The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1877-03-22
The Trade OF the Country.

Merchants and bankers and lntelli-
gent farmers will read with keen inter.
est the facts embodied in the appended
article from the Charleston Meas and
Courier, which states that statistics of
the Commerce of the United States
during the calendar year of 1876 form
the basis of surer predictions as to the
immediate future of business in this
country than do the annual circulars of
business failures and the gloomy tables
of the trade of the port of New York,
TO which attention has been largely
directed. The showing of the former
Is remarkable. First, take the imports.
G-eat changes have taken place in
them, the character of which will APP
pear more clearly by comparison with
the imports of the calendar year OF
1872, theyone before the panic, and the
busiest in the history of American com
merce. The total in 1872 was 1855, 962,.
575, and in 1876 was 1926, 779, 651; a
difference, in expenditures, of $3.50
OO0, 200. The economy now practiced
seems to be largest in respect to manu-
featured goods. In these alone the
saving is $3.50, 900, 900, while the pur.
chases of articles of food and of chemi-
Gals and most raw materials remain, in
the aggregate. comparatively steady.
One striking feature of the reductions
Is that they have taken place in spite
of the G neral decline of prices. Ordl-
narily, decline of price increases con-
sumption and stimulates importation.
Brown sugar was about the only thing
among the great articles of trade which
was imported in 1873 in greater
quantity in consequences of the decline.
The quantity amounted to /, AGO, 000,-
600 pounds, against l, 1926, 600, 900 in
1872, although the aggregate value IN
1876 was less, as will be seen by refer
ence to the table. On all other prin-
cipal articles of import the reduction
in quantity was actual.
Some of the reduction in imports IS
due to the fact that the fall of prices
has gone 50 far that foreigners are dis
couraged from competing in this coun-
try for the sale of their goods. A va
riety of manufactured wares and arti-
cles of vegetable growth from other
lands can no longer be sold in the Uni
ted States unless this country is made
sacrifice market, as Is sometimes done
for the purpose of keeping up prices in
Europe and elsewhere. This, however.
is only another way of stating the real
cause of one half at least of the falling
off in importations. The real cause Is
one that will give satisfaction to every
one that takes pride in the welfare of
his own country. tits the development
and Investigation of American indus
try and agriculture. Americans are
securing the trade of their OWE coun-
trymen, and have created SO vast an
amount of productive property and
machinery that they are now nearly
able to supply the demands of that
trade without resorting largely to other
countries, at least for staple supplies.
A reason why fewer cotton goods were
is evidently to be found in
the fact that the production of Ameri-
can mills was larger than in any year
IN history. They manufactured 1,400,-
600 bales of cotton into cloth. The larg-
est year previous to that was 1874, when
1, 800, 600 bales were manufactured. A
reason why less iron was imported was
the ability of home manufacturers to
supply the market. AS for imports of
wool, wooden goods, paper, earthen-
ware, furniture, glass, leather, and
some other sorts of commodities, the
changes which took place in the guam
titles of them are attributable to the
same causes. The industries have
grown here.
Now take the exports. These show,
in part, what the country is doing in
the way of earning. Condensing the
tables and grouping the classes we
have the following result: - 20