Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-12-30

Interesting Commercial Statistics.
81 WASHINGTON, December 10.
T~THE annual report of Joseph Nimmo,
Jr2 Chief of the Bureau of Statistics. ON
the foreign commerce Of the United
Sites, is completed. In regard 70 our
4rt trade, MIR. Nimmo says:
VI Five leading articles of ezpofs dur1ns the
bAr ended June 81, 1851, *wer0Ds fonops:
Bread and breadstuffs s2ss. 036, e35: cotton. UNI
manufactured, e212, 535. sos: provisions, &lzs,-
043,2l2; mineral oils, s38.2ls. as; tobacco and
manufactures thereof, SIS. t4s,y7a Tho United
States, he says, already surpasses every other
country in the magnitude OF its exports, both
bFeadstuns and provisions, and ir II main
tanned that the market for American bread
Stunts and provisions I'm Europe can be still
further extended. The United Kingdom Of
Great Britain and Ireland stand first among
importing eoo1tries with respect tothe value
of imports. both in breadstuns and provisions"
Tables are presented showing that of the follow
ing commodities imported into Great Britain
and ireland the percentage imported from the
United States was Is follows: Wheat, 6S per
cent: Indian corn, 30 per cent: lire animals,
a per cont: beef, salted, % per cent; beef.
fresh or eliGhtly sated, os per cent, butter, II
per cent; cheese, cav per cent; bacon, 81 per
cent; hams, 90 per cent; lard. % per cent;
meat, preserved otherwise than sailed. ~ per
cent; pork, sailed, ~ per cent The report
says: "During the Last ten years the compe-
tition Of American -breadstuffs and provisions
In British markets has greatly reduced the
price OF those commodities, and consequently
the profits OF producing them in the United
Kingdom. approximations have been awakened
as to the ultimate effect OF this competition
upon the agricultural interests of the latter
country. The question is, in politico-econo-
mic sense, q very large one, since 1t embraces
not only the interests of the British farmers,
but also the rate Of wages paid to farm-labor-
ers, the value Of lands devoted to agricultural
purposes, and the revenue derived therefrom
by the British landowners. The growth of the
expectation OF breadstuffs from the United
States has also led to serious apprehensions in
competing grain-prOducing countries i'm which
inferior methods of agriculture prevail and
facilities for handling and Transporting grain
and existing methods OF commerce are less
advanced than in this country" fF
Regarding the maritime interest of the
United States, Mr.. Nimmo says: {" The deca-'
dence of that branch Of the American mer.
chant marine which il employed in the foreign
commerce of the country continues to engage
by the following facts: The building Of ships
and barks employed by or foreign commerce
fell from an annual average Of 2;s3 during the
ten years from 1851 TO 1850 to An annual aver
age of ffty-six during the ten years from 1871
to 1880. There were only twenty-three ships
and barks built during the year ended June
30, 1880. The iron steamship is now the con-
trolling vehicle Of commerce on the ocean.
The tonnage of iron vessels built in this coun-
fry a las five tod IN nrlv
1913 tons, almost entirely for our coastwise or
home trade in which no foreign competition
is allowed under the provisions of our Navigar
tion laws, whereas the iron bodybuilding Of
Great Britain during the last five years re-
ported amounted to 1,s00, 1888 tons. IL is
stated that the iron steamers designed for
transatlantic trade now I'm course Of construc-
ton in the ship yards of Great Britain would,
If placed in line, extend about one mile. The
total TONNAGE of the United States employed
in the foreign trade fell from 2,3I9. s9s tons in
1860 to l,314 ,402 tons during the year ending
June 30, 1880. During the year ending June 20,
1880, the total value Of the commodities trans
ported in American and foreign vessels DIM
ports and exports) amounted to the sum OF
8, $50, Az, 093, OF which the value transported
in American vessels amounted only to ESQ.,
O05,497. The value transported in foreign YES
sells amounted to ~ Do, 400, asa Amarked de-
cline in the proportion NJ commodities carried
I'm American vesspls has taken place during
the past year, the falling OF having been from
% per cent. in 1s79to 17.6 per cent in 1880"
After stating in detail the causes OF the de-
cline In that branch of American merchant
marine employed In foreign commerce, the re-
port continues: "The fact that capital finds
abundant and more profitable employment IN
the homo industries and enterprises of this
country of vast and widely varied resources
than I'm the employment Of vessels upon the
pecan has undoubtedly had q strong influence
towards diverting attention from bodybuilding
and shfp-owninR enterprises. This 10 the
main, underlying cause Of our maritime de-
clension. in 80 far as relates to foreign COM
merce." The branch OF American merchant
marine which is employed In the internal and
coasting commerce of the United States, II 10
shown, also exhibits decline, notwithstanding
the fact that under our Navigation laws no
foreign vessel IL allowed to engage in this
trade. The tonnage thus employed fell from
293, 439 tons in 1874 to 2,637,6. tons in 1880.
The total tonnage built on the seaboard, en-
bracing the Atlantic Gulf and the Pacific
coasts, including both tonnage built for
and for foreign trade, but chiefly
for the coastwise, fell from 1,013,040 tons dur
ing the five years from 1855 to 1870, to only
1862 tons during the FIVE years from 1870 to
1880. The American tonnage built on the
great lakes, almost exclusively for internal
trade, fell from 2lk3S tons during tue I'VE |
years from 1893 70 1870, TO q. 400 tons during |
the five years from 1879 to lSo4 The tonnage |
employed in the domestic trade Of the United |
States ttte ship ton being 100 cubic feet of |
space on June 90, 1850, amounted to 2,s37,es5 |
tons. This embraces vessels employed both |
in the carriage Of passengers and freight. But |
the capacity Of railroad cars OF all descriptions
employed on the railroads Of the United states |
amounted, according to the latest and most |
reliable information, TO about 100000 similar
tons Of 100 cubic feet Of space. This railroad |
car tonnage, however, the report says, actual |
" affords means Of transport for o much |
larger amount OF freight tonnage than il indi- |
Gated by the foregoing comparison.
After further remarks regarding the excess |
of commodities By rail over the commerce By |
water, Mr.. Nimmo continues: "The efficiency /
of the railroads as highways Of commerce has, |
however, increased much moro rapidly than /