The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-02-05
MINNEAPOLIS s7gpAJI. WEDNESDAY,
OUR PRODUCTS.
The Shrinkage in Value of Our
Agricultural Productions
is TURNING THE BALANCE OF
TRADE AGAINST US.
MIR. CarliSle's FalSehOOdS as to Our
Foreign Trade-A Serious
Situation.
(The PHILADELPHIA American

The marked falling off in the value OF
Sour exports of domestic produce from
$685., ,204 ,937 for the fiscal year 1894 to
S793, 1892 1893 for the year ending June
30th, 1895, is commonly supposed to in
dicate a corresponding falling off in the
volume of imports, but it indicates no
such thing. 1t is not to any degree
in the quantity of our exports Of domes-
tic produce, but solely to the ruinous
depreciation in the gold value of all
property and the smaller prices received
for our exports that the falling off in eX
ports is due, for the volume of our exports
has been increased.
But that the decrease in the value Of
our exports by over s75,000,0O0 should
be quite generally attributed to decreased
exports Of domestic produce, and that
such an unWarranted assumption should
receive ready credence, is not surpriS
ing, for those in government employ,
charged with the collation. Of the same
erroneous impression.
The true cause of the decrease in the
value of our exports does not seem to
have even dawned on Mr.. Carlisle. To
the effect of falling prices on the value
Of exports, he seems to be ObliviOus,
for he attributes the decrease N the value
of our exports to diminished exports OF
domestic produce, although a little re-
search would have shown him that this
assumption is contradicted by the facts.
Attributing the decrease in the value
of our exports to an imaginary falling
off in the volume of exports, he IS driven
to seek cause, and this he finds in "the
improved crop conditions in other coun-
tries'' for the year 1895 over the preced-
ing year, which, he writes in his report,
account largely for the diminished eX-
ports of domestic produce in 1896
If Mr.. Carlisle had done more than sup
critically LOOK over the statistics Of the
foreign trade of the United States, COM
piled in the Treasury Department for
the years 1894 and 1895, he would have
been saved from the absurdity of attribut-
ing to improved crop conditions abroad
a falling off in the volume of our exports
that did not occur.
A little analysis will show the utter
falsity of Mr.. Carlisle's position. Our
exports of cotton were valued for the
year 1895 at $204 900. 800, a decrease of
more than $4,000 900 over 1894, but this
decrease was not due to any falling OIL
in the quantity Of cotton exported due
to improved crop conditions abroad
On the contrary, we increased our exports
of cotton by 834 600, 900 lbs, or over 80
per cent; but, while the average export
price Of cotton was 7.9 in 1894, it was 5.S
in 1895, so that the 3,517 ,433 100 lbs. of
cotton exported IN 1895 brought less than
the 26S3,2S2 1925 lbs exported in 1894 by
S., ,96S, ,299 At 1894 prices our exports
of cotton for 1886 would have been worth
S277, SIT PIG instead of S204 900, $50. The
fall in the price of cotton alone is almost
sufficient to account for the total decrease
in the value of our exports that Mr.. Car
Isle attributes to diminished exports OF
domestic produce"
Our exports of wheat are reported for
1895 at 76, 1922 704 bushels, a decrease Of
12,312,5 ,574 bushels over 1894, but the value
of our exports of wheat fell much further
than this decrease in quantity warranted;
our exports of wheat for 1895 being valued
at S43 ,SO5. .663 against $50 ,407,04 for
1894, a decrease of Sl5,601,37S. The av-
erage export price CT wheat in 1894 was
67.2 per bushel. If we had received this
price for the wheat exported in 1895 the
decrease in the value Of our wheat eX
ports would have amounted to but 1926,
O24. but the average price Of wheat had
fallen to SIG per bushel with the result
that the decline in the value Of our eX-
ports of wheat was SIS, Sol .37S, or nearly
twice what it would otherwise have been.
And, as with wheat, so with flour. Our
exports decreased in volume from g.
$50 ,533 barrels to 1928 892 barrels, or
less than 10 per cent, but the value de-
creased from 500 ,271 40 to SOL ,651 ,92S. or
over % per cent. The export price of
-four had fallen from $4.109 to $685.
per barrel; so instead of the value of our
exports of flour for the year being re-
duced only by the value Of 1.590,641 bar
rels of flour, or $6,531 1893, the value of
our exports Of fous was further reduced
by the fall in prices by $11 ,0S7,949
Next in Importance to our export OF
cotton, and wheat and flour, come exports
classified as bacon and hams, and lard.
For the year 1895 we exported sos 900 900
lbs Of bacon and hams against 500 100000
for 1894 but the price had fallen from
9.6 to ST per lb. with the result that al
though we increased our exports nearly
II per cent, there was scarcely an appre-
ciable increase in value exports Of bacon
and hams for 1895 being valued at $4S.-
736, $50 against s48, 1873 ,905 in 1894. If we
had received the same prices in 1895 as
in 1894, the same number of pounds we
exported in 1895 would have brought
$50 .572 ,234. or S4,835,375 more than was
actually the case. And SO with lard.
Exports increased from AT coo 900 TO
474 .000, 5000 lbs, but the export value rose
only from $36 .7004s3 to S36, ,S2 ,50S. as
the price had fallen from S.9c to 78c per
pound.
The total value OF our ten principal
agricultural exports, cotton. wheat.
wheat -four, corn bacon and hams lard.
pork. beef. tobacco and cheese. is given
at $51O,0126S for 1894, and S452, 7i9, ,941
for 1895, a decrease in the value OF these
exports Of S57 ,292, ,74o, or H. per cent;
but this decrease was not due to Gimin-
ished exports, as we have shown in the
case of the most important exports, but
solely to the fall in prices. The average
export price of corn for 1895 was consid-
erably higher than for 1894, and beef and