The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-07-05
analysis OF Our
Foreign Commerce


history of American commerce Is
told in the monthly summary "
finarce and commerce OF the
United States just issued by the bureau
of statistics at Washiust ton which makes
Its appearance this month earlier than
at any date In the past four years. Ihe
record of eleven months of commerce
I'm which the exports ere more than dou-
BILE the imports, i'm which more manufac-
lures are exported than imported. ant in
which more gold is brought into the
United States in payment for our sur
plus than In anf preceding year In our
history is worthy of some detailed exam
ination.
OF the 1853, 7I0, ,032 worth Of articles i'm
ported into the United States in the
eleven months ended June 80. S26L443;S6
came In free of duty: thus 4IH per cent.
of the total imports we're free of duty.
while last year 1924 per cent. were free of
duty; In 1895, 1852 per cent; in 1892, 5o.S7
per cent: In 1891. 43.35 per cent. in 1889,
8.f2 per cent; in 1856, 3S.39 per cent; in
1884, 3l43 per cent, nd in 1882 29.06 per
cent. The total imports for the eleven
months fell more than one hundred mill
ion dollars below those of the correspond
Ling months of the preceding year. the
total for the eleven months being $685.
547391. The greatest reduction in the i'm
ports, considered by classes, was In man
ufactured articles ready for consump-
tion, which fell from S1l7 1872 in the
eleven months of 1897 to S75,930 li2 in the
eleven months of 1898; while of articles
imported for use in manufacturing, the
falling off was very slight the total for
the eleven months of 1897 being 1910 6i3, l24
and that for the eleven months of 1885,
S251 042,95S.
Taking up the important articles i'm
ported, the examination of quantities
ana prices shows a marked reduction in
the values of many articles. OF coffee,
Tor instance, the importation in the elev-
en- months of 1898 were S07072, 152 pounds,
against 672634,962 pounds in the cores
ponding months of the preceding year,
a large increase in the number of pounds:
yet the value for the eleven months of
lS9S Is set down at only $780, .076. against
s15,5OS,O9O in the corresponding months
OF the preceding year. This remarkable
increase In the importation of coffee is
accompanied by corresponding decrease
IN the importations of tea, which fell
from 92,203,3Si pounds in the eleven
months of 1897 to 66,2s3,95O pounds in the
eleven months of 1925 Foreign cotton
continues to come in in increased quanti-
| ties, though at reduced prices, the i'm
portation of cotton for the eleven months
| or the present year being ~, 439, ,524 pounds,
against 46,204SS5 pounds in the corres-
ponding months of last year. while the
value for this year is set down at 81
| 7O9,36S, against $5291, $40 in the cores
| ponding months of the preceding year.
| IL is in manufactures that the falling
OH IN importations Is most apparent.
| The importations of manufactures of cot
| ton in the eleven months amount to s25,-
elSSS2, against s3O,9477ls in the cores
pohding months of last year: earthen-
| ware and chinaware fell from 49, 1856, ,7Oi
in eleven months of 1897 to s6,076 666l. Man
| fractures of fibres, such as bagging,
| burlaps, cables bndingtwine, etc, fell
| from S2I,732 1903 in eleven months of 1891
| to $19,54I954, while the unmanufactured
| hbres for use of our manufacturers in
creased from 1s4,o29 tons in the eleven
| months of last year to 229 S03 tons this
| year. The increased activity of the man.
ufacturers of the country is further
| shown by the fact that there is a large
| increase in importations of raw hides
but no increase in importations of leather
| or manufactures of leather. The impor-
| tations of hides during the eleven months
| OF the present year amounted to 22l, ,5l4, 81
pounds. against 173, SS6 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 man.
ufacturers in the present year is found
| in the fact that importations of raw silk
are nearly double those of the correspond
ing months of last year, the value in the
| eleven months of the fiscal year 1898 be-
ing $50 121, 362 against 1883. .746 in the
eleven months of last year, while the i'm
| ports of manufactures of silk are this
year slightly less than those of last year
| O.
OF sugar the impcrtations are this yeai
very much less than in the corresponding
months of last year. owing doubtless &c
the large anticipatory importations Just
prior to the enactment of the present
tariff law. The total importations OF
sugar in the eleven months of the present
year amount to 1853, S63, 532 pounds, agains
| 4,2lO, 1853 237 pounds in the corresponding
months OF last year, the importations IL
the month of May alone being less thar
one half those of May of last year. Their,
has been a great decrease in the impor
tations of sugar from Germany, Aus
tria- Hungary, Belgium and the Neither
lands. Gern'aEy's imports fell from !, ,297,
93l, ,53, pounds In the eleven months of las
year to S7,696,766 pourds in the clever
months of 1898; Austria Hungary from
91,l2l l9l pounds to 7l5500 pounds, an
Netherlands from %, 7o5, 164 pounds to ., ,3OS,
OS3 pounds. The total importation of man
ufactures of iron and steel fell from s14,
105097 in the eleven months of last yea
to Sll 135,iI5 this year, while during tn
same months our expectations of iro,
and steel increased from $50 i75 to $50,
2S5O29. Thus our expectations of manu-
factures of iron and steel in the presen
year are more than five times as mucl
as our imports of iron and steel. OF I'll
plate the imports for the eleven month
of the present year are only 163, 40S, rs
pounds, against 2l5, 233 427 pounds in tn
corresponding months of last year. thu
making 1t apparent that the total impor
tations of tin plate for the full fiscal yea
will be less than oEe-half that of 1896 les