The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-09-24
Manufactures in Ou1. Exports

We have been accustomed so long to
rely upon our agricultural products to
swell our exports and maintain the bal
ance of trade in our favor that it is
interesting to find that at last our ex-
ports Of manufactures have overtaken
and passed the exports of agricultural
products. This has been the case dur
ing the past summer, as shown several
times by the monthly reports. The
totals also indicate a very rapid
approximation of equality between the
exports Of agricultural and manufac-
tured products for the whole year. For
instance, agricultural products in 1904
formed 59.4S per cent of the total, but
in 1894 they formed 1928 per cent
Of the total. Manufactures in 1894
constituted ella per cent of the total
exports, while in 1904 they constituted
1852 per cent.
The rapid gain of manufactures over
agricultural products in the export
trade of the country appears from the
fact that in 1874 manufactures ex-
ported amounted to but one-ffth as
much in value as agricultural products
exported. Ten years later the, value
Of exports of manufactures had risen
ports; in another ten years to one-third,
and in 1904 the export of manufactures
equaled more than one-half aof the
value of the products of agriculture,
while, as already stated, in the closing
months Of the year, May and: June
manufactures, for the first time in the
history of our commerce, exceeded in
value our agricultural products ex'
ported.
We are prepared just now for light
exports Of breadstuffs, and, in fact
the wheat crop Of America is so short
that we are likely to have very little
if any, wheat to spare. But this de
cline of the exports in breadstuffs hat
been a feature of the export trade fol
the past ten years. For, the decade
ending in 1903, the export of bread
stuffs formed 10 per cent of the whole
while for the decade ending in 1901
the export of breadstuffs had falle1
off to 10 per cent Of the whole, show
ing that the relative reduction of thu
export of breadstuffs is more marked
than that Of live animals and provi
sions, or cotton, which constitute thu
other principal divisions.
The actual decline in the export o
agricultural products is marked by tn
records for the years ending 1901, 100
and 1904, dropping from $943, ,OO
to 1878, 100000, and to $S53,00o,o00 70
these respective years. ~
/ The department. Of commerce and la
Dor holds that this decrease in the es
port Of agricultural products cannot b
attributed altogether or chiefly to shor
crops at home or low prices abroad; tina
it must be accounted for mainly by tn
increasing domestic consumption. w
find, for instance, that the quantity o
, wheat retained for consumption in tn
United States, which never reached owe
275 100000 bushels prior to 1880, wa
SIT 100000 bushels for the year endin
June 80, 1904. It has increased owe
00OOO,OO0 bushels in the last fv
years.
The domestic consumption Of cotto
, shows like increase. Prior to 1873
it never reached 100000 bales. I
1902 it exceeded 100000 bales, alth
) during that time there has been an emo
r nous increase in the importation q
, Egyptian cotton.
II information with regard to the quar-
, tity of provisions produced by years
| not available, but the figures Of the d,
: partment Of agriculture show marke
] increase in the number Of animals uti
lied for provisions during the past for
years, while the export figures show
. smaller expectation Of provisions
1904 than in either of the previor
: three years, which fact is attended ais
! by increased consumption at home.
While the expectation Of coal hs
? never been an important item, the pr
7 duction has, increased from 152 100000
2 tons in 1894, to 319,ooo,0o0 tons
! 1908, during which time the increase
t expectation was less than 100000 ton