The morning call., 1894-03-26
OUR IMPORTS FROM GREAT
BRITAIN.

The official return Of the lmportations of
the United States from Great Britain for
the past ten years shows how uniform the
commercial movement has become. and
how little 1t is influenced by passing
events. Ten years ago, 10 the year ending
September 30. 1884, the importatiops footed
up S157, SD. .696; in the following year they
fell off TO S132. 600. 600; then they rose
gradually TO 500. 900, 900; from this point
they declined to S164. 1856. 424 in tne year
ending September 80. 1898, just about
100000 more than the figure they
had reached ten years before. In the ten
years the population of this country had
increased some 12.OOO.0oO: but the in
creased population required no more
goods from the United Kingdom than the
smaller number had consumed. 1t seems
that production in this country keeps pace
with population, so that the wants which
have TO be supplied from abroad remain
about the same. In a word. the United
States is nearing the point when it will
be self-satisfyiDg and independent Of the
foreign world.
About one-half our Importations from
Great Britain come from London and Liv.
erpoOl. We take from London about
S50,0O0.000 worth of goods each year, the
exact figures being. for the year ending
September 80. 1884. SAC, ,Oo3, 5O4; for the
year ending September 80. 1890, $50. $50. 421,
and for the year ending September 80. 1898,
S4S. .32S. 507. Our chief article OF importa-
ton from London at present is furs. of
which we took last year S7.054. zoo. These
furs are chiefly sealskiDs and other skins
sent from the United States TO London to
be dyed and prepared for market. Our
furriers are said to be inferior in skill to
the Englishmen. 1t seems singular that
Americans, who are surprising foreigners
in other branches Of industry, should lag
behind them in this one. Next to furs,
our largest Importation from London is
tin. of which we took S5.114, 900 worth in
the year ending September 80, 1898. The
Cornish tin goes to London for export.
Our import in 1898 showed an increase of
80 per cent over 1892.
In the year ending Septemb ber 80. 1892,
we imported S5.044,000 of English wool
from London. to mix with our American
wool. The importation of this article fell
off in the following year to S3. 723.O00. So
the importation of hemp and fax. which
was S2.203, 900 in 1892. declined to S1,749,-
600 in 1898. Iu some other heavy articles
of import the movement showed fuctua-
tioDs not easily explained. For instance.
our importations OF drugs increased from
100000 to 81. 397. .OO0 possibly in conse-
quence of the placing of mum Der or drugs
In general use on the free list by the Nc
kinney tariff; while simultaneously the
importation of precious stones declined
from SO, 3o3, 600 to S2,636, 900, perhaps In
g ha oba
gaBce by the hard times. The same cause
may account for the reduction in mis-
cellaneous mports-objects of luxury and
adornment-from Sc, $50, 600 to 81. 3O9, ,6S5.
While the export movement from Lon
don and Liverpool did not show much fall
ing off in 1898 as compared with 1892, the
movement from The manufacturing centers
exhibited a surprising decline. Bradford
and Leeds, which are the chief centers of
the English wooden industry. lost half
their American trade. The former ex-
ported S12, $4,000 of goods. as compared
with So, ,68S, 900 In 1890. and Leeds $780,
600. as compared with S6.O1S,000 in 1889.
The loss shown by Leeds is not altogether
real. Since 1885, the consulate of Hudders-
field has been separated from Leeds. But
still the decline has been large.
The great bulk of our importations from
England are shipped from Liverpool; but
they are credited to the consular district
in which they originate. The rule would
work more satisfaction if it worked both
ways, and the exports from this country
were debited to the place where they are
consumed. This apparently cannot be
done. Our shipments of cereal food are
charged chiefly 10 Liverpool and Cork,
whereas in fact large portion Of them go
to the Continent. Thus the customs re-
turns afford no clew to the consumption of
American wheat and -four In France.