Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1899-04-27
THE EXPORT TRADE.
A Report That shows Satisfactory Condf-
ton for Our Country

ton for Our Country.
WASHINGTON, APRIL 24.-The
fiscal year of 1898 was the banner
year of the foreign trade of the United
States, our exports being the largest
ever recorded for like period and
our imports exceptionally small. Ac-
cording to comprehensive report just
prepared by Frank HI. Hitchcock, chief
of the section of foreign markets of
the Agricultural department, the total
value of our domestic exports reached
the enormous sum of $1,2l0, POI 1913, ex-
ceeding the record-breaking figures of
the preceding year by $178,2S4,310.
On the other hand, the imports DUR
ng 1898 were the smallest since 1885
their value being $616,049 ,554, a de-
cline OF $14S,680,75S from the figures
OF 1897. Broadly stated, for every dol
lars worth of foreign merchandise
brought into the United States two DOL
lars worth of our products found
markets. broad. Our domestic exports.
as compared with out imports, showed
an excess of 1894, 242 ,259, or more than
twice the excess for 1897, which was
the largest previously reported
An interesting fact developed by the
report of Mr.. Hitchcock is the increase
in the exports of agricultural products,
there being total of $S5S, 507 942. a
gain of nearly 25 per cent over 1897
EFFORTS of this class also show a great
er gain proportionately than non-agri-
cultural exports.
Our purchases of foreign agricultural
products in 1898 amounted to only
$314,291 ,796, as compared with $400..
81, 46S in 1897, decrease of $685.
672, or about % per cent. The value
of American farm produce sent abb Dad
during 1898 was much more than dou-
BILE that of our agricultural imports,
the excess of the former over the latter
amounting to $5+4,216,146. In 1897 the
excess on the side Of the agricultural
exports was only $26S 1888, 1925, and in
the years immedia tely preceding still
smaller.
The total value Of breadstuffs sent
abroad advanced from $197, ,219 IN
1897 to 1888, S97,f19 in 1898. In wheat
and flour alone there was a gain of
nearly $100,000,0C0. While these enor-
nous gains resulted in part from the
higher prices that prevailed, there
was at the same time an important III
crease in the quantity shipped. The
total wheat shipments were las. 221 ,261
bushels, nearly double the quantity eX-
ported in 1897. Averaging the export
prices at 9S.3 cents per bushel, the val
lie was s145. 6S4,659, a gain of$S5, 1884,
4S1 over 1897, when the average prices
was 1873 cents per bushel and the total
value $50, 920,17S.
Although our exports of wheat and
-four did not increase very much in
quantity during 1898, the gain in value
as a result of the higher prices amount
ed to $13 ,349,371. During 1898 the eX-
port price averaged as high as S4.51 per
barrel, making the total value of the
shipments $69,26S,71S. as compared
with S55, 914 BAT for 1897, when the av-
erage price per barrel was only 1884.
In the quantity shipped there was an
increase from l4,569,54 to 15,S49,!!3
barrels during the two years men
toned.
The combined shipments Of wheat
and -four would amount to 45,124,972
bushels for the former year and to
217,3O6,O55 bushels for the latter. Tie
total value of the exported wheat and
wheat -four reached as high as S214,-
94S,377 in 1898, while in 1897 it was
only s115,S34,525
Next to wheat Indian corn showed
the largest gain. the total exports be-
ing POS, 744, 939 bushels, valued at $74,~
1S6,S5O, as against 1896, 365 bushels,
valued at $54,S5l. 112 in 1897. The av-
erage price in 1898 was 35.5 cents per
bushel as compared with 3O.6 cents
per bushel the preceding year. There
were also noticeable increases in ex-
ports of corn meal, S26,662 barrels be-
ing sent abroad in 1898 as against
475266 barrels in 1897. There was an
increase in the price of % cents per
barrel making the value of the eX-
ports $1,766,06S as against $902,O61 in
the preceding year.