Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-18
It is Estimated at Twenty
Billions of Dollars.
GROWTHOF POPULATION
COMPARISON WITH INCREASE OF
FOREIGN COMMERCE.
Greater Facilities for Transportation,
Cheapening Of Cost Of Articles,
Earnings and National Wealth.

The new Department OF Commerce will
have the unique distinction Of dealing with
the largest commercial interests Of the
world In domestic exports, in manufac-
lures, in transportation and in Internal
commerce the United States is at the head
of the worlds list Of great nations Some
figures just complied by the treasury bu-
reau of statistics, which by the new law
becomes part Of the Department of Com
merce, estimate the internal trade of the
country at OOO,0OO.OOO or equal to the
entire International commerce of the world.
In arriving at this estimate of $40 600 OOO,-
600 for the internal trade of the United
States the bureau Of statistics includes only
one transaction in each article produced,
while, in fact a very large number of ar
ticles produced pass through the hands of
several "middlemen' between those of the
producer and those Of the consumer.
Value of Products.
The estimate Is based upon the figures of
the census. which put the total value of
manufactures in 1900 at $13 600 600, 600;
those of agriculture at nearly 81, 900. 900. 600,
and those Of minerals at about $1,000. Co.,
600. Adding to, these the product of the
fisheries. the total value Of the products of
the great industries in 1900 would be $751;
600. 100000, and the rapid growth in all
lines of industry since 1900 especially in
manufacturing. seems to justify the conclu-
sion that even a single transaction in all
the products of the country would produce
an aggregate for 1902 of fully so, 900, OOo 600
Estimating the internal trade of the coun-
try at former census years by the same
method, the bureau of statistics finds that
the total internal trade has grown from
about two billions in 1850 to three and one
half billions in $780, six and one-auarter
billions in 1870. seven and three-quarter bill
lions in 1850 and twelve billions in 1885, 1t
Will be seen from this that the internal
trade seems to have increased SO per cent
in the decade from 1890 to 1900, and was
1850.
Increase Of Population.
During the same period. from 1850 to 1902.
the population increased from twenty-three
millions to seventy-nine millions, and Is
therefore only three and one-half times as
great as In 1850, while the internal trade is
ten times as great as at that time This
relative gain of internal commerce over
population is due, in part, to the greatly in
creased facilities for TRANSFORMATION the
cheapening of cost Of articles utilized and
the increased earnings and increased wealth
Of the people. The railroads have increa sed
from 9.O21 miles in 1850 to 201 $50 miles in
1862, and the estimated wealth OF the conn
try from 81. 135, 10000 In 1850 to $94 300 OOO,-
0OO in 19OO-a per capita increase of from
S30S in 1850 to 81 ,236 in 1900 This increase
IN wealth has been accompanied by an in
crease in deposits in banks, those In savings
banks alone increasing from $40, 431, l3O in
1850 to $2,597 ,O94 $50 in 1901.
Foreign Commerce.
Meantime the foreign commerce has made
rapid increase, though not at a rate of speed
proportionate to that of Internal commerce.
The imports of 1850 were $173, 500, 526; those
Of 1902, O3.320.948 The exports in 1850
were $144. 375, 1875; in 1902, 81, 49,, 719, 4O1.
While it Is not practicable to measure
the internal commerce of other countries
Win the same accuracy as that of the
United States, it is known that in agricul-
tural products, manufactures and minerals
the United States now outranks the other
nations of the world. and that the transac-
tons in these products, which form the in
ternal commerce, may therefore be assumed
to surpass those Of any other country The
manufactures of the United States are now
about double those of the united kingdom
and nearly equal to those of France, Ger
many and Russia combined while the value
OF the agricultural products of the United
states far exceeds that of any other single
country.