 255 074
6 165

19 549 684
22 812

30 029 309
2 003 138
996 130
229 125

165
34
25
8

168
884
490
726

288
790
823
212

36 518 941

253 842 609

982
983
986
326
610
789

W eight
21 631 848

187 792
767
142 825
1 376
483
7 171

3 292 852 905

— *
249 467 872

-ExportsValue
5 105 065

485
300
801
323
769
386
489
173
593
310
996

424 319 625

6 281
307
12 545
77 137
27 466
23 170
554

669
578
842
096
408
173
578

267
800
014
595
749
177
134
648
938
746
089

295
600
488
142
610
046
570

743
743
842
405
546
303
703

7 617
92
4 786
112
37
611

054
096
063
639
452
512

873
811
995
428
338
038

13 256 819 483

148 267
2 800
2 809 278
981 975
856 677
3 492 437
435 330
1 329 194
329 962
162 734
1 093 468

087
000
789
922
800
453
861
300
045
535
143

11 642 126 935

196
14
553
1 933
921
739
35

940
146
616
980
781
015
462

979
412
488
430
400
869
782

147 463 344

4 141 101 751

183 982 285

4 394 944 360

940
350
600
121
459
628
135
190
443
318
410
125
568

56 950 943
72 931 771
7 307 376
3 084
4 029 414
2 228 724
6 632 255
617 971
128 259
4 323
467 683
306 918
198 353

961 266 380
1 236 437 090
142 960 558
7 300
147 896 848
58 781 912
108 274 338
9 454 720
5 462 935
67 127
50 934 814
19 086 426
9 240 254

109 907 675
124 391 633
7 367 853
18 725
8 299 717
3 373 494
8 591 242
3 246 588
1 147 580
92 415
604 028
343 202
845 872

1 790 021 320
2 296 502 440
144 752 158
400 421
1 367 957 307
198 369 540
404 977 473
720 387 910
52 916 378
934 445
56 248 224
20 379 551
24 163 822

W ashington

A b e rd e e n -H o q u ia m ..............

.

,

F rid ay H a r b o r .......................

O th er p o r t s .............................

956 732
459 862
60 477
15 641
4 270 303
1 144 770
1 958 987
2 628 617
1 019 321
88 092
136 345
36 284
647 519

828 754
1 060 065
1 791
393
1 220 060
139 587
296 703
710 933
47 453
867
5 313
1 293
14 923

T o tal ...............................................

116 422 950

4 328 140 287

151 807 074

2 749 870 702

268 230 024

7 078 010 989

T O T A L P A C IF I C C O A S T ..

747 779 808

15 045 444 566

1 069 113 784

21 418 714 768

1 816 893 592

36 464 159 334

1 In clu d es th e ex p o rt and im port sam ple figures.




13

T able 3 (c o n tin u e d )
P

a c if ic

Co ast W

aterborne

F

o r e ig n

T

rade by

P

o rt, 1

1954

P ercen t change 1953-54

Customs district and port
San D iego
San D i e g o .............................................................................
L os A ngeles
Los A n g e le s ........................................................................
P o rt San L u is ......................................................................
L o n g B e a c h ........................................................................
E l S e g u n d o ...........................................................................
H u e n e m e ...............................................................................
M orro ....................................................................................

,--------- Im ports--------- N
Value
W eight
+ 90
+ 44
+

1
...
*
— 91
— 100
...

T o tal .................................................................................

— 30
...
— 18+
— 96
— 100
...

,--------- Exports--------- x
Value
W eight
+903
+217
+ 36
+11
38

+13
+21
*

+122
— 57
— 58

+167
— 41
— 63

,--------- Total trade-------V alue
W eight
+243
+ 65
+ 16
+11
+ 25
— 54
— 57
— 58

— 11
+21
— 5
— 83
— 41
— 63

*

— 34

+31

—

6

+16

— 17

San Francisco
E u r e k a .....................................................................................................
M o n te r e y ...............................................................................
...
San F r a n c is c o ......................................................................
*
S tockton ...............................................................................
+262
O a k la n d ..................................................................................
— 60
R ichm ond .............................................................................
— 20
A lam eda ...............................................................................
— 61
M artinez ...............................................................................
+133
R edw ood C i t y ......................................................................
— 8
Selby ......................................................................................
— 22
O th er p o r t s ...........................................................................
— 31

...
...
— 1
(a )
— 42
— 29
+
2
+194
— 9
— 22
— 46

+293
+117
+ 8
+ 20
+ 34
+ 95
+ 57
— 70
+ 80
(a )
— 32

+312
+150
+ 10
— 16
+ 46
+ 40
+ 56
— 58
+788
(a)
— 30

+293
+117
+ 3
+ 22
+
2
+ 20
+ 38
— 28
+ 59
— 14
—- 32

+312
+150
+ 4
— 8
+ 15
— 17
+ 49
— 3
+ 53
— 13
— 40

7

— 15

+

+21
...
— 100
+14
+290
+ 10
...

