Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-08-03
Foreign Trade Figures.

The foreign trade of the United
States in the last fiscal year, as in
dictated in the corrected figures just
published, says the Baltimore Sun,
was almost as remarkable as that of
1893, and is the more gratifying In
that it shows that the commercial
prosperity of the country continues in
full volume. The excess of our exports
of merchandise over imports in the
fiscal year 1899 was s507, 900, 900, as
against an excess of 1894, 600, 900 in
1893. The total of exports in the
former year was 81, 204, 1913, 134, against
81, 2l0, 29l, 913 in 1898. But for the
increased volume of imports in the,
last six months of 1890 the surplus of
that year would have been about the
same as in 1893. The volume of ex-
ports, it is perceived, is not decreasing,
but, on the contrary, gives promise of
material increase in the important
class of manufactured articles.
The exports of agricultural products
| 1853, 683, $40 in 1898, and 1929, 800, 608
| in 1890. There was decided increase
| in the last two years, due chiefly te
short crops in Europe. The farm
products Of the country still constitute
| the larger portion of our exports, but
| they are subject to violent fluctuations
| in demand, with consequent fuctu-
| atoms of price, which are not without
effect upon our internal politics. They
| do not, like our exports of manu-
features, exhibit steady and pro-
gressive increase iu recent years. In
the past year our exports of domestic
manufactures aggregated 1888, 667, 794,
| against 1920, 697, 354 in 1898 and
| $751;, l02, 376 in 1890. The increase
here shown has progressive charac-
| ter, and the total of the present year
| is the greatest in the history of the
country. In 1850 the total Of our ex-
| ports of manufactures was but
$40, 345, s92. In 1870 the total was
| SOS, 2T9, 764; in 1880 it was s102, s56, OILS.
| The movement has been steady and on
the up grade, but with rapid
acceleration since 1896. In that year
the total of exported manufactures was
S193, 500, 743, which figure was nearly
| doubled in 1899. This increase of ex-
ports of manufactures is, in fact, the
most striking feature of the COM
mercial situation. 1t has been checked
in recent months by high prices. In
June, for example, the figure was
a3l.s12, It's, against S36, OPS, 733 in
shown in the fact that the figure for
June, 1898, was but S27, PIG, 1863, and
for June, 1897, but S25, S73, 1897.
The increase of imports, according
to Chief Austin, of the Bureau of
Statistics, has been partly in raw ma
teriais that we're not loaded with pro-
hibitive duties in, the Dingley tariff,
and partly in luxuries bought by the
people in consequence of their in
creased prosperity. The increase of
| imports in 1899 over 1898 was
ss1, 900, 600, of which sum s22, 500, 900
was for articles used in our factories,
| SIG, 500, 600 for luxuries, S11, 800, 600 for
manufactured articles ready for con-
sumption, and S33, 900, 600 for food and
live animals. Wool has decreased by
Sa5, 900. 900, but silk has increased
| some S13, 800, 900. OF our total imports,
aggregating s697, 116, 854 in 1899, 43 per
cent were free of duty, whereas At per
| cent of the S6l6, 049, GOD of imports Of
1898 were free of duty. The repressive
nature of the tariff was emphasized in
| 1882 though 1t was ineffective against
| tho improved demand. Protectionists
point with glee to the great increase
Of exports of manufactures, but omit
| to state that it began under the lower
Wilson tariff. They attribute increased
home and foreign trade to the Dingley
tariff, though in reality. for variety
of reasons, it has fiourished in spite of
it. A populous country, rich in
natural resources, can do great deal,
even when hobbled by absurd re-
| strictive laws. If free to use its pro-
ductive power to the best advantage
it could accomplish infinitely more
| than it does.