The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-07-22

II naturally causes some surprise 10
learn, says the Times Democrat, that
the bureau Of statistics for the fiscal
year ending June 30 shows our exports
TO be the heaviest on record for many
years, the balance Of trade In our favor,
and the excess Of exports over imports
higher than evey. Judged by ordinary
standards the past three months ought
to have been among the most prosper
Gus we have ever known. for we sold
much and bought little. and yet no one
makes any such claim or prctsnse II
has b,en on the contrary, 4 year of se-
we're disappointment and hard times,
proving that mere balance or apparent
balance Of trade does not mean prosper
| ity or profit "A Ia popularity supposed
| The low prices prevailing for al our
pr0tlncts have rendered. u extremely un-
likely that the exports this year would
exceed In valus that of previous Onea
II takes more wheat, corn and cotton 10
make 81 ,UD; hence all the probabilities
were that there wOuld be falling on In
onr exports In valuation, even II we
shipped more tons Of goods than hereto
fore Never before In our history have
We exported such quantities Of our pro.
dnct. VI every kind. The exports Of
merchandise reached the heavy total Of
d. .O5i .9s,7. .GSt, showing an increase NJ
1i75, ,OOO. 800 over the previous year.
Only once before In 1892. when the
United States sent the buik Of its grim
crop abroad IN make good the deficient
markets In Europe. did our exports
equal those Of the last twelve months.
During these months We have shipped
abroad and sold everything we could
spare. We have not only exhausted our
snrplns, bnt actually stinted ourselves
in order To pay debts; We have carried
, economy TO the greatest possible ex.
treme.
! The record Of the imports Il still more
extraordinary. Ever since March the
imports into this country were far In ex.
cess Of our needs The sugar trust
brought in enough sugar 10 supply the
: country for a year ahead, and Of every
q article on which there has been an In
= crease In duty In the Dingley .Aldrich
D bill there have been excessive qnanti
( ties. These heavy impOrtatiOns have
I dem0ralixed the tariff experts and actu.
4 ally placed the government On 4 paying
' basis again for the first time for several
s years. Yet, in spite Of them. NJ great
y was the economy Of the first nine
n months Of the year that the total i'm
p ports fell 415, 3.D, ,OOO below those Of lS.6.
n The balance Of trade for the twelve
: months the excess Of exports over i'm
/. ports was t2s7 6I3, ,IsG. This ia 4is5.
b iDO, 900 greater than II was Iast year
I. and $23, ,OtxD, ,O0O greater than II ever wal
/ before The American people arr evi
IDENTIFY getting down n the very strict
est economy The balance Ia really
more than the figures show. for grea
many goods were imported In the Las
% three months, not for immediate con
sumption, but for use later on. Thu
II our imports for Jnne were W, IN. M
IT over the corresponding June Of ls06
., Since March these exports, which ough
4 10 he charged 10 the account OF mex
a. year, will exceed eiOD. .OOO, 900. It is saf
NJ 10 put down the actual balance for tn
no hscal year of isS891 At e4OO, ,OOO. .0N
q. This Ii an imlnense amount tO ave II
n twelve months and It onght to help a
TX materially to strsighten ont matters, I
Is nav debts, etc. The fact that II has =
a little effect is due 70 the fact that this
es a debtor nation, md Its apparent In
o. ance is swallowed mp by interest charge
rn sn1 expenses Of Americans travelin
sb,cad.