The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-30
AMERICAS VAST TRADE
Commerce Valued al More Than
Two Billion Dollars Last Year.
Never in History Has the Foreign
Business of the United states
Reached Such Proportions-Great
Increase in Exports to All the
World - Imports From Islands.

The annual report OF the Chief of the
Treasury Bureau of Statistics upon the
foreign commerce of the United States
during the year ending June so, 1900. has
! been completed. 1t will form a part of
the June Summary OF Commerce and FL
nance, which will make its appearance
during the coming week. The report shows
| the total imports of merchandise during
the year as sS49, IA $40; the total exports,
| s., 1874 1851. The principal features of
| the report follow:
-Four great facts characterize the for
eign commerce of the United States in the
| closing year of the century:
!. Tae total commerce of 1900 surpasses by
| 1919, 729250 that of any preceding year, and for
the first time in history exceeds 81 000, 90, 600.
.. The exports exceed those of any preceding
| year, and have been widely distributed
throughout the world than ever before.
3. Manufacturers materials were more freely
imported that ever before and formed a larger
share of the total imports than on any former
occasion.
!. Manufactured articles were more freely ex-
ported than ever before and formed a larger
share of the total exports than on any former
occasion.
In exports every great class of articles
showed larger total than in the preced-
I ing year; in imports every class except
manufacturers materials showed a smaller
percentage Of the total than in the pre-
ceding year, while manufacturers mate
rails showed n much larger total and
larger percentage of the grand total than
in any former year.
Imports of Manufacturers' Materials
Two OF the five great classes of imports
are exclusively manufacturers materials
The first of these, articles in a crude con-
dition which enter into the various pro-
cesses of domestic industry is chiefly
made up OF manufactured fbers. raw
| silk, wool, crude india rubber, hides and
| skins, pig tin, and certain chemicals. The
second. articles wholly or partially manu-
featured for use as materials in manufac-
turing, includes wood, leather, furs, ce-
ment, yarns oils, dyes, and dyewoods. and
certain chemicals. The other three classes
OF imports are fooGstuffs, articles manu-
featured ready for consumption and arti-
cles of voluntary use, luxuries. etc. OF
the two classes designated as manufactur-
ers materials, that which includes only
articles in a crude condition lis by far the
, largest. being in 1900 1902 ,264 log, against
$222, 651, IA in 1899, or nearly 40 per cent
greater than in any preceding year; while
the class which Includes articles wholly
or partially manufactured for use in man
ufaeturing amounts to SSS, 1885, $40, against
$9s, 753. sos in 1898 and s109y132,526 in 1891.
The share which articles in a crude
condition for use in manufacturing form
OF the total imports is constantly increas-
ing. and in the year just ended formed by
far the largest total and largest percent
age OF the grand total in the history Of
our foreign commerce. OF the total i'm
ports Of the year. manufacturers mate
rails, including the two classes above
named. show an increase of s107, 375 sos
over those of the preceding year; while
the other three classes. ,foodstuffs, manu-
features. and Injuries, show an increase OF
but s4b,190.4S3 over the preceding year.
thus showing that over two-thirds of the
increased importations of the year are in
manufacturers materials.
Growth i'm Exports.
While manufacturer materials show
the largest growth in our imports. manu-
featured articles show the largest growth
in our exports. The total exports of manu-
features in 1900 amounted to $432, 2S4, $780,
against 1898, 675.55s in the preceding year,
an increase of $92, SOS. sos, while in 10
earlier year had the increase amounted to
so much as 10000 600. Manufacturers
formed 81 1-2 per cent of the total ex-
portations in 1900 against 2S.13 per cent
in 1899 25.ST per cent In 1897, 23.14 per
cent in 1895, 2O.25 per cent in 1885, 10 per
cent in 1870, and 1916 per cent in 1860.
Exports of manufactures in 1860 were
$40,3 45, S92, and in 1900 si32, 2s4, 500. while
the total exports in 1860 were 1898, SIC, 057,
and in 1900, 1884, 1851 Thus, while the
total exports Of 1900 are four times as
great as In 1860, those of manufactures
alone are ten times as much as in 1860.
In that year manufactures formed but
1916 per cent of our total exports, while
in 1900 they form 31.54 per cent OF our
total exports. Even in the decade which
ends with the year 1900, the growth in ex
ports Of manufactures has been equally
striking In 1891 the total exports amounted
to SsS4 ,4S0.Sl0 and those of manufactures
alone to $l6S. H27, 315, the total exports for
1900 thus being but so per cent in excess
of 1891, while the exports of manuflc-
lures are $50 per cent in excess of that
year.
This rapid growth in the expectation
OF manufactures is particularly gratifying.
when compared with that of other nations
which have heretofore chiefly supplied the
worlds markets in manufactured goods.
In 1860, as already indicated, our sotal
exports of manufactures were but s40,3i5.-
1892; in that year those OF the United
Kingdom were s613. 35S 262; by 1870 our
own exports OF manufactures mad increased
to SOS, 279 764. and those of the United
Kingdom were 5000 16S. 224; in 1880, exports
of manufactures from the United States
We're 500, S56,015, and those from the
United Kingdom were $3.50, 5Sl, 400; in 1890,
exports OF manufactures from the United
States were s151 102, 376, and those from
the United Kingdom we're 81 .0S9, 155, 7SI.
In 1900, exports of manufactures from tsa
United States had reached Si32, 2Si 3G6,
while those from the United Kingdom in
1898, the latest year available, had dropped
to 1886. l65, 1926. Thus our exports of manu-
features are now ten times as much as in
1860, while those of the United Kingdom
are but one and one-half times as great
as in 1860,
"a study OF our imports from the grand
divisions Of the world illustrates the
growth in the proportion of our imports
which is being supplied by the tropical
and sub-trcpical parts OF the world. In
1890 the imports from Europe were S449,-
9S7 266 and IN 1900. S4IO509. 4S0; from
North America the imports in 1890 were
Sis 3S8. zoe, and in 1900, 1929. 939 S75; from
South America, from which our imports
are almost exclusively tropical and sub
tropical, the imports OF 1890 were S90,006.-
IA, and in 1900. 500. 635. 134 from Asia,
whose supplies sent to the United States
are chiefly tropical and sub-tropical in
character. our imports in 1890 were $61,-
50G 1913. and in 1900, $l39. SIT ,023; from |
Oceanic. lying almost exclusively in the |
tropics, the imports in 1890 were S2s,S56.-