Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1892-12-16
HIS LAST MESSAGE.
PRESIDENT HARRISON SENDS A
LONG AND STRONG
Message to the Last Session OF the sd
Congress---Re Upon Canada Is
Advocatcd---A Characteristic Stand on
Tariff and Si!ver---Dcpartmcnt Reports

alive: In transmitting my message to
Congress l take great satisfaction In
being able 10 say that the general condi-
tions affecting the commercial and indus
trial interests OF the country are In the
highest degree favorable. comparison
of the existing conditions with those OF the
most favorable period in the history OF
the country. will. believe. show that so
high a degree of prosperity and so general
Y Intrusion or the comforts or life were
never before enjoyed by our people.
The total wealth of the country in 1850
was SIG 1866 O6S. Ia 1890 IL amounted to
$52.6l 600 @D. AN increase Of PSI per cent.
The official returns Of the eleventh CEN
sus and those of The tenth census for sew
enty-tive leading cities furnish the basis
for the following comparisons: In 1850 the
capital invested in misunderstanding was ST.
2S2. $3.50; In 1890 the capital invested in
manufacturing was 81 800. ~, SSi; In 1850 the
number OF employees WAS l.3Ol. 3SS; IN 1870
the number of employees was 225l,l8; In
1850 the wages earned were SOL 96J,US, in
1890 the wages earned We're 81, 2l,l1O 454;
in $50 the value of the product was s.
7l,5I9S9l. in 1880 the value OF the product
was 81. $50, 2S6.S3l.
since October G. 1890 and mp 10 October %
1872 as partially reported in tho American
Economist. number 3iS. and the extension
OF existing plants. lOS; the new capital IN
vested amounts TO so. I49 $50, and the
number OF additional employees 10 S.2S.
The Textile World for July. 1882. states
that during the first six months OF the
present calendar year l3o new factories
were built. OF which 40 are cotton mills.
4s knitting mills, 26 WOODEN mills, 10 SIX
mills. plush mills aud linen mills. or
OF the 40 cotton mills, II have been built
in the Southern States, Mr. \. u. Shep-
person OF tho New York Cotton Ex-
change, estimates the number or working
,spindlcs in the United States on Septem-
Der |. 1892. ut 1920 600. an increase Of CO..
COO over the year 1871, The consumption
OF cotton by American mills In 1891 was
2 500 600 bales. and in 1892 2,5S4.0U0 bales.
an increase OF 1880 bales.
The report OF Ira Aver. special agent OF
tha FIsras ~ AZ
the date OF September 30, 1882. there were
ithirty-two companies manufacturing tin
and tcrne plato IN the United states and
fourteen companies building new works
for such manufacture. The estimated in
,vestment In buildings and plants ut the
close OF the fiscal year June 30. 1893 If ex-
listing conditions were to be continued,
was s. N0O. 600. and the estimated rate OF
production. 200, 100000 pounds per annun.
The actual production for the quarter end
Ing September 80, 1892 was 1882 10
pounds.
1891 and the first six months of 1892 the
total production OF pig iron was 9.7lO sly
tons. against .209. 703 tons in the year 1880.
which was the largest annual produc-
tion ever attained. For the same twelve
months OF 1922 the production OF Besse-
mer ingots was 3,S7S,5Sl tons. an increase
OF $50 40 gross tons over the previously
Unprecedented yearly production of 3.6SS-
! S7l gross tons in 1880. The production OF
Bessemer steel rails for the first six
months Of 1882 was 1885 gross tons, as
2
six months OF the year 1891
FOREIGN TRADE.
