The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-08-05
Fast Becoming The
Worlds WORKSHOP

n n 0HILE our wonderful export trade
\JhUI in the fiscal year just ended has
NUVI attracted much attention, the
(jlJ most interesting and really won
derful feature of it has been, in
some degree ut least, overlooked. While
our expectations of agricultural products
during the year have been wonderful
surprising in value those of any precad-
ing year in the history OF the country
and thus attracting universal attention.
the expectation of manufactures Is, when
considered in detail equally interesting
in it's bearing upon the general commerce
and prosperity, both present and future,
of the natiCn.
The expectation of domestic manufac-
lures in the fiscal year 1895 Is set down py
the records of the bureau of statistics of
the treasury department, at S2SSS7 ,i49,
which is nearly twelve millions of dollars
greater than airy preceding year in the
history of the country. This is especially
interesting in view of the fact that the
imports of manufactures during the year
were abnormaly small. In addition to this
II is reasonable to suppose that the pur-
chaseS of manufactures by the people of
this country in the prosperous year just
crded were unusually great, both by rea-
son of the increased earnings and the
further fact that during several preced-
had, because of the financial depression,
been light. For these two reasons, the
smallness of importations of manufac-
lures and the probable increased con-
sumption of manufactures by our own
people, it is reasonable to suppose that
the home demand upon our own manu-
| facturers was unusually great, thus re-
| ducing, to some extent, the attention
which they had formerly been able to
give to an invasion of foreign markets
| In addition to this, 1t had been feared
| by some that the increased customs rat IS
| adopted year ago would result in a re-
| duction Of the purchases of our goods by
citizens of other nations, but this eXpec-
tation was not realized.
o.
In view of these facts the large expor-
| tation of manufactures in the year just
| ended is, to say the least, a very notable
| feature of tho commerce of this remark
| able year. Tho total expectation of man
| ufacturcs for the year, as already ind-
| Gated is s2SS, ,S7t 40. which Is more than
| double that of a decade ago, almost three
times as much as that of 1880, more than
four times as much as in 1870, and seven
| times as much as in 1860 How much the
! Centennial exhibition had 10 do with
| awakening n taste throughout the world
for our manufactures and products
which were there exhibited would be diff
| ncult 70 say, tut IL ID an interesting TACT
| at least that i'm that year (lSIG) the cx-
portation of manufactures for the frst
time touched the 100 million dollar line
and since that time has gone steadily
forward until in 1898 IT reached s2SS, ,S71, 49,
or nearly u million dollars more than IN
any preceding year.
| %
What are the manufactured articles
which We have so freely exported and
who have been their purchasers? To an
swer these In detail would occupy much
space for they include almost every Varie
ty Of article that could be imagined and
so TO every part of the world or agri
cultural implements the expectations o
the fiscal ear 1855 were sG09,732 agains
S2.Gi5lS7 in 1855. They went to Grea
Britain, France, Germany, British Nor.t
America, Central and South America
British Fast Indies and Australasia
other parts Of Asia and Oceanica, an,
even 20 Africa, while the great graf:
fields of Russia also drew largely upol
our manufacturers in this line. Our carr
for street and steam railways went t