+15
...
— 100
— 43
+194
— 14
...

___

38
+ 22
+ 44
— 18
—
30
+ 22
— 41

_ 30
+ 20
+ 38
— 22
—
28
+ 30
—
43

+

— 27

— 15

+
+
+

T o tal .................................................................................
O regon
A s t o r i a ....................................................................................
N ew p o rt ...............................................................................
Coos B a y ...............................................................................
P o rtlan d ...............................................................................
L ongview .............................................................................
V a n c o u v e r.............................................................................
O th er p o r t s ...........................................................................
T o tal .................................................................................
W ash in g to n
S e a t t l e ....................................................................
Tacom a ................................................................. ..............
A b e rd e e n -H o q u ia m ........................................... ..............
B laine ....................................................................
..............

—

20

+ 4
+91
+67

P o rt A n g e les........................................................
..............

+

9

F rid ay H a rb o r......................................................
S outh B e n d ...........................................................

..............
T O T A L P A C I F I C C O A S T .................... ..............

+

1

+

6

_

_

28
20
37
_ _ 24
—
26
+ 28
— 24

— 13

— 10

— 14

+ 25
— 35
+100
+ 28
— 20
+304
— 17
— 7
+ 27

— 5
+ 22
+ 64
+518
+ 46
+189
+ 65
+215
— 47

— 15
+
3
+ 50
(a)
+ 24
+ 44
+ 68
+288
— 58

+
6
— 15
+541

+102
+
1
+612

— 5
+ 14
+ 65
(a)
+ 56
+ 17
+ 74
+ 52
— 2
+745
+
1
— 13
+322

— 3
+
4
+ 50
(a)
+ 25
— 23
+ 90
+ 29
— 27
+336
+ 78
*

16
5
44

+
+

+

85
io

2

+

17

+

H

+

1

+

8

+

—

2

— 15

+

16

—

5

+

8

—

14

8

25
25
44
—
11
—
26
+ 21
— 17

+
+

+

1 In clu d es the ex p o rt and im port sample figures,
(a ) M ore th a n 1000 p ercen t increase.
* Less th a n 0.5 percent.




19

9

T able 4
I

m po rtant

P

a c if ic

C o a st W

aterborne

C o m m o d it y I m p o r t s , 1 9 5 4

A rranged in o rder of im portance by value
(V alu e in dollars; shipping w eight in pounds)
V alue
217 258 137
321 832
40 065 714
073 714
34 584 359
21 676 261
19 352 258
442 648
16 373 919
12 537 455
12 054 040
12 019 081
095 516
9 953 652
9 700 550
7 965 548
7 933 880
810 334
139 799
7 062 099

Commodity
..............................
N e w s p r in t...........................................................................................................................................
.............................
P etroleum , c r u d e ..............................................................................................................................
Copper ore, concentrates, unrefined copper, and s c ra p ......................................................
F ish and fish products, fresh and frozen, ex cep t shellfish..................................................
R ubber, crude, and allied g u m s ...................................................................................................
A utom obiles, tru ck s, and busses including p a r ts ....................................................................
Plyw ood, veneers, and box m a te ria ls........................................................................................
B u rlap and ju te b a g g in g .................................................................................................................
D istilled spirits, m alt, liquors, and w in e .................................................................................
R olled and finished steel mill p ro d u c ts......................................................................................
L ead ores, concentrates, and s c ra p ............................................................................................
M eat and m eat products other th an fresh, chilled or fro ze n .............................................
F ish and fish products, except shellfish, n o t elsew here classified....................................
In d u stria l m achinery and parts, n o t elsew here classified * ...............................................

.............................
.............................
.............................
.............................
.............................
..............................
.............................
..............................
.............................
.............................
.............................

