The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1901-02-01
EXPORTS Of UNITED STATES
EXCEED A BILLION DOLLARS.
For the Year 10OO-Imports Were
Much SmnIier-Tal<en From Report
of Frank III. Hhtchcock-shows
Remarkable Advance for Us.

Frank H. Hitchcock chief of the
section of the foreign markets in the
agricultural departments, in his annual
review of the trade of the United
States in agricultural products says:
1.-THE fiscal year 1900 brought to
close a century of marvellous develop
ment in the history of the United
States commerce. In 1900, a century
ago, the total value of the merchandise
imported and exported in our trade
with foreign countries was consider
ably less than a quarter of billion
dollars. The value of the goods ex-
changed during the past fiscal year
reached nearly two and a quarter bill
lions, far exceeding all previous rec
ords. Since the opening of the cen
tury our commerce with the rest of
the world has increased more than
twelvefold 1t was chiefly in the ex-
port trade that the enormous growth Of
the century occurred. Our domestic
exports during 1900, with a value Of
1870. 763,571, were over 40 times as
large as in 1900. The total imports for
1900, on the other hand, amounting in
value to $S49, 941,184, were less than
10 times as large as in 1900.
Compared with the value of our i'm
ports for 1900 that of our domestic ex-
ports showed an excess of S520,S22,5S7-
OF the merchandise imported from for
eign countries during the fiscal year
1900, about 40 per cent consisted OF
agricultural products. These products
had an aggregate value of $420. 136,3S1,
exceeding by almost $65,000,000 the
records of the year before. Hides, silk
and wool were the leading factors in
the growth, although vegetable fibers,
sugar and tobacco also showed import
ant gains. The six items mentioned
contributed nearly $60,000,000 to the
increase in value.
Products of United States agricul-
= ture were marketed abroad in the fiscal
year 1900 to the value of 1914, GIG, 800
forming about 62 per cent of the total
: domestic exports. With the single ex
ception of 1898, the past year witnessed
. the largest annual export trade in farm
J.. products on record. The value at
!. tanned came within s15.000000 of the
= phenomenal figures for 1898, and sur
/. passed those for 1899 by more thar
A $50, 900, 900. A considerable portion Of
!. the increase over 1899 was accounted
9 for by the higher price of cotton. The
?. exports of this staple, although smaller
I in quantity than during the preceding
v year exhibited an advance of nearly
v $33, 100000 in value.
"a comparison of the value of oul
n agricultural exports for 1900 with tina
o of our agricultural imports shows the
!. former exceeds the latter by $424,4SO,
!. 149. The export value was slightly
:. more than double the amount of the
g import value.
Among the agricultural imports o.
r the United States for the fiscal yeal
IS 1900 the leading times, named in thu
order of value, were sugar, hides ant
n skins, coffee, silk, vegetable fibers, wool
fruits and tobacco, tea, wines, vegeta
BILE oil and cocoa. These II items com
prised in value nearly 80 per cent o
our entire import trade in the products
Il of foreign agriculture during the year