New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-09-27

ho ,noorn,no Congress will cure the defects in the
existing law relating the collection OF statstcs o
our domestic exports" said Chief BLOCK OF inc D"r
| Of statistics to Tribune correspondent today
aWbat are the defects ?" Major Brock was ASKED
aWell the law does not require that manifests OF
tomestic goods shipped TO foreign countries on rail-
w.v ears or other land vehicles shall be furnished
N MIR customs officers The present law was ehhcteo
substantially in It's present form, In 1920 more lii
seventy years ago. long before the building Oh r'
WAYS and at time when our trade with Cahaua MI"
| Mexico was not commercial factor OF my I'M
nor+nnoe All our commerce In those DAYS WAS
| carried on by means OF sailing vessels congress
nrovided in that law that before any clearance was
Granted for any vessel bound to foreign place the
| owners shippers or consgnees OF the cargo Shou"
| deliver 10 the collector Of the port OF departure
| mapfests OF the same. setting forth the xmas anu
quantities OF the articles composing the cargo tne
value Of the total quantity of each kind of said articles
and the place Of destination. The figures cohpiieu
from toc manifests are the material from which our
statistics of domestic exports are compiled ana any
body can see at once that those statistics must DC
INCOMPLETE and imperfect. because very large pro
portion Of exports TO Canada and Mexico Is carreu
by land vehicles to which the law does not apply
| aTo what extent You able to ascertain the
quantities and values OF exports 10 tlose TWO countries
| by rail and wagon7'
ait is difficult, indeed impossible, to tell. We 90
| the best we con by studying the Canadian ana
Mexican official tables Of imports from tue Onlteu
States but for these of course we are compeHeu 10
wait for some time. and when obtained they are not
ALWAYS satisfactory they may be tOleInby correct
rs to totals but the cassfcatons and descriptions
| n, articles do not correspond with our own. We
also Obtain through the courtesy Of the officers OF
few OF the many railroads over which goods destned
for Mexico or Canada shipped, such information
as Ia furnished by the bills Of lading THIS Information
| is necessarily incomplete and imperfect
amount and value Of the exports each year. TO Canada
and Mexico which not reported to the treasury
Department.
al believe that the value OF the annual exports to
those countries which is not included IN our tables
OF domestic exports now amounts to S3o,OoooOo OF
moro per nnnum and that 1t Is increasing a year
or more ago. Galusha A. Grow. of Pennsylvania, who
ia largely Interested in shipments of coal from Penn
sylvania TO Canada called my attention to the statistics
on that subject. and said that the exports were
| much greater than the official reports showed.
said TO him: Mr. Grow, II You will cause manifests
Of all your shipments of coal to be sent TO inc
collector OF customs at the point OF departure from
the United States so that they can be Included In
the official returns / have doubt that there Will
appear 10 have been n substantial gain in our exports
OF that commodity From that time Mr.. Grow seemed
n take less interest in the statistics Of coal exports
to Canada That is only one Of many cases OF ike
sort which have come under my observation"
aUas the attention of Congress been called to the
matterl"
ooh, yes repeatedly, not only in the annual re-
ports of this Bureau, but by official and personal
appeals and representations to members OF the proper
committees OF that body. Drafts OF bills were pre-
pared and submitted to committees Of the last three
Congresses and one OF them was favorably reported
bv the House Committee Commerce but nothing
ever came Of It. There is politics in the proposed
measure and there is no reason why every legis'or
should not favor it, but thus far 1t has been impossible
10 awaken interest in the subject. which is one OF
ever-incrcasng Importance"
In bs animal reports for 1880 and 1890, Major
Brock urgently recommended the proposed legisa-
ton lie called attention to the special Importance
OF full and accurate statistics Of our trade with
Canada and Mexico, trade relations with these
countries care frequently the subject OF treaty nego
tiations and edslation' and to the fact that both
Canada and Mexico collect and publish statistics OF
their exports to this country over railways In
conclusion he added
II does not appenr that it would impose greater
hardship upon Ront eSp0ng sU9Ho % IN gaTd
TO the kinds. quantities, and values tnerot tnan Is
now imposed upon them when exporting goods IN
vessels IL is believed that after bref experience
with law which will remedy the detects IN export Is
statistics indicated, i would be found to involve it o
commerce.
There is good reason to believe that the Mexican
statistics ~ imports cannot be depended upon to show
the exports OF domestic merchandise from the United
TO- which will soon be published by the Department
Of State Consul Fechet OF Piedras Negras. Mexico
remarks that the relative proportions OF the total I'M
ports from Europe and the United states cannot be
accurately fixed "as the entries at the Mexican Gus
toms do not show clearly the country Of origin"
From the same report IL appears that With the ex-
ception OF the record Of the bonded shipments from
tho United States for the benefit Of drawback,
amounting for the year 1890 TO Se4,2s3 no statistical
data are obtainable TO determine with accuracy the
| total value of American exports entering Mexico and
piedras Negras. Consul Fechct estimates that the
total value was S4,314,3eo, increase Of S6l5.633
over the preceding year, but details are obtainabe
10 cover ony 81 81 i20 about thirty six per cent
| ~ the total lie adds: There remains S2742,-
oGo of estimated United states exports for which there
are no data TO show kind value.'
The above figures represent values in the coin Of
the United states and If they correct more than
one.thrd Of all the expOrtsS12 G6G, los-from this
country to Mexico last year was entered nj the n'
terror town Of Piedras NegraS.
Additional evidence that the official statistics OF
exports from the United states to Mexico are In
complete and imperfect is furnished by the Mexican
official returns of imports by countries for the year
ended June 80 1850. Minister Ryan, who transmitted
these returns did not say whether the values were
EXPRESSED I'm United states coin Mexican COIN The
figures show that the total imports from this country
| In that year amounted TO $22,66042l. now the
| declared exports Of domestic merchandise from the
United states TO Mexico during the year ended June
40 1880 amounted to only $l0,ss6,2sS according to
| the returns made to the Bureau OF statistics by
American officers of customs. II the value given by
| Minister Ryan is in United States coin, 1t follows
IL too small by 81 ,7s3l33 in other words covers
that the total in the United states official statistics
| less than one-half OF the actual exports If tho
| value is expressed in Mexican dollars, now valued
AZ eighty cents each in United states coin, the de
ncency in the United States official total stll amounts
to about 81, 100000
The following statement will show at glance the
relative proportions Of our imports from and exports
| N Mexico which transported by water and
nv land according to tue reports of the Bureau Of
| statistics
~ Transported by
railway and
other land Transported