El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-08-23
GULF PORTS GAINING.
The Grain Movement Shifts From
North to South In Marked
Deuree.

OS9tSSs
A special dispatch to the Globe-Dem-
ocrat from Washington, says: Repre
sentatives of the great ports OF the
United States will be Interested In
some figures which the bureau OF sta
tistics of the treasury department mas
lust compiled regarding the import
and export trade of the various ports oil
the country and comparing the years
business with that of preceding years.
The rivalry between the coast cities
for the honor and profit for handling
satisfactory proportion OF the foreign
commerce has been unusually sharp In
the past year or two. The rapid grown
of the carrying trade along the chain
OF great lakes and thence oy canal or
rail to the coast, the sharp com.
petition and reduced rates by rail
from the great grain fields OF the west
to the South Atlantic ports, and the
increased rail and water facllltles OF
TRANSFORMATION between the upper MIS-
sissippi Valley and the gulf porte, TO-
gether with improved harbor fac1lltles
at various points, have produced mate
rial changes in the drift of'the great
bulk of the grain and provision PROD
uct of the country which goes to Eur
ope, while our increased commerce
with Asia and Ocesnica ha- materially
and advantageously affected the busl-
ness of the ports on the Pacific coast.
These facts, together with the claims
that certain ports enjoy special advan,
tages in railway rates and terminal
facilities have made the interest In the
comparative business OF the various
ports unusually great.
A comparison of the figures cover
ing tho exports and imports OF the
various ports during the fiscal year
with those of preceding years presents
some interesting and suggestive 1acts
bearing on this subject. They show
that the Atlantic ports considered as
an entire group retained, when com
Dared with the preceding year, their
normal proportion of the exports OF
the year, but lost slightly in imports,
the total increase in expectation In
these ports being 1851 per cent, while
the total increase in expectation from
the entire country was 17.3 per cent.
The total importations of the Atlantic
ports, however, fell p A per cent. while
the total importations into the country
decreased but 1873 per cent.
The gulf ports did not, as
whole, mainta tain the rate of increase
which the country at large made
in exports, their percentage OF %aln
being but SO per cent, against an
average OF 1913 per cent for the total I;
while their loss in imports was still
greater, being 30 9 per cent, against an
average OF 10 3 per cent for the entire
country. The Pacific ports made the
most satisfactory record OF any group,
their gain in exports being 25.l per
cent, while they actually gained in i'm
ports 1853 per cent. while the total i'm
ports for the country were being de-
creased 1913 per cent. The Northern
border ports made the largest percent
age of gain in expectations, their total
for the year being % per cent great
err than that of the preceding year.
while in importations they lost I'll
per cent.
The port of New York handled only
IS 9 per cent of the foreign commerce
of the country, against 52.5 per cent in
lS9O.52 per cent in 1898, 81 per cent
in 1896, and IS per cent in 1897. The
| loss is altogether in expectations, hav-
| ing been in 1898 but 361 per cent OF
the total expectations of the country,
against 31.2 per cent 1897, 4O.1 per cent
In 1896, and Al ; per cent in 1894: while
her mportstions in 1898 were 65.3 per
cent OF the total imports OF the coun-
try. against Oil per cent in 1896, and
63.4 per cent in 1894.
Baltimore made material gains in
her exports, though in imports there
was a slight loss In her percentage OF
the total importstions into the country.
Her percentage of the total exports of
the country was in 1898 90 per cent, in
1897 81 per cent, in 1896 rs per cent,
in 1895 &c per cent, in 1894 81 per
cen, and in 1890 81 per cent. Her i'm
portations in 1898 were 1.2 per cent of
the total imports into the country. in
1897 "A per cent, in 1896 Ii per cent,
in 1895 Il per cent, in 1898 and 1894 LIS
per cent, and in 1891 "a per cent. Her
share of the total foreign commerce of
the country was in 1898 SO per cent, in
1897 5 3 per cent, in 1895 and 1896 AS
per cent, in 1894 5.S per cent, and in
1890 5.2 per cent.
Newport News shows a rapid gain in
her exports, which in 1898 were pa