L u m b er and sh in g les....................................................................................................................... ..............................

T O T A L P A C IF I C C O A S T I M P O R T S ...................................................................

W eight
343 3fifi 427
750 842 758
519 334 996
5 335 873 011
452 178 391
125 853 103
116 312 636
26 554 640
151 739 095
87 558 274
49 222 674
211 104 257
240 550 704
29 399 138
39 473 719
20 270 386
412 933 010
220 009 622
23 999 328
185 018 801

420 796

9 341 594 970

344 158

15 008 812 266

NOTE: This table does not include the import sample estimates.
* Includes machine tools and m etalw orking m achinery and p a r t s ; textile, sew ing, and shoe m achinery and p a r ts ; construction and
m ining m ach in ery ; office ap p lian ces; and all o th er types of industrial m achinery except electrical m achinery and engines, turbines,
and parts.

T
I m po rtant P

a c if ic

C o a st W

able

5

aterborne

C o m m o d it y E

x po r ts,

1954

A rranged in order of im portance by value
(V alue in d o lla rs; shipping w eight in pounds)
Commodity
Value
C otton, unm anufactured .....................................................................................................................
W h eat .........................................................................................................................................................
R efined copper in crude fo rm s.............................................................................................................

C onstruction and m ining m a c h in ery .................................................................................................
F ru its and p reparations, dried and e v ap o rated ..............................................................................
B arley and r y e ...........................................................................................................................................
V egetables and p rep aratio n s, n o t elsew here classified (largely d rie d )* .............................
In ed ib le anim al products, n o t elsew here classified........................................................................
F ru its and prep aratio n s, fresh and fro ze n .......................................................................................
W h e a t flour ................................................................................................................................................
F ru its and prep aratio n s canned, including ju ic e s ................................................................................................
In d u stria l chem icals, including sulfuric a c id ...................................................................................
G eneral electrical m achinery and a p p a ra tu s ...................................................................................
Gas oil and distillate fuel o il................................................................................................................
C ondensed and evaporated m ilk ............................................................................................................
A utom obiles, tru c k s, busses, and trailers, including p a r ts ........................................................
M etal m anu factu res and parts, n o t elsew here classified............................................................

16 955 252

V egetable oils and fats, edible..............................................................................................................

W eight
588 953 256
2 843 988 259
135 968 828
1 116 915 930
5 063 704 840
322 342 642
41 292 528
195 249 188
325 778 630
765 364 427
223 704 887
172 136 316
240 729 268
317 634 550
401 287 801
143 044 270
446 908 068
17 356 012
1 129 998 533
112 176 232
23 728 881
53 941 869
55 126 270
87 042 866
601 043 303
76 906 785

T o tal ........................................... ...............................................................................................................................

740 923 537

15 502 324 439

T O T A L P A C I F I C C O A S T E X P O R T S ...................................................................................................

1 037 810 154

21 213 541 688

N O T E : T h is tab le does n o t include th e e x p o rt sam ple estim ates.
* In clu d es all vegetables and p rep aratio n s ex cep t fresh, frozen, and canned.




15

T

able

6

W a t e r b o r n e I m p o r t s o f P a c i f i c C o a s t C u s t o m s D i s t r i c t s b y C o m m o d it y G r o u p ,

1954

(Value in dollars; shipping weight in pounds)
Com m odity group
A nim als and anim al products, edible. . . .
A nim als and anim al products, in ed ib le. . .
V eg etab le food products and b e v e ra g e s ..
V egetable p roducts, inedible, except
fibers an d w o o d.............................................
T ex tile fibers and m an u factu res................
W ood and p a p e r...............................................
N o nm etallic m inerals ....................................
M etals and m anu factu res except
m achinery and v eh icles.............................
M achinery and v eh icles..................................
Chem icals and related p ro d u c ts..................
M is c e lla n e o u s ....................................................
T o tal ...............................................................

A nim als and anim al products, e d ib le. . . .
A nim als and anim al products, in e d ib le .. .
V eg etab le food p ro d u cts and b e v e r a g e s ..
V eg etab le products, inedible, except
fibers and w o o d .............................................
T ex tile fibers and m a n u fa c tu re s..................
W ood and p a p e r................................................
N onm etallic m inerals ....................................
M etals an d m an u factu res except
m achinery and v eh icles................................
M achinery and v eh icles..................................
Chem icals and related p ro d u c ts..................
M isc e lla n e o u s ....................................................
T o tal ...............................................................

