St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-12-30
SOUTHERN PROGRESS.
Splendid Showing of Advances in
All Lines.


BALTIMORE, Dec. 29.-The Manufact-
urer's Record of this week, in its annual
review of the industrial and general
business interests of the South during
the past year, shows that that section
has made very solid and substantial
progress, free from any speculative OF
erations, notwithstanding the general
financial Stringency and the low price
of cotton. The decline in the price of
cotton is largely Offset by the great in
crease in the SOuth's grain crops, but
cotton has so long been the staple crop
that low prices caused a lack of conf
dence greater than is justified. This,
however, will pass away with the gen.
eral improvement in business through
out the country.
The production of corn I'm the South
in 1891 was about SOS, 900 bushels,
the largest crop ever raised, exceeding
the crop of 1880 by l17,000,0O0 bushels;
the wheat crop was about 100000
bushels, gain of 16,000,00 bushels
over 1890; the total yield of wheat and
corn for the year being about 627, 000,-
600 bushels.
During the year the South completed
2S blast furnaces, 10 rolling mills,
BesSemer ral mill in Maryland and l
large Bessemer plant in Kentucky, all
of which have either gone into opera
ton or are about TO commence. 1t has
also nearly finished two cotton tie mills,
has one tin plate mill nearly ready for
operation and is preparing to build a
large tin plate mill and steel works in
Virginia with English and American
capital. The low price of iron has en-
forced economies IN furnace manage
| ment and so reduced the cost of IRON
making that Alabama furnaces are re-
ported to be in stronger financial shape
than year ago, and to be making good
profits even at the low figures prevail
ing.
The production of coal in 1891 was
about 23,0O0,000 tons. against 6,500,0O0
tons in 1882, or ten years ago. West
Virginia alone now mines more coal
than the whole South did ten years ago.
The output Of pig iron i'll the South in
1891, as indicated by special reports to
the Manufacturers Record. was about
1872 900 tons. The total assessed value
of property, as shown by official returns,
Is S4,Sl6, 1000 900, a gain of 1920, 0UO, 0C0
over 1890, the largest gam ever made in
one year, and a gain of $1,000, 900, coo
over 1880, when the South first COM
menced TO develop its industrial inter-
eStS. Every state in the South shows q
large increase during the year in the
value of property, the heaviest gain be-
ing in Texas.
The SOuth's foreign trade has de-
veloped very rapidly and 4 large num-
Der of regular European steamship lines
are now running from Newport News,
! Norfolk and New Orleans. The total
value of the exports from the entire
country III November was $4,000. 600, of
which nearly half or 53,300,O00 was
from Southern ports. For the eleven
months ended Nov. 30, 1891 the valu
of foreign exports from Southern ports
was 1896, 800, 900. an increase Of S2S, 000,-
900 over the same time in 1890. The
foreign imports at Southern ports in
creased during the eleven months end
ed Nov. so over $4,000, 600, while during
the same period the aggregate imports
at ali other United States ports de-
creased $4,000, 200 as compared with the
same time in 1890.