Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-17
OUR FOREIGN COMMERCE
1t Is Likely to Exceed Two Billion Dollars
This Year.
Great Increase In the Expectation Of
Manufactures-Impe Have In
creased Even Mere.

The foreign commerce OF the United
States seems likely to make ts highest rec
ord Of the century in the closing year OF
that period, The October exports are larger
than those of any preceding October, the
total for the ten months ending with Oe-
tober IL greater than the total for the cor
responding period In any preceding year,
and It Ia apparent that for the first time In
our history the foreign commerce Of the
year will exceed two billion dollars. For
the ten months ending with October, 1900,
the figures of the treasury bureau of sta
tistics show the total exports to be Il .O2o,-
242000, while In the corresponding months
of last year they were $9S7 $4,000.
This remarkable inerea.e In expectations
IL the more surprising because Of the abb
sence of the excessive demand abroad for
our breadstuffs, which characterized the
year 1903. In that year the short crops
abroad and plentiful supplies Of breadstufrs
Of all kinds In the United States resulted In
an abnormally large expectation Of bread
stuffs, 30 that the expectation OF agricul-
tural products In the present year naturally
falls about $35 900, 900 below that Of the cor
responding period Of last year. Yet the to-
tai expectations for the ten months are, as
clearly indicated. more than S40,OOO,OOO in
excess OF those OF last year.
Increase In Manufactured Exports.
1t is easy, however, to find the cause of
this remarkable growth in our total expor-
tatons which occurs in the face OF the re-
duction in our expectation OF breadstuf1s.
An examination Of the detailed figures of
the nine months Of the year already access
sble shows that the exports of manufac-
lures in that period were $500OO.0OO in ex-
cess of those of the corresponding months
of the preceding year. and S5,OOo,o 600
greater than those Of the same months Of
1897, while the products of the nine were
responding months of last year and those
Of the forest So OODGOO in excess Of the cor
responding months Of the preceding year.
Thus. the years expectation of agricul-
tural productions will be quite up to the
normal while those of manufacture mining
and forestry Will exceed those of last year,
and indeed of any year In our history.
Increase In Imports.
Imports have increased more than ex-
ports, for they were unusually low in 1898,
while exports We're unusually high in that
year The total Importation in the ten
months ending with October, 1899, is $685.
375, 900, against 1927 1874. 900 In the CORES
pondiHg months of last year This large
increase in importations IL chiefly In sup
plies for the manufacturers whose in
creased exports are already noted, and in
foodStuffs which cannot be produced at
nome. The increase in importations of ma
terlaI FOR use of manufacturers including
crude and partially manufactured was In
me nine months ending with September,
soo,Vn,uo, sum just equaiing the increase
IN expectations of manufactures during
that time. In foodstuffs the increase In
importatlons during the nine months was
IN round numbers $3SOOO,OOO of which
nearly thirty millions was in sugar the
increase in importations Of manufactures
ready for consumption being S, 900 600, and
articles Of voluntary use, luxuries, etc,
$40, OOO,O
Commerce by Years.
The following table shows the imports.
exports, and total commerce during the ten