The record-union., 1898-08-07
Passed In Value Those Of Any Preceding
Period in History Of Country.
While the Expectation Of Agri-
culture Have Been Wonderful
Expectation of Domestic Manu-
factures Present an Equally In
eral Commerce and Prosperity
Both Present and Future, Of the
Nation.

NEW YORK, Aug. GA special to
the Tribune" from Washington says:
While the United States expectations of
agriculture during the year have been
wonderful, SURPRISING in value those Of
any preceding year in the history of
the country, and thus attracting uni
versal attention, the expectation Of
manufactures is, when considered in
detail, equally interesting I'M it's bearing
upon the general commerce and pros
perity, both present and future, Of the
nation.
The expectation of domestic manu-
factures in the fiscal year Of 1898 is set
down by the records of the Bureau Of
Statistics of the Treasury Department
at S2SS,S71 ,449, which is nearly ST.,
100000 greater than in any 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 We're abnormally small.
In addition to this, it is reasonable to
suppose that the purchases of manufac-
lures by the people of this country in
the prosperous year just ended were un-
usually large, by reason of the in
| creased earnings, and the further fact
that during several preceding years
their purchases in these lines had, be-
cause of the financial depression, been
light. For these two reasons, the small
ness of importations of manufactures
and the probable increased consump-
| ton of manufactures by the people of
this country, it is reasonable to suppose
that the home demand upon the manu-
facturers was unusually great, thus
| reducing to some extent the attention
which they had formerly been able to
| give to an invasion of foreign markets.
| In addition to this, it had been feared
| by some that the increased custom
| rates adopted year ago would result
in a reduction Of the purchases Of
| American goods by citizens of other
| nations, but this expectation was not
realized.
| In view Of these facts, the large eX-
| portation of manufactures in the year
| just ended is, to says the least, a very
notable feature Of the commerce of this
remarkable year.
| Thetotal expectation Of manufact ures
| for the year, as already indicated is
| $2SS, 81 ,449, 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
1850. How much the Centennial Ex-
position had to do with the awakening
| taste throughout the world for Amer
lean manufactures and products which
were there exhibited would be difficult
to say, but it is an interesting fact at
least that in that year QS16) the ex-
portation Of manufactures for the first
1 i,r,A bod
since that time has gone steadily for
ward until in 1898 it reached 1888, ST.
449
OF agricultural implements the expor-
! tations for the fiscal year 1898 were
| S1,609, 142, against S2,645 1S7 in 1883.
They went to Great Britain, France.
Germany, British North America Cen
trail and South America, British East
Indies. Australia, Oceanca, and even
to Africa, while the great grain fields
Of Russia also drew largely upon Amer
| lean markets in this line. Cars for
streets and tramways went to all parts
of Europe, China, Japan and the East
Indies; to Brazil, Cuba Central Amer
lea, Hawaii, Mexico and Africa, the
value of this class of expectations for
the year amounting to S3,424,419
| American cotton goods went to every
part of the world-China, British North
America, South America and Oceanica
being the highest purchasers-the total
| exports Of cotton manufactures for the
year being $17, ,024, ,092, against 50, $685.
| 277 in 1890
People in Africa, China, British East
Indies, Cuba, British Australia, Japan
and Mexico, as we'll as in all parts of
Europe, are riding American bicycles,
the expectation for the year being
| S6S46, ,529, against less than S2,OO0,GO0
| in the fiscal year 1896
The expectation Of copper and manu-
features thereof has increased enor-
mously in the last few years, being
S32, 2,16O,S12 in the fiscal year just ended,
against So, ,S12, 79S in 1888.
| OF refined mineral oils the exporta-
| tion during the year amounted to SOL
| 7S2,316 in value, against S47, ,047, 400 in
1883. The value of the years exporta-
| ton of oil is slightly less than that of
the preceding year, which was S56,-
| 463. 1866 but this is due altogether TO
| a reduction in price, the number Of gall
| Ions exported being 65,0O0,0O0 greater
than in the preceding year. Every part
of the world accepted and used Amer
lean illuminating oil, more than l., ,0)O,-
600 gallons going to Africa, 10000, 600
to British Australia, 44,O0o. 900 to China
and 53, 600, 600 to Japan.
| The largest articles or class of ar
ticles included in the list of exports
OF manufactures are manufactures Of
| iron and steel. The value of this single
class of exports in 1898 was $40. .367,-
| 527, against S30,1O6, 4S2 in 1898 and
| ST., ,763, ,034 in 1888. thus showing an in
crease of 30 per cent in ten years,
while, curiously enough, this has been
the corresponding decrease in the i'm
portations of manufactures of iron and
steel, which fell from S4S,992. 1o7 in
1888 TO S12615O13 in 1908