Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-04-20
Our Foreign Trade.

The report from the new department.
of Commerce and Labor, under secre-
tary Ccrtelyou's untiring efforts
present great mass of most interest
ing information on a vast number OF
subjects, many of which have never be-
fore been to any extent under investi-
cation. The Boston Traveller has dug
out lot of things which are interest
ing. For the eight months ending with
February of the present year, our total
exports were 81 ,O4S, COG, 900, against $685.
000, 900 for the corresponding months OF
the previous year, while our imports
were 1851, 100000, against 1851 100000 for
the same period the year before. "A
heavy increase Of exports and heavy
reduction of imports is supposed to
spell national prosperity in our COM
mercial dictionaries.
Our exports to Europe show an IN
crease of 100000 and our imports a
decrease of SAC, 200, 900, indicating an inn
the extent of s97 200, 900 for two-thirds
Of year. In our dealings with North
America, other than the United states,
and with South America the same gem
eral tendency obtains with respect to
both imports and exports. When we
GENE to Asia, Oceania and Africa. how
ever, the conditions are different,
though since we as a world Power nave
extended our influence more and more
to that part of the world we had right
to expect proportionally a more favor
able showing there than among those
countries with which hitherto we have
had more regular dealings.
The decline in Asia is attributed
largely to impending hostilities, which
unsettled trade and to the high prices
of cotton, which reduced the export of
that staple to Japan from 100000
pounds in the eight months ending
February, 1903, to 20,000,000 pounds in
the more recent period. This shows to
what an extent Japan has been Il
customer for our raw cottons, though
in proportion as she has bought it in
that state our exports of cotton cloths
to her markets have decreased. Japan,
with her provcrbial quickness, has
learned that American long staple cot
ton serves the purposes of her manufac-
ture better than the cotton she formerly
obtained from India and China. With
Russia both European and Asiatic, our
volume of trade has kept up to normal
figures.
There is a large reduction in our eX-
ports to British Australasia, which is
largely accounted for by the adoption
of a preferential tariff in New Zealand.
On the other hand, in Canada, where
in operation and its purpose more
generally understood, exports from the
United States show a steady growth,
for the eight months in question being
$S1, $50, 49, against s75,17O,15O the pre-
vious period and $7O,T4,6O2 for the same
months in 1902. This seems to indicate
that t is easier to effect the ends of a
preferential tariff with several miles of
ocean as reinforcement than where
there is only an imaginary line to over
come. The effect of reciprocity with
Cuba makes a favorable showing in the
returns. For February of the present
year our exports to the island were
more than $500, 900 higher than in Feb
ruary, 1903. For the eight months there
was a gain of nearly S3,000,000. while
naturally there was an increase in i'm
ports also. All these figures furnish d
basis upon which both business and
craftsmanship ought to be able to do
some intelligent forecasting.