Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-10

customs revenue. He asks that an ad-
ditional appropriation be made for the pur-
poe of defraving the expenses of an in
creased customs force TO take care of the
merchandise sent to the Worlds Fair
The receipts from internal revenue
amounted to S146, ,055, ,415 81, an increase of
! S3,440, 719 40 over 1890 The total produc-
| ton Of distilled spirits was 1,159, ,062, ,3S9
gallons, an increase of 6,6s6,46 gallons
There was also produced 1,S04,712 gallons
! of fruit brandy: 1919 distilleries were
operated, and 80. 497 POS barrels of beer were
| produced.
Imports of merchandise amounted to
| SS44 915, 166. an increase of S55 COS, 7S7, and
the exports amounted to 1854, 4S0, SO, an
! Increase of S26,652, 126. The exports ex-
ceeded the imports by S39, 564 GA The ex-
! ports Of treasure amounted to SOS, 953, ,642
and the imports to S36, 259, Az The export
| trade with Great Britain amounted to
S44l, $50 SO7 and the imports to S194. 723, 262.
The value of exports and imports carried in
ears was So. S56 i94. Exports increased to
| France, Germany, China, Brazil, Spain,
British Australia, Mexico, Central Amer
lean States and the Netherlands, and de-
creased to the Argentine Republic, Great
Britain, Russia and British North American
possessions.
Effect of the Reciprocity Clause.
In relation to the reciprocity clause Mr..
Foster saws:
Tine reciprocity clause of the new tariff is
opening new markets and increasing the de-
mand for our products. During the year
ending June 30, 1890. our exports of domestic
products to Brazil amounted Sll, ,902, ,496 and
in 1891 to 81, ,Gi9 273, an increase of 81, 1871.
The treaty with Brazil went into effect
April last, and it is not TO be expected that
! the results viii be very marked as yet. Dur
ing the six months ending September SO, 1890,
our domestic exports OF merchandise to
Brazil amounted to So 20S S0t, and during
the same period Of 1891, under the operat1on
OF the reciprocity treaty, to SI,5l5S5S. an in
crease of .301. .054. This increase in exports
to Brazil since the reciprocity treaty went
into effect has been mainly in locomotives,
steam engines. machinery and cars tor tram
ways ana railways, wheat flour, bacon,
boards, deals, planks, etc. The reciprocity
treaties with Santo Domingo and with Spain
concerning trade relations with Cuba and
Puerto Rico did not 90 into effect until
September ]. and as vet there are no avail
able statistics to SHOW the effects of the
treaties upon cur commerce. Furthermore,
the reductions on duties on whea and wheat
flour imported into these islands from the
United States Will not take affect until JAN
uary l, 1892.
The total arrival of immigrants was $780,,
3f9, an increase of 105, OH.
The Increase of Ship Building.
The registered tonnage of the United
States has increased 50, 254 tons and the
enrolled tonnage has increased 201, ,001 tons.
The sailing tonnage has increased 62, 324
tons and the steam tonnage 157, ,175 tons.
The iron vessels built measured los, 61S tons.
The documentej tonnage on the lakes is
Isl. 72i tons on the. seacoast 554, ,963 tons,
and the total, including the rivers, is 741,-
59S. 24 tons There are 308, 348 tons on the
Western rivers. In relation to this subject
Mr.. Foster says:
There should be no interference with the
legal barriers that now preserve the coast
ing trade to citizens of the United States,
whether upon the lakes, the rivers or the
ocean. The late census shows that in addi-
ton to the large tonnage of documented
vessels mentioned in the statistics above
stated OF vessels in this trade, there is a
very considerable number of inferior un
documented craft employed upon the rivers
and elsewhere, consisting of unrigged
barges, fiatboats. etc. Upon the Ohio river
and its tributaries above Cincinnati alone
this additional tonnage is found to amount
TO 2,47O5i7 tons The value f the coasting
aud river fleet to domestic commerce was
SIS. l2S. 500 in 1850.
The demand for ships of war will give us
shiryards competent for building CONNER
cial vessels to any extent and there is no
good reason why ships should not be built
here, and transport under American owner
ship fair share Of our exports and imports.
Great industries like ship-building and the
navigation of ships should not be surren-
dered by us to other nations without a de-
termined struggle to retain them. No back-
ward step should be taken i'll the efforts now
being made to restore the American flag to
the high seas.
Deterioration OF Immigrants.
With tho approa ching exhaustion of the
supply of free arabic land in the United
States only a trifiing percentage of immi
grants now engage in farming on their ar
rival in this country, whatever may have
been their former occupation. The vast
maj iority OF them crowd into our cities and
large towns, with the inevitable result of
overstocking tine labor market and depress-
ing WAGES. while the least efficient and most
vicious among them soon drift into our
poorhouseS and prisons. to be n continuing
burden upon our people. The laws already
enacted by Congress for the purpose OF
checking this tendency and preventing the
stricted immigration have accomplished
something. The attempt to enforce these
laws efficiently has also developed body of
informa tion, based on actual experience
which should be Invaluable in framing fut
ure legislation. While the application of
existing laws has very greatly diminished
some o: the specific abuses at which they
were aimed. it obviously has not prevented
a large increase in the total volume of imini-
grafton and a distinct deterioration in its
average quality.
Good progress has been made during the
past year in the matter OF enforcing the pro-
visions of the alien contTact-labor laws. The
fact that such laws are on the Statute books,
prescribing serious penalties for their in
Fraction, has of itself had most salutary
effect ard tended greatly to prevent all law
abiding citizens from attempting the i'm
portation of alien laborers under contract.
Any legislation, however. looking to ex-
clusion of Chinese, will fail of its Iull pur-
pose so long As the Canadian Government
admits Chinese laborerS to Canada, whence,
armed with Canadian permits to leave and
return to Canada at pleasure, they are at
liberty to invade our territory along its
entire Northern frontier.
The importance of providing some limita-
tion of time within which claims against the
Government shall be prosecuted, or, for
want of such prosecution, be forever barred,
is urged upon the attention of Congress.
Attention is again invited to the need of
legislation to provide suitable registry of
deeds and other evidences of title to real
pronerrY a canired and held for the use of