Woodruff County news., 1902-02-20

JS StAO"S tto AS1 lows: Merchandise, imports, $79,- 426, ,146, increase as compared with January, 1901, $1O,OOO,O00; ex- ports, $126,O23,217, decrease $7,- 30O,00o. Gold imports $1, ,4O4,787 decrease $2, ,6OO,OOO; exports $1,973,- 675, decrease $6,3OO,OOO. Silver inn ports $2,183681, decrease $1,OOO- 900; exports $4,5O9,213, decrease $280,000. During the last year the imports of merchandise amounted to $890,538,976, an increase over the corresponding period in 1901 of $72,000,000. The exports of mer- chandise for the year aggregated $1, ,457, ,839, 1882, a decrease of $39,- OO0,OOO.
 A terrible fire occurred at Patter- son, N. J., on the 9th, destroying property valued at $10,O00,0O0. The fire burned its way through the busi- ness section of the city and claimed as its own majority of the finer structures devoted to commercial, civic, educational and religious use, as we'll as scores of houses. There was but small tribute of life and in jury to the confagration, but hun dreds were left homeless and thou sands without employment. The fire originated in a shed at the power house of the Paterson Traction Con- pany.
 All indications point to gigantic street railway merger, embracing the best traction properties of nearly all the leading American cities, and in its scope the amount of capital to be involved and the number of great fnanciers interested, far overshad- owing any other industrial enterprise ever undertaken. Behind this gi- gantic undertaking are Morgan, Widener, Elkins, Whitney, Ryan, Gary, Marshall Field, Foerderer and Mack This proposed traction mo- nopoly would operate all the street car lines of all the principal cities of the United States.
 The census bureau has issued a preliminary report on the cotton manufactures in the United States. The following is a summary of the figures for the manufactures, exclu- sive of the small wares: Establish ments, 969; capital, $460,042,772 :; average number wage earners, 297,- 929; total wages, $05,126, 6,310; cost of material used, $173,441, ,390; cot ton consumed, S,666,061 bales, cost ing $124,905,075; value of prod ucts, $332, ,S04,455; total spindles. 19,OOS,352; looms, 45O,6S2. The figures for the United States for the small cotton wares, with the above figures, makes the grand total for cotton manufactures in the United States, as follows: Number of es- tablishments, S2; capital, $6,397,- 395; wage earners, average number, 4,932; total wages, 1868, ,442; cost of materials used, $3, no, 137; cotton consumed, 1918 bales; cost, $264, 541; value of products, $6,394, ,164; number of spindles, 42,6Oo; number of looms, SOTO.
 The industrial commission, in its report to congress, makes the fol- lowing recommendations on the subject of immigration. General revision and codifcation of the inn migration laws, including such yer bal changes as are necessary to make the existing principles of leg islation effective. Increasing the head tax from $1 to $3. Effective inspection along the Canadian and Mexican borders to be secured through establishment of designated frontier ports of entry by the secre- tary of the treasury. Exclusion and deportation of anarchists. Renewal and continuance of the Chinese ex- clusion law. The commission also recommended that states abandon the general property tax, and raise their revenues by taxes upon foreign populations, inheritance and in- comes, supplemented when necessa- " by indirect taxation. That cor porations be taxed by state boards at rates fixed by legislation, upon the value of their franchises, assess ed according to the actual value of !