The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-05-28
GROWING EXPORT TRADE.


GROWING EXPORT TRADE.
An expectation Of forty millions dollars worth
OF manufactures in thirty days is a record un.
parallcled for American manufacturers That is
the record for the month Of April, 1900. The
details of the April eXportatons-ust completed
by the treasury bureau Of statistics-show that
the expectation Of manufactures during that
month were by far the greatest Of any month
in our history and within fraction Of forty mil.
lion dollars. This gives assurance that the
ports of the fiscal year which ends with June
will considerably exceed four hundred million
dollars and be nearly three times as much as a
decade ago. This phenomenal increase in e1por-
tation of manufactures is especially striking when
compared with the progress made by European
nations, our rivals in the attempt to supply
the worlds market with manufactured goods,
Great Britain's export Of manufactures show but
slight increase since 1890 and examination
Of the export record OF the principal European
countries fails to disclose an instance In which
the increase has been as much as 25 per cent,
while that OF the United States, meanwhile, has
been more than $50 per cent.
An examination of the details OF our own ex.
portaton Of manufactures shows that It Is in
the production, manufacture and expectation Of
metals that we seem to excel The history OF
nations and peoples shows that great groups Of
people frequently excel in certain industries, and
the growth Of our expectation, as we'll as our
domestic production of manufactures, seems TO
points to metals as our most successful line Of
work, especially at the present time. In 1850,
manufactures of metals formed less than 20 per
cent of our total expectation OF manufactures,
and in 1900 will be about 45 per cent. OF our
ports OF manufactures The increase in eI-
portaton Of metals and manufactures thereof in
the decade 1SS9-1S0S was 339 per cent, while
the increase in the expectation Of all manufac.
lures in that time was but 40 per cent and
the increase in manufactures other than those Of
metal during that time but IS per cent.
In this statement Of the expectation of manu-.
factures of metals, only those articles composed
exclusively Of metals are included; those made
up in part OF metals, such as railway cars, sgri
cultural machinery, ETC., being included In the
other manufactures. The rapid increase In the
expectation Of manufactures Of metals Is shown
by the fact that the exports OF brass and manu-
factures thereof in 1899 were but 1921, ,l37, and
in 1900 will reach 81, 100000; instruments foi
scientific purposes increased from 81 0SS, ,SsS to
| 81, 10 s03, and in the year about to end will
reach nearly sG,0OO,O0O; copper and its manufsc
lures, which amounted in 1899 to s2,S4s, 954, will
| be more than fifty million dollars in 1900; iron
and steel increased from s2l, ,156.o77 in 1890, to
So 4O6 Ss5 in 1898, while in the fiscal year 1900
| it will exceed 100000
Another interesting fact developed by the eI.
| animation Of the figures Is that the European
| countries, in which manufactures have been long
established, furnish as satisfactory a market for
| our manufactured goods as do the countries
| where manufacturing has not been largely De.
| velopcd. In reapers and mowers, clocks and
| watches, sewing machines, bicycles and the vari-
| Ous manufactures Of iron and steel, and many
Of bo ~
| ture, the European countries in which manu-.
| featuring plants and machinery and skilled work
| men abound, furnish q market for q large share
of our exports, thus failing to Justify the er.
| pressed fear that development OF manufactures
| in other countries where we are now seeking a
foothold for our commerce would destroy their
| value as a permanent market.
In this attempt to show the growth OF the
expectation of each article in every direction, it
| has only been practicable to measure the growth
| by values, as the varying value Of the units OF
quantity designated by common name would
prove confusing and misleading. statement of
the number Of watches, clocks sewing machines,
| typewriters, electrical instruments, mowers and
reapcrs, carriages, articles Of glass and china.
ware, builders hardware and miscellaneous arti.
| cles of cotton and wooden goods, for instance,
in which the value Of units ranges from few
dollars to hundreds in single class, would con
vey no information for comparative purposes and
does not supply any facility for measuring the
real growth Of the industry or the commerce in
it, as does the simple statement Of total values
| by classes. On the other hand, the well.knoWn
fact that prices Of nearly all classes Of manuiao
tured goods have greatly decreased by reason Of
cheapened manufactured and improved method.
Of production, renders a mere statement OF values
somewhat misleading in an attempt TO determine
| the actual increase in the expectation OF mum
uers or quantity Of nearly all articles. As al
ready indicated, the largest growth In our eI
| port of manufactures is in those OF metals. The
| largest class Of manufactures Of metals exported
is that OF iron and steel. In 1850 the export OF
| manufactures Of iron and steel was Sl4, 7lo, 50.
and in 1900 will exceed 100000. or more thar
seven times that Of 1880
In no feature OF our export trade has there
been a more remarkable growth during the de
cade than in rails for railways, especially thos,
Of steel. The total expectation OF iron rails IL
1880 was but seven tons, and in 1903, 1900 tons
the values rising from s24o in 1899 TO sS7 $50 II
ls0s. In Eteel rails, however, the growth wal
cycl more remarkable, IT,, number Of tons eI
ported IN lss9 being 1895, and in $685. 22o, fs3
while tho value increased from s235,3s7 in 1s9!
to A,613,376 In 1898, and in the hsoal year 1901
seems ikrly to reach 100000. This inereas
has heen especially marked during the past thre,
years. the exports Of steel rails In the hscsl yea
1899 being S54O,797 those Of 1897 s24s2, EOS, snC
those OF 1S0S ~ 6l9,37o those OF 1890 t5 29s 125
while the nrst ten months OF the present hscA
year show a gain Of about u, 100000 over tn,
corresponding months Of last year. While thi
rapid increase Is due TO a generally increased de
n,and, the countries showing the most marked
growth in their purchases OF steel rails from tn
United States are Russia, Canada and japan.