Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1898-09-09

An export trade almost double that
in imports is the noteworthy feature
of the statistics Of the foreign COM
merce of the United States for the
fiscal year ending with June, the pre-
liminary figures of which have just
been given out by the treasury de-
partment. The excess Of export over
import trade measures the volume Oh
money or salable securities that hows
into a country. When money flows IN
industry quickens, expands. ms Is
what has been happening. Industrial
activity in the United States Is far
more general and vigorous than the
chronic growler is willing to ADMIT.
This is a big country, and great dea |
of business can be going on without
any particular noise or stir peing
made about it. In the state OF NE"
York not less than 1890 new manu-
featuring concerns have started In
business this year, and 1,50O old firms
that had closed their doors have re-
sumed operations. Some 400 manu-
facturers applied for permission 10
run their plants overtime, and 6o,Ooo
extra hours of labor is the record OF
these firms. In comparison with the
figures of 1897 some 10000 more per-
sons are now employed in New YORK
than in that year. Instances OF IKE
nature might be multiplied In when
the hands employed by some firms
have been nearly doubled, one steel
company alone adding 1880 men to
its nav roll. In Pennsylvania the iron
industry is in good condition. IN
ports of iron and steel products are
going forward with their usual free
dom. despite the war. AS one trade
authority says: RAILROAD and struc-
itural work Is being turned out in con-
siderable volume and shipbuilding is
also active, while exports OF finished
;nroducts continue on liberal scale. !"
MANY mills and furnaces still have or
ders on hand sufficient to keep them
busy for months to come. Labor jour-
nails that devote much space to mat
tiers pertaining to the iron Industry
contain few notes of reductions OF
force or hours, or of suspensions, but
many of increased force, added hours
and resumption. The condition of the
iron and steel interest is justly re-
garded as faithful barometer OF the
general situation, hence the present
Improvement is highly agreeable to
people having no direct connection
with the iron and steel trade. But
all the iron business is not done In
Pennsylvania. Thus, in Colorado, a
new steel rail and iron mill has had
a market for all manufactured iron
It could produce. In the South the
output is constantly increasing. The
greater part of the increased demand
that has made this general revival
nossible has come from abroad. I'm
Ger present conditions that's the only
Mace It can come from. And revival
in cotton, shoe, hardware, and about
all other interests must come the
same way, If 1t is to come at all. 1t Is
worthy of note that as soon as San
tiaeo had been taken ships loaded with
general merchandise set out for that
town from every important point on
the Atlantic coast. The cargoes were
not for Uncle Sans use, but for sale
to the merchants Of that once Spanish
city. Trade began almost literally as
soon as the stars and stripes had
been run up, and the news reports say
that the Spanish merchant is elated
at the prospect he has of doing big
business. He can buy lower than he
before could, and can sell accordingly.
He may be the scion Of an intermin-
ably line OF dons, but that doesn't
prevent him from seeing on which
side his bread Is buttered.
While our exports far exceed i'm
ports, the prices we receive are grad
ually growing less. Everything we
send to England goes to pay Interest
charges on English loans here. If
prices continue to fall. the excess Of
exports will soon measure far less in
dollars and cents than imports.