The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1903-02-28
THE NEW DEPARTMENT.

The Department OF Commerce will have the unique dis
mcton OF dealing with the largest commercial interests of the
and in internal commerce the United States the head OF the
worlds list of great nations Some figures just compiled by the
Treasury Bureau OF Statistics which by the new law becomes
part Oh inc department OF Commerce estimate the internal com
OF the country twenty billions OF dollars equal the
entire international commerce OF the world.
In arriving this estimate of S2oOOOOOOOOO for the internal
OF the United States the Bureau of Statistics includes
only transaction in each article produced while in fast,
very large number OF the articles produced pass through the
hands of several mddemen between those of the producer and
the census winch put the total value OF manufactures IN 1900 ct
$I3OOOOoOOOO those of agriculture nearly S4OOOOOOOOo
and those of minerals about 81 oooOooOOo Adding these the
product OF the hsee the total value OF the products OF the
great industries 1900 would be IS billions OF dollars and the
rapid growth in all lines OF industry since especially in
uactung, seems to Justify the conclusions that single
transaction in all the products of the country would produce
aggregate for 1902 OF fully 20 billions Of dollars.
Estimating the internal commerce of the country former
years by the method the Bureau of Statistics finds that
the total internal commerce has grown from about billion dol
1880 and billions in 1890 1t will be from this that the
internal seems have increased per the de-
cade from 1890 to 1890 and ten times large in 1902
the year 1850.
During the period from 1850 to 1902 the population has
increased 20 millions to 79 millions and IS therefore only 81
times 1850 while the internal commerce times
great in 1850 while the internal commerce is times
great that time This relative gain of internal
population due in part the greatly increased facilities
Tor transportation the theapenng OF of articles utilized and
m increased earnings and Increased wealth OF the people The
railroads have increased from miles in 1850 POL 800 miles
iyo2 and the estimated wealth OF the country from $73578o
1850 in I9oo-a per capita increase of
from $3o8 in 1850 to $123o in 1900 This increase III wealth
accompanied by increase in deposits in banks those
savings banks alone increasing from $4343L1o in 1850 to
S2.5g7 o94, $50 in 1901
Meantime the foreign commerce has made rapid increase,
though not rate OF speed proportonae to that of internal
The imports OF 1850 $7359526 those OF 2
SQo332o948 The exports in 1850 were S4437572o Ill 5
1908 81 ,3SI 71Q4oI
While is practicable to measure the internal commerce
other countries with the accuracy that Of the United
States known that in agricultural products manufactures
and minerals the United States outranks the other nations OF
the world the transactions in these products which form
the internal commerce. may therefore be assumed surpasS
those of other The manufactures OF the United
about double those of the United Kingdom
nearly equal 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