U.S. leather '85 deficit soars. (leather industry and trade; Leather Industries of America statistics)

U.S. leather '85 deficit soars NEW YORK -- Leather Industries of America (LIA) reported a $110 million trade deficit for U.S. leather in 1985, the largest import surplus reported in the association's 69-year history of recordkeeping.

According to the LIA'S recently published U.S. Leather Industries Statistics, 1986 edition, the largest percentage of leather imports, which stood at $394 million compared with U.S. exports of $284 million, came from Argentina. Argentina, exporting $112,879-million-worth of leather to the U.S., was followed in export strength by Italy, the United Kingdom, India and Canada.

While imports of shoe upper leather advanced 8 percent …