The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-19
TOTAL FOREIGN COMMERCE.
Exports Will Fall Below Those .
 Previous Year.


 Previous Year.
 The total foreign commerce of the United States In the year about end- ing seems likely to exceed that of any preceding year. The total exports win probably fall slightly below those of last year and of the years 1900 and 1901, but as the total imports will ma- teriaIly exceed those of any preceding calendar year. the grand total Of lm- ports and exports combined will proba. ply be the largest in the history or our commerce.
 The statement of the November com merce and of the elevn months ending with November, just issued by the Department of Commerce and Labor. through it's Bureau of Statistics, shows imports for the eleven months ending with November, 1904. amounting to $939,0o0, 1000, against $91S.000.0o0 in the corfesponding months of 1903. $S75,- 900, ,000 in the corresponding period of 1902, $S00,000,000 in the corresponding period of 1901, and /$760, 100000 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 import ed in the calendar year 1903 was $995,- 100000; in 1902, $96S.00o.oo0: in 1901. sSS0, ,O00 ,000: in 1900, $S29, 1000. 900; in 1899, $7ss, 1000, 900, and in 1898, $sa6, ,0oo.- 900.
 While the import record seems likely to exceed that of any earlier calendar year, the total of exports for the eleven months ending with November, 1904. Is about $5,000.000 below the figures for the corresponding months of 1903, and $23,000,o00 below those of the corfes- ponging period of 1901. This slight reduction in exports 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 $S2,000.00o. against $17s,- 00O. .000 in the corresponding months of 1903. and $252 100000 in the correspond ing months of 1901.
 The fact that the grand total of ex- ports falls but $5.000.000 below that Of the corresponding months of last year. in spite of the loss of $94.000,000 in ex- ports of breadstuffs, indicates very large increase along other lines. The completed figures of the Bureau of Statistics indicate that this increase occurs chiefly in raw cotton and manu- factures, cotton exports for the eleven
 
 cess of the corresponding months of last year. while the ten months figures of manufactures already available show a gain of $S4.000.000 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,- o00.0000 against $77.000.000 in Novem- Der. 1903. s5.O0O.00o in November. 1902. $72.O0o,0 900 in November 1901 and $65,- 000.000 in November. 1900, the total for November. 1904, being thus larger than an any preceding November. On the export side the total for November ls 1000. .00o. against sl6e.opo.ap0 tn November, 1903, s125. 100000 in Noveu, Der. 1902. $1s6.ooo.ooe in November 1901 and $13s,5oo.0oo in November. 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: