The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-10-20
ANOTHER STORY OF
AMERICAN PROGRESS
SOME FIGURES BY MULHALL,
THE sTATIsT1cIAN.
Development of Our Industries Since
1893 illustrated in a Manner to
Amaze Even Those Who Have
Fancied They Knew What Was
Going On.

uted to the October number of the |
North American Review an article on
the progress made by the United |
states during the five years preceding |
June, 1898. The facts are brought out |
with force, and their significance is en-
HANGED by the reflection that, since |
June, 1898, our national prosperity has |
experienced no check. There is rea-
son, therefore, to believe that Mr.. Null |
halls conclusions Will be not only con-
flrmed but emphasized by the census |
to be taken next year.
Mr.. Mulhall does not hesitate to say |
that the world has never before wit |
messed such a development OF the |
hardware industries as the United |
States exhibited in the five years fol- |
lowing 1898. In the twelve-month |
named the production of pig iron was
100 600 tons; in the year ending June
80, 1898, 1t was 100000 tons, showing
an increase of 81 per cent. During the
same quinquennial period, the produc-
tion of steel rose from 100000 to $780,
600 tons, the latter figures representing
an increase of rs per cent. If we turn
to textile manufactures, we find that
the consumption of fibre in the vari-
Gus mills increased from $4,000 to $685.
900 tons in the case of cotton, and
from 224 900 to 255O00 tons in the case
Of flax and jute. There was. on the
other hand, between 1898 and 1898,
decline of IA per cent. in the weight of
wool consumed. There was no in
crease, however, in the imports of
woollen manufactures from foreign
countries, these having fallen 10 per
cent. that is to say from $37,OO0,OOO
in 1898 to $l3OOO,GOO in 1895 The truth
seems to be that cotton goods are su-
perseding woollen in some parts of
the union, the consumption of cotton
having risen from pounds per inhabi-
tant in 1898 to % pounds in 1898, while
! that of wool fell from to So pounds
EXTERNAL TRADE.
Comparing the external trade of the
| Union in 1898 with that of 1S93 and ex-
! Guiding all goods in transit Mr.. Null
! hall reaches the surprising fact that,
! in the quinquennial period, notwith-
standing an increase Of ~ millions In
population. there was a decline of
| $257 900 900 in Imports The valuation
of food imports shrunk from 269 to III
| millions of dollars; that of raw ma
terial from 21S to 1S9 millions of dol
lars and that of manufactures, from
249 to 1853 millions of dollars. The
shrnkage of nearly 40 per cent. in the
imports of manufactured goods is the
more remarkable because the customs
duties in 1898 were much lighter than
in 1898. On an average, the duties in
the year last named were 8 per cent.
| higher than they are now. In view OF
| n
imports might have been looked for,
but the truth is. as Mr.. Mulhall recog-
nizes that the home manufactures of
the United States are growing with
| marvellous rapidly. Consequently, the
| American people take less and less
goods from Europe every year Pass
ing to that part of Mr.. Mulhalrs arti-
| Gle which deals with tillage, we note
| that the total value OF agricultural pro-
ducts showed in five years an increase
Of ga millions of dollars. AS regards
agricultural exports, the weight was
more than doubled in five years and
the value rose 40 per cent.
SHADOWS.
There are some shadows as we'll as
lights in the picture. For instance, the
receipts and net earnings of railways
in the United States for 1897, the latest
year for which railway statistics have
been published, exhibit a decline, the
gross receipts having fallen from 1907
to 1924 millions of dollars, and the net
earnings from 359 to 33S millions Of dol
lars. The net profit on the capital in
vested in railways, which, in 1898, had
averaged 3la per cent, shrunk, in 1897
to per cent Then, again, while the
tonnage of port entries shows an in
crease of so per cent. in five years, this
was entirely attributable to foreign en-
tries, American shipping continuing to
decline. The tonnage of the merchant
navy of the United States, including
the vessels used for cOasting and fish
ing purposes, as well as for commerce
on the high seas, dropped from 1856, ,00I
tons in 1893 to 4,75O,0O0 in 1898. The
tonange of our vessels engaged ir
ocean borne traffic fell from $50, 900 tc
730, 900 tons, We remark, also, when the
trade of the several ports is examined
i'm detail, that New York is rapidly los
ing its former preponderance. The ton
mage entries Of the port of New Yorl
in 1898 represented 42.9 per cent. o
those of the Union; in 1898 they con
stituted only 35S per cent, Baltimore
meanwhile, had risen from Al to T.,
per cent, and New Orleans from 5.5 t
"A per cent. Philadelphia, which il
1893 contributed 81 per cent. of tn
total tonnage entries of the Union, nov
furnishes only 7.6 per cent. 1t shoult
also be pointed out that the nomina
, amount of the public debt rose in fiv,
years from 1876 to 1,796 millions o
dollars, though, If the amount of cast
in the treasury at the time be deducted
the actual debt in 1898 will be observed
to show an increase of only 1888 mill
ions.
Mr.. Mulhall finds an unquestionab
proof of the general prosperity Of tn
+ Union in the fact that the business
done by the national banks increased
: 30 per cent. i'm five years. Due atten
i tion is also directed to the proof tia
, public instruction is progressing stead
lily, the average daily school attend
: ance increasing much faster than tn
2 population. The amount expended 70
schools in the United States is thre
: times as much per inhabitant as is de
, voted to the same purpose in the Unite
: | Kingdom.