St. Paul daily globe., 1893-06-14
SOME FrGUREs coMMERCE.

SOME FIGURES IN COMMERCE..
The report Of the treasury of the COM
merce of the country Tor April furnishes
some facts of interest at this time when
conditions of our foreign trade are eX-
amined to find in them causes for the
depression that exists. The mass of
figures marshaled in their respective
tables are about as inviting as the un-
couth shell Of cocoanut, but, like it,
they are worth studying for the milk in
them.
The table in which our exports and
Imports are given III comparison with
those of each preceding period OF ten
mouth, ending with April of each year,
shows that while there has been, in the
'93 period, an increase of the articles Oh
the free list amounting TO S173, l29. l07.
as compared with the average o. the
five preceding periods, there has been a
decrease of s3G, 500. .275 i'll the dutiable
articles, leaving net increase of $780,
1888 The increase in the free i'm
ports is almost wholly in sugar and tex
tile grasses. and in the increased con-
sumption OF coffee, the Importation of
which is nearly S4S,000,000 above the
average.
Our exports fall but s19,450,o15 below
the average of the five preceding pc
riods, and the shrinkage is plainly
shown to be mainly in manufactured
cotton, which alone amounts to about
S64,000,0 900. Wheat, either in the grain
or ground, is $32, 600, 600 in excess OF the
average, although S60,000,000 below the
phenomenal exports of '92. 1t may af-
ford comfort to some timid disciple of
the balance of trade school to learn that
the average of our exports for these five
periods exceeds our average of imports
by s72, 1O9,O15, leaving a comfortable
and reassuring balance on our side of
the ledger.
Looking to see who are our best Gus
toners among the nations, we find that
the little island whom we profess the
most to fear, and who is the bugaboo of
commercial legislation. is by far our
best. While France and Germany de-
creased their purchases OF our, wheat
siX-Sevenths from those Of the ten
month period Of last year, England in
creased hers one-eighth, and consumed
more flour. The decrease of third in
her purchase of our cotton was not
made up elsewh ere, the importations
from Egypt and India showing
marked decrease. Her East India wheat
fields sent her but S54 ,043 cWtS. of wheat
in the four months ending with April
this year, as against 4,050,3G in the
same time last year
The movement of gold and silver in
and out of the United Kingdom is in
teresting. 1t will surprise many to
learn that only 9127,56S of the gold we
have sent out in the first four months OF
this year went there, and that this is
only fourth of what we sent them in
the same period last year. Of the e4,-
69O,29l of gold received by her during
these four months she sent OUT again
93, ,465, 9l1, tWo-thirds of which went to
European countries. One-third of her
receipts of gold, or e1, ,629, ,917, came from
the gold fields of Africa, where, in turn,
she sent 60, S93 $40 of the silver she OBJ
tanned from the rest of the world, and of
which we sent her e2,0l1,346. India,
that bugaboo of the free coiners, took
but e442, 700 in the same time.
Those who voted last year to stop this
prolonged and expensive attempt to
build up a home market for the products
of the farm which would IN time con-
sumo them all, and, by the competition
created among the manufacturers, so
cheaper the cost OF production as to en-
able them to compete with the markets
of the world, will find continued justif
cation for their decision in the table
which shows that during the ten months
ending with April agriculture furnished
1926 per cent of our exports. while
manufactures supplied but 1912 per
cent. The actuary of the protectionists
has never yet determined the day when
the latter would catch up. 1t is Tom
REEDS rear guard in our industrial
army.