,---------San Diego-------- N ,-----------Los Angeles---------- s
Value
W eight
Value
W eight
48 864
80 818
9 280 145
29 074 143
1 495 214
8 919 629
12 478 958
81 822 828
961
12 097
49 945 334
451 518 250

1 381 173
269 770

25 507 281
17 185 330

94 869
45 977
768 735

2 240 531
108 740
16 551 843

4 105 563

70 606 269

/■-------------Oregon------------ N
933 084
3 609 315
3 571 229
25 791 674
16 499 779
41 432 310

39
16
34
16

518
310
583
736

069
681
575
281

673
95
561
1 909

148
376
729
858

262
653
634
968

27
11
22
28

895
908
580
838

167
361
853
390

416
59
323
4 019

998
383
265
584

195
655
369
832

29
20
5
3

888
930
021
537

482
521
132
444

331
33
141
22

161
586
980
682

071
189
538
669

20
7
3
2

469
708
504
761

383
777
960
150

422
12
91
34

506
822
861
094

408
656
116
242

238 230 622

4
22
35
9

103
898
799
154

878
761
038
231

808 857
3 616 886
24 156 951
4 321 648

2 627
1 693
1 655
162

57
4
46
2

074
024
580
004

373
682
587
710

44 203
3 460
1 648
1 149

35 593 241

252 473 559

4 331 939 205

325 581 832

092
814
406
487

112 832 900

35
17
2 558
739

408
704
622
096

589
408
699
106

69
41
88
53

736
289
901
739

666
019
525
069

1 130
198
3 511
6 701

684
964
238
675

574
877
871
317

671
14
48
11

103
847
255
334

777
292
003
308

100
35
12
16

161
834
933
261

234
557
646
424

1 487
67
345
75

677
046
508
426

710
409
587
429

4 322 950 587

747 779 808

N o te : E x c e p t for the Pacific Coast totals, this table does not include the im port sample estim ates.




Percent change 1 9 5 3 -5 4 , Pacific Coast
Commodity group
A nimals and anim al products, ed ib le.............................................
Anim als and anim al products, ined ib le...........................................
V egetable food products and b ev erag es.........................................
V egetable products, inedible, except fibers and w ood................
T extile fibers and m a n u f a c tu r e s ......................................................
W ood and p a p e r .....................................................................................
N onm etallic m inerals ..........................................................................
M etals and m anufactures except m achinery and v e h ic le s ....
M achinery and v e h ic le s ........................................................................
Chemicals and related p r o d u c ts ........................................................
M isc e lla n e o u s ..........................................................................................
T o tal

.....................................................................................................

16

6 030 842 646

t-------------Pacif !c C oast----------25 287 158
93 093 852
34 294 224
268 509 410
1 165 618 530
269 341 286

,----------- W as hington----------6 249 429
33 691 518
6 186 351
51 063 205
17 030 979
141 823 682

696 023
3 914 091
3 011 623
829 030
108
268
263
743

t-----------San Francisco--------W eight
V alue
24 005 408
7 488 886
99 816 824
8 775 022
183 650 883
526 503 941

Value
— 36
+236
— 7
— 5
— 7
+ 13
— 18
— 1
+
2
+ 19
+
1
—

2

W eight
— 51
+148
— 13
+ 14
— 5
+ 14
— 31
— 7
+ 24
— 6
—‘ 20
— 15

15 045 444 566

T able 7
W a t e r b o r n e E x p o r t s o f P a c i f i c C o a s t C u s t o m s D i s t r ic t s b y C o m m o d it y G r o u p , 1954

(Value in dollars; shipping weight in pounds)

Commodity group
A nim als and anim al products, e d ib le . .
A nim als and anim al products, inedible
V egetable food products and beverages
V eg etab le products, inedible, except
fibers and w o o d ....................................
T extile fibers and m an u factu res............
W ood and p a p e r.........................................
M etals and m anufactures except
m achinery and vehicles..................
M achinery and v eh icles.........................
Chem icals and related p ro d u c ts...........
M iscellaneous ...........................................
T o t a l ........................................................
Commodity group
Animals and anim al products, e d ib le. .
A nim als and anim al products, inedible
V egetable food products and beverages
V egetable products, inedible, except
fibers and w ood....................................
T extile fibers and m an u factu res...........
W ood and p a p e r.........................................
N onm etallic m in e r a ls .............................
M etals and m anufactures except
m achinery and vehicles..................
M achinery and v eh icles.........................
Chemicals and related p ro d u c ts...........

