New-York tribune., 1903-02-16
THE NEW DEPARTMENT.
Its Needed Creation .Sio1cR by the
CountfY'S Great Commerce.

Washington. Feb. 15 tSpeciaD-The new Depart
ment OF Commerce will have the distinction OF
dealing with the largest commercial Interests OF
the world In domestic exports. in manufacture
IN transportation and in internal commerce the
United States is at the head Of the worlds list ot
nations Some figures just complied by the Treas
ury Bureau of Statistics. which by the new law
becomes a part of the Department of Commerce
estimate the internal commerce of the country al
$4,000, .0op-a' sum equal to the entire ntcTns-
tiona commerce of the world.
In arriving at this estimate OF $50 0oo.cfo0O for
the internal commerce OF the United States. the
Bureau OF Statistics includes only transaction
in each article produced. while. in fact. very
large number OF the articles produced pass through
the hands of several middIsrnen between those Of
the producer and those of the consumer. The esti-
mate is based upOn the figures of the census which
put the total value of manufactures in 1880 at Sl3
Oo.O0O0Oo. those of agriculture at nearly 4.0oe-
Oo,e19 and those of minerals at about A.G9)oc0o'9
Adding these the products of the fisheries. the
total value of the products of the great industries
in 1900 would be SBO0C00O00, and the rapid growth
in all lines OF industry since 1900 especially in
manufacturing seems to justify the conclusion
that n single transaction in all the products
of the country would produce an aggregate for
1902 of fully s29.Oo0OO0CO0
Estimating the internal commerce OF the country
at former census years by the method, the
Bureau of Statistics finds that the total internal
commerce has grown from about S20oO.0000co in
1850 $500 0oo0e0 in 1850. So 10000 in 1870 sd50
from this that the internal commerce seems
to have increased 30 per cent in the decade from
1890 is0o and is ten times large in 1902 as in
the year 1880
In the period. from 1850 to 1902. the popula-
ton has increased from 23ooo 900 to 100000 and
IS therefore only three and oneha1f times great
in 1880 while the internal commerce Is ten times
great at that time This relative gain or
internal commerce popula ton is due. in part
to the greatly increased facilities for transporta-
ton. the cheapening of articles utilized.
and the increased earnings and increased wealth
of the people. The railroads have increased from
s021 miles in 1880 to 21 S39 miles in 1902. and the
estimated wealth of the country from SIl. 80 oto
in 1880 S94 800 ODo0D in s00-a per capita increase
of from s30S in 1850 to 81 236 in 1900 This increase
IN wealth has been accompanied by an increase
increasing from Sc 451 5o in 1850 $2591 $50 in
| 1901.
Meantime the foreign commerce has made rapid
increase. though not at rate of speed proper
tiOnate to that of internal commerce. The imports
Of 1850 S73.519J2S these of 1892. 1906, 80 O94s
The exports in $50 were $,S75 726; In 1902, SS,-
719, 401.
While it is not practicable to measure the in
ternal commerce of other countries with the same
accuracy that of the United States. 1t is known
I that in agricultural products manufactures ana
minerals the United States uutrankS the other
nations of the world and that the transactions in
these products. which form the internal commerce.
may therefore be assumed to surpass those of any
/ other country. The manufactures of the United
Kingdom. and nearly equal to those of France.
Germany and Russia combined while the value of
the agricultural products of the United States far
exceeds that of any other single country.