Arizona republican., 1904-12-26
FOREIGN COMMERCE
A Deviation in the Balance
 of Trade
The Imports Exceed Those of Any Previous Yesr-A Slight Falling of Of Exports.

Washington. Dec. 24.-The total for eign commerce of the United States in the year about ending seems likely to exceed that of any preceding year. The total exports will probably fall slight ly below those of last year and of the years 1900 and 1901, but as the total imports will materially exceed those of any preceding calendar year, the grand total Of imports and exports combined will probably be the largest in the his tory of our commerce.
 The statement of the November com merce and of the eleven months ending with November. just issued by the de- partment of commerce and labor, through its bureau of statistics, shows imports for the eleven months ending
 with November. 1904. amounting to 939 million dollars, against SIS millions in the corresponding months of 1903, S75 millions in the corresponding period Of 1902, 800 millions in the corresponding period of 1901, and 760 millions in the
 corresponding period of 1900. Thus the
 imports for the full year seem likely to
 exceed those Of any preceding calendar year. and for the first time in the history of calendar years imports will
 exceed one billion dollars in value The total value of merchandise imported in
 the calendar year 1903 was 995 million
 dollars in 1902. 969 millions; in 1901, $50 millions; in 1900, S29 millions; in
 1899. 799 millions, and in 1898, 6S5 mil ! lions.
 | While the import record seems likely
 to exceed that of any earlier calendar year, the total of exports for the ele- ven months ending with November, | 1904, is about 5 million dollars below
 the figures for the corresponding
 months of 1903. and 23 millions below those of the corresponding period of 1901. This slight reduction in exports 1 is of course due to the great falling off | in exports of breadstuffs, which amounted in the eleven months ending with November. 1904, to only S2 million
 dollars. againstt176 millions in the cor responding months of 1903, and 252
 millions in the corresponding months
 of 1901.
 The fact that the grand total of ex- ports falls but 3 million dollars below
 that of the corresponding months of | last year. in spite of the loss of 94 million dollars in exports of bread stuffs, indicates q very large increase along other lines. The completed
 figures of the bureau of statistics in dicate that this increase occurs chiefly
 in raw cotton and manufactures, cot ! ton exports foE-the eleven months be-
 ing about II million dollars in excess | of the corresponding months of last year, while the ten months figures of
 manufactures already available show a gain of 64 millions over the exports for the corresponding period of last year. The figures of imports and exports for the single month of November also present an unusual record. The total
 imports of the month amount to 95 mill lion dollars, against 77 millions in No vember, 1903, S5 millions in November 1902, 72 pillions in November, 1901, and
 65 millions in November, 1900, the total for November, 1904, being thus larger
 than in any preceding November. On
 the export side the total for November
 is 157 million dollars, against 160 mill lions in November, 1903 125 millions
 in November, 1902, 136 millions in No
 vember, 1901, and 136A millions in No vember, 1900, the total for November
 1904. being thus larger than that of any preceding November except that of the year 1908.
 The following table shows the total imports and total exports in the month
 of November in each year from 1898 to
 1904: