The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-15
SOUTHERN PROGRESS
GROWTH OF coMMERc1 AT THE
 PORTS.
The Manufacturers Record Analyses the Figures for the Past sev- cral Years-The Increase
 Will Be Continued.

Baltimore. Aug. H.-tSpecial. .)--Plainiy written in the record of the exports of the country is the story of the steady growth of commerce at Southern ports. Analyzing the figures of export values for the last fiscal year In comparison with those for 1893 the Manufacturers Record says in this weeks issue:
 Three or four of the leading ports show comparatively slight increases or actual decreases. But the advances have been quite notable at six or seven. During the past ten years the value of exports has increased from $T, ,sSS. .04s to siis. .072, ,519 or $n, ,234, 476, equal to 91 per cent. at New Orleans: from s37,476,494 to s10l.1 1.oS7 or $66, ,6i4,593, equal to TIT per cent. at Gall weston; from $19 S39. .7s2 to $54 SS2 or $S4,- 90, 100, equal to 174 per cent. at Savannah from $S,113,714 to $2550S.39i or s7.394,617, equal to 214 per cent, at Newport News; from s6,661. .O65 to $14.966, 754 6r $S,s05, ,6S9,. equal to 124 per cent, at Wilmington; from sS.s13,447 to $13,745.5ii. or ss,ss2, ,097. equal to 260 per cent, at Pensacola. and from $S,319.Ss1 to s12621, ,27s, or $s,3O1 S97. equal to 2S0 per cent. at Mobile. The total advance for all the Southern customs districts was from $271 715, ,o14 to $508 237, ,264, or $236,522 ,250. equal to s7 per cent. and in all other customs districts from s575- 9501s0 to $9l1 900, 750 OF $SS5 950,57O, equal to 5S per cent.
 'The favorable showing by Southern ports in comparison with others made during the ten years is maintained for the fiscal year just ended, year in which there has been a slackening in export trade, still making, however an increase. Between 1902 and 1908 the value of ex- ports has increased from $2S2 ,35S 1S9 to $3O6, ,422, ,527, or $24, ,O64338, equal to S.5 per cent in Gulf districts, from $190, ,536, ,6S0 to $201 .S14,7 ,737 or s1i,27S057, equal to 5.9 per cent in South Atlantic, districts, and from $20S, 454 to $2O9. .547.375 or $5 $50 sOs, equal to 2.7 per cent. in all other districts. excluding those of the North Atlantic where there was decrease from $704, ,9OS,- O7S to $702 2353, ,393, or $2,554 ,6S5, equal to 8 of one per cent. In the latter section the combined increases at New York and Portland of $17,42S,15l could not balance the combined decreases Of $21,12 9,295 at Boston and Philadelphia and the gain of a few million in other districts exclusive of Southern and North Atlantic was made at the northern border and lake ports from $111, Al ,279, to S125 75S,- S47, or H4317,56S, more than sufficient to overcome the decrease from $92,475 ,175. to $S5, 7ss,5l0, or $8,6S6,665 at the Pacific and couple of other ports. As 1t is, the increase at the Southern ports was nearly
 
 country. It was from $i72. 1894, ,s69 to $50S,- 27,264, or $35,342,S95, equal to "A per cent, while at,all other ports it was from $9OS,- ,432 to $911, ,900, 750. or $3,076,21S equal to but 8 of one per cent.
 The increase in cotton constituted about 65 per cent of the total increase in the value of the country's exports during the year from $13S1 .719, ,401 to $l, ,420 l3S, ,01I or $SS, ,4lS,61S equal to 2.S per cent. Not all 0f tho ports. But mention of it directs atten- tlon to the steady growth of the South, not only as handler of more than a third of the country's exports, but as the basis Tor larger proportion of the total ex- port business. Of the exports of 1903 those exclusively from the South, practi- cally, were: Cotton, $316 1s0 429: cotton seed products. $26.94S741 bituminous coal. $l4' 47S.927; naval stores, $12,91s,S22, and phosphate. $6,34i224; a total of $376. .S60, ,643 A conservative estimate of the Souths snare or exports produced in other parts of the country as well as the South is: Tobacco, $35, ,000 600; lumber, $25, ,0OO. 900; pe- troieum, 25,OO0OO0; grain. $20,0O0. 900; pro- visions, 1S.000,0 GOO; cotton cloths. Sl7 900 O0O. cattle, $10.0O0 600: fruits, &, ,OOO0 GOO. and sugar and molasses, $1. 1.5OO,O ,OQ0; a total of $l54, ,500, O0O There must be considered too the direct or indirect portion of the South In $1.OOO.O00 worth of exports of cotton goods other than cloths. in $9000,O0O of cotton cloths not made in the South. in S6OOO,OOO worth of iron and steel prod ucts, in $31 900. 900 of leather and it's prod- ucts in SIS 3000,000 of manufactures of wood and in other goods made in the South, or made elsewhere of material pro- duced there Ten million dollars is a fair estimate of this portion, which. added to the other totals, would make the South's share in the country's exports close to s55O. .OO0000. or about 3S per cent of the total exports.
 This proportion is bound to increase. With the steady development of the cot ton mill industry, tending to make greater home demand for the staple there may be decline in the comparative amount of cotton exported But this should be part ly' balanced by the increase in the exports of cotton goods. In the meantime the promise of the South asi a larger and larger contributor to the country's trade and industry is had in the increase since 1880 of the production of coal from .OO0.- 900 tons to more than SC. .000, 900 tons of pig iron from less than 900 tons to over B. OOOOOO tons, and of petroleum from less than 3OO.OO0 barrels to more than 20. 900 900 barrels, in the more than quadrupling of the value of forest products and in the more than doubling of the railroad mile age, bringing the outward-bound com merce back to it's natural trend toward the Gulf and South Atlantic ports,"
 
 Nell-HoW did Vou come tO lose hin, . T