The Republican journal., 1898-07-28
A Remarkable Year.

The Exports Exceed the Imports by @615,-
259,so4. More cold Hnportatiuns Than
Ever Before. All Countries OF the World
Paid Tribute to United States.
WAsHlNGToN, July II. The record of
this most remarkable year III the com
melce of the United States, which las
just been completed by the bureau Of sta
tistics, becomes especially interesting
when compared with that of preceding
years Not only does the years record
surpass that of any previous year in the
total expectations and the exports of
manufactured articles, but for the first
time in the history of the country the ex-
ports are twice as great as the imports.
imports Of manufactures.
The value OF the expectations of the
IL cal year, 1898, is more than seven times
that OF 1860, four times as much as in
1863, twice as much as in 1877, 60 per
cent. more than in 1887, 20 per cent. in
excess of the great commercial year Of
1892 and $50, 600, 600 more than the
greatest year of our export trade-1S97.
The balance of trade in our favor is
more than double that of any previous
year, and nearly equal to that of the past
five years combined. The net importa-
tons of gold exceed those of any pre-
ceding year in the history of the country.
the total gold imports in excess of exports
being for the full year s104, go, 279, in
GLIDING coin, bullion and ore, while no
preceding year ever reached the 800, 00O-
900 line in net imports of gold.
When to this is added the fact that the
imports of merchandise of the year are
less than in any year since 1885, and with
this single exception less than III any
year since 1879, it becomes apparent that
the record of the fiscal year 1898 is an al
together unusual one.
The balance of trade in our favor in the
year under consideration is S615, 259, 024,
against $3.50, 263, la in 1897, S264, G61 $50
in 1879, $3.50, 712, us in 1881, S257, S14, 2334
in 1878, S237, AS, $50 in 1894 and 500. So
$50 in 1892, while no other year, except
these mentioned, ever reached the $780,
600, 900 line in its balance of trade. or
! excess of exports over imports as it is
termed by the official reports of the bu-
reau of statistics.
balance of trade has been as rule in our
favor From 1871 to 1876 there were but
IL occasions in which the exports of the
year exceeded the imports. Since that
time, however, the balance of trade has
been almost constantly in our flvor, only
three years, 1888, 1889 and 1898, showing
an excess of imports of merchandise over
our exports.
The excess of imports over exports in
the IS years prior to 1876 was 81, 215, 404, :
6lO, while the excess of exports over i'm
ports since that time have been So, 1911.
PCS, 800. Thus the centennial year seems
| to have been a turning point in our
commercial relations with other parts of
the world.
In the 50 years prior to that date the
balance of trade was almost constantly
against us, but since that time has been
almost constantly in our favor The eX-
cess of imports over exports in the s.
years prior to 1876 having been s., 213,
404, Go and the excess of exports over
imports in the % years since the begin
ming of that year having been 50, 191, 26S,-
800. Agricultural productions, of course,
form very large proportion, II PEI cent.
of the expectations of this greatest year
in the history of our commerce.
comparison of the exports of 1898
with those of 1888 shows an increase of
practically 100 per cent. in that period,
the total for 1888 being $685., 954, 5O7,
against 81, 231, 81, 500. This extension of
our export trade has been in all parts Of
the world, but especially with the distant
points and with those countries and con-
tinents which but decade ago purchased
but little of our productions Compared
with 10 years ago the figures are: