Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-03-31
OUR IMPORTS

Some of the Articles Which We Buy in
Foreign Countries.
Notwithstanding our oft-repeated
boast that the United States can grow
from its farms and plantations, dig
from it's mines or produce from it's
forests about everything its inhabitants
need to eat, drink, wear, cure and
shelter them, the, cold fact still stares
us in the face that we don't do it. The
imports of merchandise for the fiscal
year ended June 80, 1885, amounted to
$577, ,527 1929. In other words, we
bought this large amount of goods
cause we did not produce the same
articles ourselves or because we did
not produce them in the quantities re-
quired or, in some instances, because
the quality of the native production
was not up to the required standard.
Dividing this list of imports into
articles of food, drink, clothing, medi-
cine, building materials and miscel-
lanies, we get some very interesting
results. In the first list sugar and
molasses occupy the first place, having
cost us for the year $76, ,73S, 713, being
upwards Of thirteen per cent of the
total import for the year. Foreign
fruits, including nuts, cost $16, ,705, ,574;
breadstuffs and other farinaceous SUBJ
stances cost nearly eight millions;
fish nearly five millions; spices
and eggs five millions more
and vegetables and provisions, S3,-
10000 Under the head OF drinks
we paid for coffee $40, 723, 318; for tea,
4,047, ,583 for wines. $6, ,275, ,7O3 for
distilled spirits a little over two mil
lions, and for malt liquors a trifie more.
than one million. For wearing ap-
parel, house decoration and the raw
materials that 90 into such fabrics we.
paid for wool and manufactures of
wool, $44, 656, 1872; for silk and it's man
ufactures, $40, 1913, ,002 for flax, hemp,
jute and manufactures thereof, $50.
S54,074 ). for cotton and it's manufac.
lures in the shape of embroideries,
laces, trimmings, lace window-cur-
talns and various fine dress goods, of
which cotton forms part, $28, 152, ,001 g
for hides and skins used for the manu-
facture of leather, 500, ,586, 443 for
leather and it's manufactures, S10,416,-
$50 ; for furs in various forms, $5.-
257, ,574, and for hats, bonnets and
hoods, nearly five millions more.
Coming to the things we take when
sick, the items of chemicals, medicines.
drugs and dyes imported for the wear
cost the nice little sum of $50, ,07O,816.
Iron and steel and their manufactures
cost $34, ,563, ,689, Notwithstanding the.
fact that our own furnaces and
mills were largely idle for want
IL
we paid S12,629, ,O6zs.
for glass and glassware, S6,256, 1874;
for earthen, stone and china ware,
81, ,S37, 1872; for tin in bars, blocks ot
pigs, 81, ,283 400; for clocks and watchel
a million and half, and for musical
Instruments nearly as much more
There is nothing that the manufactup
ers of this country can possibly do that
will be more profitable than to make q
careful study of this list of imports and
find out how much and how many Of
these articles can be produced or man
in this country by the appli-
cation of the proper knowledge and
skill. If any considerable portion OF
the five or six hundred millions that
we send abroad for these imported arti-
cles can be retained at home and paid
to our own worzmen and producers
there will be less room for complaint of
want of profitable employment.
The good feature of this showing is
that we exported enough of our own
productions during the year to pay for
all we bought abroad and leave a bal
ance to cur credit of $1G4, So, 1876. AS
long as we can keep such big annual
balance to our credit as the result of
our trade with the rest of the world we
may be considered fairly prosperous
nation, croakers and grumblers to the
contrary Notwithstanding -PhiladeS-
0IaiG Times.