Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-28
INCREASE IN COMMERCE
DEPARTMENT FIGURES FOR THE
PAST ELEVEN MONTHS.
Expected Growth in Exports Of Steel
and Iron Did Not Materialize-
November Imports Fell Off.

Details of eleven months commerce of
the year 1908 are just made public by the
Department of Commerce and Labor
through its bureau of statistics. They
show an increase in practically all of the
great groups into which the bureau of
statistics divides the exports and in all
of the groups into which it divides the
imports. Agricultural products, whole,
show an increase of STA loo, 600; products of
the forests $4,000, 900; products of the
mines $1,000, coo; manufactures, $5.0O0,OO0,
and miscellaneous articles, S2,0O0,0OO. In
the single group, fisheries, is shown a slight
decrease of little more than SIC 100000
The figures for the month of November
show a marked growth in exports of manu-
factures the total for the month being
$S4, 093, e39. against $'o,5lS,512 in November
of last year. Agricultural products also
show marked increase in the month, the
figures for November 1903, being s114, 49,
255, against sS3, OBS, $50 in the same month
exports occurs chiefly in cotton. of which
the value of the months exports is I'M
usually high.
Iron and Steel Exports.
The increase in exports of manufactures
is distributed through many articles, but
does not occur as had been expected, in
iron and steel Discussions in trade circles
and in the PRESS during the past few weeks
have predicted a revival in the export trade
of iron and steel manufactures, but the
November figures of exports of this class
of merchandise do not justify this predlc-
ton. The total value of iron and steel
manufactures exported in November, 1903,
was T,DSS,415, against $S,119,924 in Novem-
Der of 1902, $3.50, 1913 in November, 1901.
and $40, 112, 721 in November, 1900. For the
eleven months ending with November the
N m O.
lures $50, 6S5, 201 in value, against $780,
1876 LA in the corresponding months of
1902, and s9i, 112 1872 in the corresponding
months of 1901 notwithstanding the slight
decrease in exports of iron and steel, the
total of all manufactures exported during
the eleven months ending with November,
1903, is $3.50, 76S, 127, against $377, 757 $40 in
the corresponding months of last year.
Decrease in Imports.
Imports for the month show decrease of
over 100000 compared with November of
the preceding year. This decrease is divided
between manufacturers materials, food
stuffs and the group designated articles
of voluntary use, luXuries, etc" The larg
est decrease occurs in the group articles
wholly partially manufactured for use in
manufacturing, the reduction in this class
being about $1,000 600 as compared with
the corresponding month of the preceding
year. This reduction occurs largely in iron
ana steel. or winch the lmppftdtiOflS IOr the
month are less than half those of the cor
responding month of last year. the figures
for November. 1868, being s.. 309, 233, against
81, I19, 093 in November, 1902. For the eleven
months ending with November articles
wholly or partially manufactured for use in
manufacturing show an increase of Slo,'00,-
009 over the corresponding months of last
year, while articles in crude condition for
use in manufacturing show an increase of
S11 100000 in 1908, compared with the
corresponding months of 1862.
Summarizing the story told by the figures
for the month of November and the eleven
months ending with November. 1t may be
said that they indicate a growth in exports
of manufactures, but that the expected in
crease in exports Of iron and steel manu-
features has not developed. Imports of
iron and steel manufactures, however, show
a decrease in November, 1903 as compared
with November, 1902, though for the entire
eleven months the figures Of iron and steel
imports are slightly in excess of those of
last year. Importations of other manufac-
turers' materials also show a slight de-
crease in November compared with No
Venber of last year, but marked increase
when the eleven months ending with No
vember are considered In comparison with
the corresponding months of last year.
Total Commerce Will Show Increase.
These figures of the commerce of the
eleven months would seem to indicate that
the total commerce of the United States
during the year about to end will be greater
than in any preceding year, but that the