The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-07-03
FOREIGN TRADE
is NEAR RECORD
That of Fiscal Year just Closed
Was Largest of Any Ex.
cept 1901
Globe Special Washington Service

1917 u Street
WASHINGTON, D. c., July All
though the complete record is not yet
at hand, the indications are that the
foreign trade of the United States was
larger in the fiscal year just closed
than in any other year IN the-history
of the country, except 1901.
The high water mark in exports was
reached three years ago. and unless
the crops should be enormously large
this year, it is probable that the banner
year, 1901, viii not be surpassed by. the
fiscal year which opens July 1. Since
the detailed figures have not yet been
received from the custom house, it is
impossible to give the full record of
exports for more than the first eleven
months of the fiscal year 1904. For
these eleven months, however, the ex-
ports of the country were larger than
in any entire year prior to 1900, and
almost as large as in the twelve months
ended June 80, 1900 and 1902, respect
lively. The whole volume of exports
for the eleven months ended May 81
last was valued at $1.367, 604,S39; yet
the exports of the United States for
the entire fiscal year 1S9S-which was,
up ~ NAloAt Tic Udllll6T year III Tie
outgoing trade-were only S1,231.4 ST.
$50.
Import Trade Lessons
1t will probably be found when the
returns are all in that the import trade
this year was not as large as that OF
last year. There was apparently a lack
of confidence in business conditions
among the importers, for it was notice
able in the first half of the late fiscal
year that the invoices, while larger in
number, were of smaller aggregate
value; that is, the importers were buy
ing in smaller manufacturing from
hand to mouth, so to speak During
the last few months there has been a
little improvement in this respect.
Nevertheless, for the eleven months
ended May 81 the total imports of the
United States were S909,722909 as
against S943, 719, 400 for the correspond
ing period of last year. For the, whole
fiscal year 1903 the imports were ST.
OBS, rs, 237-last year being a record
breaker in the aggregate purchases of
foreign goods for consumption in the
United States.
The decrease in custom receipts dur
Ing the last fiscal year was in a greater
ratio than the decrease in imports. for
While there was an increase in the i'm
portatlon OF dutable merchandise, the
receipts of non-dutiable goods We're
smaller than last year. For the first
eleven months of this fiscal year. the
imports of dutiable goods were $751;
249,S71, as against 1851 ,35O,962 in the
same period of LAST year, and the i'm
ports of free, goods were $41S,47312S,
as against 1892, 1854
Exports by Glasses
Here is the record of exports by gem
eral classes for the first eleven months
OF the fiscal year: Produce of agri-
culture, $S16,395,24S as against $685.
265,739; manufactures, $410,536,478. as
against $373,9O7,325; mining, s4O.9 $685.
11S, as against $34, 711,742; forests. s62-
34S,S19, as against $51,S57,212; fisher
les, SS,455,9OO. as against s7,543,73S;
miscellaneous, $5,520,676, as against
$6,114,951
These percentage figures show the
relative Importance of the several
classes in our export trade during the
first eleven months of each year, Agri-
cultural products formed 6073 per cent
OF all the exports this year, as against
6S.51 last year; manufactures, 1884. as
against 2S.77; mining, 3.05, as against
2.6S; forests, 4.64 as against 399; fish
cries. .63, as against $50, and miscel-
Ianeous, Al, as against AT.
Walter q, Clark