Evening journal., 1901-01-28
DEVELOPMENT
IN MARVH HLOUN
Wonderful Growth Of Com
merCe in a Century
II Vas Chiefly in the Export Trade
That the Enormous Increase
Occurred

Washington. Jan. 2s-Mr Frank H.
Hitchcock. chief of the section OF for
eign markets OF tho agricultural de-
partment has Just issued his annual
review Of the trade OF the United States
IN agricultural products. The report
says that the fiscal year 1900 brought
TO q close q century OF marvellous de-
velopment in the history Of United
States commerce In 1900, a century
ago. the total value Of the merchan-
disc Imported and exported In our
trade with foreign countries was con-
siderably less than $780, 600. The
value OF the goods exchanged during
the fiscal year reached nearly $2,250,-
100000. fer exceeding ell previous rec
ords
Since the opening Of tho century our
commerce with the rest of the world
has Increased more than twelve fold. It
was chiefly In the export trade that
the enormous growth of the century
occurred. Our domestic exports dur
ing 1900, with a recorded value OF ST.
$40 .571. were over 40 times as large
as I'm 1900 The total imports for 1900,
on the other hand amounting in value
to sS49 ,o41 1874. were less than ten times
as large as in 1900
Compared with the value Of our inn
ports for 1900. that of our domestic
exports showed an excess Of $500 s22,- =
3S7.
or the merchandise imported from
foreign countries during the fiscal year
1900 about 40 per cent consisted Of
agricultural products. These products
had an aggregate value of S420. .l3G. .3Si,
| exceeding by almost S65, 600 600 the
record of the year before. Hides, silk
and wool were the leading factors "a
the growth, although vegetable fibers
sugar and tobacco also showed import
ant gains. The six items mentioned
( crease In value.
Products Of United States agriculture
were marketed abroad In the fiscai
/ year 1900 90 the value of SS44616,53
forming about 60 per cent of the total
| domestic exports. With the single ex-
/ ception Of 1898 the past year witnessed
/ the largest annual export trade Ia farm
/ produce on record. The value attain.
ed came within Sl5.OO0,OOO OF th,
/ phenomenal figures for 1898 and sur
passed those for 1899 by more thar
S50000 600. A considerable portion o
the increase over 1889 was accounte,
for by the higher price OF cotton. Th
exports of this great staple, although
smaller I'm quantity than during tn
preceding year. exhibited an advance
of nearly $4,000 600 IN value. Asld
from cotton the largest gains in valu
were those afforded by the exports o
meat products and live stock. Tobac
co, fruits and nuts. vegetable oils. OF
cake and oil cake meal, dairy products
and seeds also furnished examples O
increase.
A comparison of the value of on
agricultural exports for 1900 with tina
of our agricultural imports shows tina
the former exceeded the latter by s424.
4S0.l49 The export value was sliehtl
moro than double the amount Of tn
import value.
Among the agricultural imports @
the United States for the fiscal yea
1900. the leading items, named in IN
order Of value. were sugar. hides an
skins, coffee, silk, vegetable fiber.
wool, fruits and nuts. tobacco, tes
wines. vegetable oils and cocoa. Thes
- items comprised In value nearly 9
per cent of our entire import trade /
the products of foreign agriculture dun
ing the year.