The times., 1898-07-04
A PROSPERITY WAVE.
The Most Remarkable Eleven
Months fn Our History


ly summary of finance and commerce of
the United States just issued by the Bu-
reau of Statistics, which makes its ap-
pearance this month earlier than at any
date in the past four years The record
of eleven months of commerce, in which
the exports are more than double the
imports, in which more manufactures are
exported than Imported and in which
more gold is brought into the United
States in payment for our surplus than
in any preceding, year in our history is
worthy of some detailed examination.
OF the 1858, 10 0S2 worth of articles i'm
ported into the United States in the elev-
en- months ending june 80, S267, AS. 136 came
in free of duty; thus 47.4 per cent of the
total imports were free of duty, while last
year 1924 per cent were free of duty:
in 1895. 1852 per cent; in 1892, 5.37 per cent;
in 1891, 3.35 per cent; In 1889. 3i.42 per cent;
in 1886. 1898 per cent; in 1884, 81. i3 per cent;
and in 1882, 29.O6 per cent.
The total imports for the eleven months
fell more than sle0.0O0. s10 below .aos> Of
the corresponding months OF -. preced-
ing year. the total for the eleven months
of 1897 being $s7s, 81. .3sf The greatest re-
duction in the imports, considered by
classes, was in. manufactured articles
ready for consumption, which fell from
Sll7, ,352, 1S2 in the eleven months of 1897
10 s75, $50. 142 in the eleven months of 1898;
while of articles imported for use in man
ufacturing the falling off was very slight,
the total for the elevn months of 1897 be-
ing s270 3i3. 12i. and that for the eleven
months of 1898 $251, ,04295s.
Taking up the important articles i'm
ported, the examination of quantities and
prices shows a marked reduction the
values of many articles. OF coffee, for
instance. the importations in the eleven
months of 1898 were S09,072.l52 pounds.
against .962 pounds In the cores
ponding monthes OF the preceding year, a
large increase in the number of pounds !:
yet the value for the eleven months of 1896
is set down at only $50, 6il ,076, against S75,-
50S, ,090 in the corresponding months of the
preceding year. This remarkable increase
in the Importation of coffee is accompa-
MED by corresponding decrease in the
imrortations of tea, which fell from g.
203.34 pounds in the eleven months of
1897 to 65.2S3,9 $50 pounds in the eleven
months of 1898. Foreign cotton continues
TO come in in increased quantities, though
at reduced prices. the importation OF cot
ton for the eleven months of the present
! year being IS, f33.524 pounds. against 49,
| 204. $50 pounds in the corresponding months
of last year, while the value for this year
is set down at Si.I09. .35S, against s., ,29l. $40
in the corresponding months of the pre-
/ ceding year.
1t is In manufactures that the falling of
in importations is most apparent. The
| importations of manufactures of cotton
! in the eleven months amount to S25 6l3.-
| S62. against $50 0947.7lS in the corresponding
! months of last year. Earthenware and
! chinaware fell from S.. 735. 70i in eleven
months Of 1897 10 S6.016 G6l. Manufactures
! OF ibers, such as bagging. burlaps. ca
! bies. binding twine. etc, fell from $27-
| 1872 203 in eleven months of 1897 10 $i9-
| 5I7.9j4. while the unmanufactured fibers
! for use of our manufacturers Increased
! from lS4, 0Z9 tons in the eleven months of
! last year to 229. sos tons this year.
/ The increased activity of the manufac-
| turers of the country is further shown
! by the fact that there is large increa Sc
! in importations of raw hides but no in
| crease in importations of leather or man
! ufactures of leather The importations
! of hides during the eleven months of the
present year amounted to 22l.514 al
pounds. against la. $50 l20 pounds in the
| corresponding months OF last year: while
| in leather and manufactures of leather
! there was IN each case n reduction in the
! importationS during the same period. An
! other evidence Of the activity of the
manufacturers in the present year is
| found in the fact that importations of
| raw silk are nearly double those of the
| corresponding menthS' of last year. the
! value in the eleven months of the fiscal
year 1898 being $50 l2k362 against ST.
+ 26S. Tt6 in the eleven months of last year,
| while the imports Of manufactures of silk
are this year slightly 3less than those OF
| last year.
| Of sugar the infporIations are this year
| very much less than in the corresponding
months of last year, owing doubtless to
| the large anticipauory importations just
! prior 10 the enactment of the present tar
| if law. The total importations of sugar
in the eleven months of the present year
amount to 2.359. S63, ,532 pounds, against l.
! 2l0. 35S, 2S7 pounds in the corresponding
| months Of last year. the importations in
| the month OF May alone being less than
| oneJhalf those Of May of last year. There
| has been great. decrease in the impor-
| tations of sugar from Germany, Austria
| Hungary, Belgium and the Netherlands.
| Germany's imports fell from ! 1297, ,931. .539
! pounds IN the eleven months of last year
| TO 1886. T66 pounds in the eleven months
| of 1898; AuStria-Hungary from 81, ,12i. .l9l
pounds to 715,500 pounds, and Netherlands
| from %, .164 pounds to 2.30S 0S3 pounds.
| The total impOrtations of manufactures
| of iron and steel fell from S14, 705, ,09I in the
| eleven months of last year to $11. 735. .47J
this year, while during the same months
our expectations of iron and steel in
creased from So. .1S7.175 to s63. .235, ,02s. Thus
| our expectations of manufactures of iron
| and steel in the present year are more
than five times as much as our imports
| of iron and steel OF tin p7aGe the imports
| for the eleven months of the present year
are only 163. i0S, ,3S1 pounds. against 215. 252.
| 42I pounds in the corresponding months
| of last year. thus making it apparent that
| the total importatiOns of tin plate for the
| full fiscal year will be less than one-halt
| that of 1896, less than one-third that OF
1898, and less than one-fifth that of 1891.