T o t a l ........................................................

t----------- San Diego----------- x
Value
W eight
33 431
94 835
4 107 625
295 011
14 378
70 900

,----------- Los A ngeles----------W eight
V alue
4 556 834
32 420 586
9 089 921
106 721 294
27 130 805
388 507 762

6 217
4 552 283
34 872
600
9
127
5
10

259
036
838
560

5 089 485

3
12 209
4 550
50

126
879
080
250

5
142
2
61

384
126
533
472

561
911
118
007

36
431
77
6 585

785
244
960
602

127
747
746
740

13
60
12
25

936
854
335
753

179
032
308
137

95
170
294
2 149

846
536
434
836

584
046
306
714

58
345
71
28

121
350
846
396

22
31
21
7

546
035
583
815

663
080
202
654

730
46
430
12

277
077
357
006

733
486
354
723

21
65
21
22

787
790
852
273

686
511
742
351

728
85
115
69

531
157
594
124

527
255
108
298

21 590 408

,-----O regon-------------- \
26 929 855
2 823 786
2 907 032
31 902 916
88 594 825 2 633 488 891
4 307
94
36 471
1 409

,------------San Francisco---------Value
W eight
22 328 257
146 356 081
19 082 529
152 416 600
1 461 918 120
118 678 733

335 274 756

8 877 962 298

404 672 465

,-------------W ashington------------ N ,------------- Pacif ic C oast----5 251 980
20 558 989
36 282 268
232 611 866
4 600 530
51 706 938
36 306 153
347 633 393
39 404 314 1 151 004 947
286 623 705
5 754 231 170

885
894
804
205

30 641
440
1 235 880
117 080

676
302
226
031

3 333
846
30 412
2 058

151
830
694
675

8 458
3 637
780 289
198 609

134
235
020
628

27
209
82
91

638
596
735
828

313
130
856
524

173
619
2 413
9 069

800
899
463
842

197
909
318
153

3 321 687
4 545 339
731 673
457 624

29 541
8 876
5 264
724

812
058
898
326

45
8
4
2

354
182
046
938

198
11
272
26

994
660
659
148

95
114
51
35

807
772
874
648

479
768
251
337

1 691
158
844
113

665
031
135
400

627
379
695
061

145 665 754

4 120 770 991

918
038
665
577

147 107 694

513
158
610
918

2 723 466 352

1 069 113 784

N o te : E x cep t for th e Pacific Coast totals, this table does not include the export sample estim ates.




5 469 751 639

Percent change 1 9 5 3 -5 4 , Pacific Coast
Commodity group
V alue
A nimals and anim al products, edible............................................... ... — 8
Anim als and anim al products, inedible.............................................. + 1 9
V egetable food products and b ev erag e s........................................ ... — 10
V egetable products, inedible, except fibers and w ood ................... + 66
T e x tile fibers and m a n u fa c tu re s ......................................................... + 1 0 6
W ood and p a p e r ..................................................................................... ... + 48
N onm etallic m in e r a ls ............................................................................ ... — 17
M etals and m anufactures except m achinery and vehicles. . . . + 4 6
M achinery and v e h ic le s ........................................................................... — 10
Chem icals and related products ......................................................... + 30
M iscellaneous ............................................................................................. + 82
T o t a l .......................................................................................................

17

+16

W eight
+11
+
8
— 16
+157
+102
+ 37
— 16
+25
— 20
+ 40
+ 90
—

5

21 418 714 768

T a b le 8
L e a d in g P a c i f ic

C o a st S o u r c e s o f Im p o rts,

1954

A rranged in order of im portance by value
(V alue in d o llars; shipping w eig h t in pounds)
C ountry
C o lo m b ia ..............................................................................................................................

Value

P hilippine R e p u b lic ..........................................................................................................

In d o n esia

............................................................................................................................

E l S a lv a d o r..........................................................................................................................

C osta R ica ..........................................................................................................................
T o tal ............................................................................................................................

W eight
106 752 604
503 716 915
3 535 377 947
1 213 125 402
103 764 108
218 721 862
4 003 259 406
520 646 895
152 755 495
162 954 989
67 946 639
29 628 818
32 118 671
808 827 447
109 870 963
129 139 884
45 317 685
216 436 053
11 960 361 783

T O T A L P A C I F I C C O A S T I M P O R T S .................................................... .............................................

716 344 158

15 008 812 266

Value

W eight
8 621 545 073
742 886 201
476 023 883
665 073 875
450 638 870
2 970 100 887
213 391 321
190 361 147
564 172 151
326 108 825
439 481 929
259 483 976
215 603 623
1 455 738 828
128 199 714
169 553 721
206 713 268
97 676 803
364 389 742
86 049 507
105 290 579

N o te : T his table does n o t include th e im port sam ple estim ates.

T a b le
L e a d in g P a c i f ic

9

C o a st E x p o r t M a r k e ts,

1954

A rranged in order of im portance by value
(V alue in d o lla rs ; shipping w eight in pounds)
C ountry
Philippine R e p u b lic ........................................................................................................
W e st G e rm a n y .................................................................................................................

A ustralia ............................................................................................................................

...............................................
T o tal ..........................................................................................................................

18 748 483 923

T O T A L P A C I F I C C O A S T E X P O R T S ....................................................

21 213 541 688

N O T E : T his table does n o t include th e export sam ple estim ates.




10 385 297

18

T a b l e 10
W a t e r b o r n e I m p o r t s of P a c i f i c C o a s t C u s t o m s D is t r ic t s b y T r a d e A r e a , 1954

(Value in dollars; shipping weight in pounds)
T rad e area
N o rth A m e ric a .....................................
C en tral A m e ric a ..................................
B erm uda and C a r ib b e a n ..................
So u th A m e r ic a ....................................
E u r o p e .................................................... ............
N e ar E a s t................................................ ............
So u th and S outheast A sia ................
E a s t A s i a ................................................ ............
A u stralia and O cean ia.......................
A f r i c a ......................................................

,---------- Saia Diego--------- \
Value
W eight
13 953 843
....

1 545 500
219 772

5 103 493
31 079 511
16 432 640

748 877

4 036 782

70 606 269

T o tal ..................................................

/----------- Los Angeles----------- v
W eight
V alue
24 022 479
869 855 459
10 467 427
226 146 737
2 857 410
144 800 386
36 826 713
432 145 445
59 571 908
535 593 287
718 637
121 562 544
57 567 949 1 602 090 753
32 075 400
316 149 135
7 974 438
56 236 733
6 148 261
27 358 726

t----------- San F rancisco---------V alue
W eight
23 629 737
420 463 766
42 920 450
203 615 285
2 078 539
24 143 718
117 565 405
434 528 425
31 058 629
284 451 484
5 855 195
910 977 502
68 261 757
3 480 956 330
22 729 014
173 439 963
7 092 257
73 620 277
4 390 849
24 645 896

238 230 622

325 581 832

4 331 939 205

^___

r

............
............
............
............
............

1 320 956
3 282 125
166 836
11 320 901
7 829 692

2 489
6 115
1 879
32 188
96 252

075
866
861
126
364

............
............
A u stralia and O c ea n ia ....................... ............
A f r i c a ...................................................... ............

3 376 258
7 632 558
117 844
546 071

39 412
53 395
2 235
18 504

835
411
687
334

35 298 954
4 775 419
906 905
26 031 890
9 865 595
4 133
14 909 773
12 526 585
7 868 630
645 016

252 473 559

112 832 900

N o rth A m e ric a ....................................
C en tral A m erica..................................
B erm uda and C a r ib b e a n ..................
S outh A m e r ic a ....................................
E u r o p e ....................................................
N e ar E a s t................................................
South and S outheast A sia ................

T o tal ..................................................

3 037
216
222
293
96
299
102
45
8

443
932
328
906
092
21
962
785
081
396

251
071
854
123
222
856
012
532
980
686

85 559
61 469
6 082
192 561
121 255
6 813
144 692
92 998
24 617
11 730

4 322 950 587

747 779 808

N o te : E x c e p t for the Pacific C oast totals, this table does n o t include the im port sample estim ates.