! The total value Of our foreign trade Tex
ports and manufacturer during the last
fiscal year was Sl,S57 ,6So,6io, an increase
year. The average annual value of our
Imports and exports OF merchandise for
the ten fiscal years prior TO 1891 was ST.
foreign trade for 1892 exceeded this an
inual average value by Si00, 3oS 59l, an in
crease of q 81 per cent. The significance
and value OF this increase are shown by
the fact that the excess in the trade OF
1892 over 1891 was wholly in the value or
exports, for there was a decrease in the
value OF imports OF sl7.5l3.75i. The value
of our exports during the fiscal year 1892
reached the highest figure in the history
OF the government, amounting TO 81 ,030,-
2S,14S, exceeding by Sl45, 1913 the ex-
ports OF 1891, and exceeding the value OF
the imports by S202, sl5. 6SG. 4 comparison
of the value OF our exports for 1892 with
the annual average for the ten years
prior to 1891 shows an excess OF S2G5. l42.-
G5l. or Of 34.G5 per cent.
, IMPORTS
The value OF our imports OF merchan-
disc for 1892. which was $3.50 402. 49,, also
exceeded the annual average value OF the
ten years prior to 1891 by $l3J, 2l5,9i0. Dur
ing the fiscal year 1892 the value OF i'm
ports free Of duty amounted to 1851 &c.,
SIS, the largest aggregate in the history
Of our commerce. The value OF the i'm
ports OF merchandise entered free OF
duty In 1892 was 55.35 per cent OF the total
value OF imports, as compared with 40 -
IR ss6 cent IN 1881 and $3.50 per cent IN
THE COASTwIsE TRADE.
: In our coastwise trade most encour
aging development is in progress, thers
having been in the last four years an in
crease OF 16 per cent. In internal com
merce the statistics show that no such
period OF prosperity has ever before OK
listed. The freight carried in the coast
wise trade of the great lakes in 1880 az
gregated 2S,295.959 tons: on the Miesis-
sippi, Missouri and Ohio Rivers and trb-
utaries in the same year the traffic ag-
gregated %, i05,ol6 tons, and the total yes
sci tonnage passing through the Detroit
tons. The vessel tonnage entered and
cleared in the foreign trade OF London
during 1890 amounted to 13.4S0,767 tons.
and OF Liverpool 1884 800 tons. a total
for these two great shipping ports of ~,
422,5sS tons. only slightly in excess OF the
vessel tonnage passing through the De-
the season for the Detroit River was but
rs days, while, OF course, in London and
Liverpool the season was for the entire
year The vessel tonnage. passing
cal year 1892 amounted to 9,S2S,81 tons.
and the freight tonnage OF the Detroit
90 tons s' against %! e e tons in 1871
The aggregate traffic on our railroads for
the year 1891 amounted TO 7Oi, 1898, 609 tons
or freight, compared with 69l ,3ii,A6 tons
In 1890. an Increase OF l3.05f,l72 tons.
DEPOSITS IN SAVINGS BANKS.
Another indication OF the general pros
perity of the country is found in the fact
that the number OF depositors in savings
banks Increased from $685. In 1866 to A.
ZoS,Sy3 In 1880, an increase OF 5l3 per cent,
and the amount OF deposits from $40, 2H,-
50i In 1850. TO 81, 524, 8t4, 506 in 1890, an in
crease OF 921 per cent. In 1891 the amount
OF deposits in savings banks was 81 .68, 019.-
79. IL Is estimated that 30 per cent OF
these deposits represent the savings of
wage-earners.
WORK AND WAGES.
There has never been a time in our
history when work was so abundant or
when wages were as high, whether meas
ured by the currency in which they are
paid or by their power TO supply the neces-
saries and comforts OF life. IL Is true that
the market prices of cotton and wheat
have been low. IL is one OF the unfavor
able Incidents OF agriculture that the
farmer cannot produce upon orders. He
must sow md reap in Ignorance of the ag-
greGate production of the year. and Is
peculiarly subject TO the deprecia ton
which follows overproduction. But,
while the fact I have stated is true, as TO
the crops mentioned, the general average
OF prices has been such as TO give TO agri-
culture a fair participation in the general
fnrn ~ he xroItf NJ 49, slea ~ Ca.