Omaha daily bee., 1897-06-05
nnERE NE Ire nAtNIEa


The steady growth In exports Of manu-
featured products. as shown by official
statistics, is a highly gratifying feature
Of trade conditions. While It is of the
first Importance TO keep as much as prac-
ticable, consistent with revenue necessi-
ties, of the home market for the products
of domestic Industries, the fact must be
recognized that in order to keep those in
dustries constantly active and American
labor fully employed, there must be for
eign outlets for a considerable proper
ton of our manufactures. This will be
understood when 1t is said that the pro-
ductive capacity of our manufacturing
industries fully employed Is equal to the
demands Of q population Mt least twice
MS large as ours, consuming In the same
ratio as the American people, of whom
n distinguished statesman said that
willie we number 10000, 600. as n mar
ket for manufactures we are potentially
115,O0O,00 rs compared with the next
best nation on the globe.
According 10 the latest figures of the
bureau of statistics of the treasury the
tAl OlNS VI manufacturers " AZ hipi'h
of April have been surpassed only once
in the recent commercial history of the
country and that was in the preceding
month, when a great movement of inn
ports invited q counter movement of eX-
ports. 1t Is shown that for the last three
years there has been an almost constant
ascent month by month IN the volume of
~ o., 4, nt,,rn1 ,,pn1notc nxnprfn1 Tho
Increase in 1896 over 1895 vas moro
than $53.OOO,OOO and the statistics for
the first four months of the current year
indicate n larger increase for 1897 over
1896. In 1894 the value Of the exports
Of manufactures was, in round numbers,
S1S3.OOO.O 900, the largest up to that time
in our history. Last year the value was
$22S,OoO,O00 and it is estimated that it
will this year reach S2T2, 100000.
Some of the details of this increase are
interesting. In ten years our exports
of iron and steel and articles manufac,
tured therefrom have increased from
S16,O00.00O to over S41. 00O. 900. The value
of wood and it's manufactures has in
creased in this time $12.O 1000. The
exports of leather and its manufactures
doubled between 1887 and 1896. Exports
of copper and manufactures went from
S2,O00,OO0 in 1887 to nearly S20,00O,0 900
in 1896. On the basis Of the exports Of last
yea Il contemporary estimates that in
1900 the value of our manufactured
products exported is likely to approx
innate $400,000.O00. or nearly four times
what it was in 1880. And it is by no
means unreasonable to expect that these
figures will be realized. American manu-
facturers are eXerting themselves as
never before to sell their goods in foreign
markets. The international commercial
congress In Philadelphia. with represent
atives from all the states of South and
Central America, attests the purpose of
our manufacturers to push for trade in
the growing markets to the south of us
and there can be no doubt of good re-
suits. The expressions of the represent
atives from those countries warrant the
conclusion that with proper effort and II
careful study of the wants of those
southern markets our trade with them in
manufactured products can be very
largely increased.
The United States is first among ant
featuring nations. IL will have no diff
Guilty in maintaining its primacy if
and our manufacturers show proper en-
ergy and enterprise in reaching out for
foreign markets.