Percent change 19 5 3 -5 4 , Pacific Coast
Trade area
V alue
N o rth A m e r ic a ........................................................................................ ...+
6
C en tral A m e r ic a .........................................................................................— 3
B erm uda and C a r ib b e a n .........................................................................4- 71
S outh A m e r ic a ......... .................................................................................— 10
E u r o p e ..................................................................................................................4 -

8

N e a r E a s t ....................................................................................................— 68
S o u th an d S o u th east A s i a .....................................................................— 7
E a s t A s i a ................................................................................................... ...4- 16
A u stralia and O c e a n ia .......................................................................... ...— 11
A f r i c a .............................................................................................................4 - 3 3
T o tal .....................................................................................................

19

—

2

* »Vi
215
771
190
134
774
337
537
084
569
197

W eight
4 -1 5
4 -1 2
4* 46
— 26
4-

—•
—
—
—
4-

1

72
6
5
16
29

— 15

6 030 842 646

4 344
652
393
1 197
1 056
1 048
5 422
671
177
78

778
834
248
890
159
999
986
887
754
905

544
059
369
112
768
542
480
973
077
642

15 045 444 566

T able 11
W

E xports of P a c ific C oast C u st o m s D istric ts
(Value in dollars; shipping weight in pounds)

aterborne

✓
-----------San Diego-----------\
V alue
W eight
372 436
....

T rad e area
N o rth A m e ric a ..................................
B erm u d a and C arib b e an ................
So u th A m e ric a ..................................
E u ro p e ................................................
N e a r E a s t ...........................................
S o u th an d S o u th e a st A sia ............

100 722
625 394

20 657

393 685 "
20 098 171

37 084
4 685 471

A u stralia an d O cean ia.....................
A frica ..................................................
21 590 408

5 089 485

T o t a l ................................................

by

T rade A rea , 1954

,-------------San Ffrancisco-----------V alue
W eight
13 305 168
668 556 534
5 716 490
112 287 497
10 796 615
181 972 055
19 064 137
184 848 888
97 512 318
856 489 287
2 589 854
13 010 702
103 961 528
635 030 611
133 771 917
2 651 913 232
12 126 196
88 217 978
5 828 242
77 424 855

z----------Los Angeles----------\
Value
W eight
33 748 455 3 076 465 821
5 952 486
369 182 443
3 965 828
23 354 078
23 104 846
764 948 446
98 480 832
911 693 917
3 368 775
14 775 345
37 893 288
307 242 115
117 994 845 3 218 998 628
7 494 790
173 892 396
3 270 611
17 409 109
335 274 756

8 877 962 298

404 672 465

5 469 751 639

602
64
40
162
374
5
123
1 254
53
41

72
20
25
71
267
7
172
380
32
18

4 460
610
338
1 411
2 598
43
1 301
9 670
539
443

__
,

,

.

.

B erm u d a and C a rib b e a n .. ............

South an d S o u th e a st A sia ............
A u stralia an d O cean ia.....................

T o t a l ................................................ . . . .

2
2
6
12
20

458
138
154
282
783
622
14 033
73 401
5 860
7 929

450
457
864
473
856
677
968
401
313
295

145 665 754

77
35
74
272
432
9
209
2 494
213
301

728
830
297
198
925
063
631
291
114
689

284
302
440
041
994
382
571
951
249
777

4 120 770 991

17
3
2
12
47

132
150
330
634
268
654
11 455
45 921
5 616
942

697
873
815
707
635
323
078
885
297
384

147 107 694

728
784
117
493
947
261
595
516
786
234

440
631
282
739
306
751
845
792
378
188

2 723 466 352




Percent change 19 5 3 -5 4 , Pacific Coast

.............................
N e a r E a s t ............................................................... .
S outh and S outheast A s i a .................................

Value

+18
+25
+11
+51

W eight

—
+
+
+
+
—

28
75
75
34
29
44
— 49
+
5
+ 66
— 19

—

20

974
466
842
840
570
599
296
269
526
402

1 069 113 784

N o te : E x cep t for th e Pacific C oast totals, this table does n o t include the ex p o rt sam ple estim ates.

T rade area
N o rth A m e r ic a ......................................................
C entral A m e r ic a .................................................... .............................
B erm uda and C a r ib b e a n .................................... .............................
South A m e r ic a ...................................................... ..............................

464
249
554
180
153
544
988
492
908
576

5

331
758
502
955
855
555
124
592
998
041

575
683
495
166
158
120
297
524
731
019

21 418 714 768