The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-12

Single year, lSUI, ana the imports were
also surpassed by those of a single
year, 1903, the aggregate of imports
and exports for the year is greater
than that of any preceding year in the
history of our commerce. The imports
of the year were 1891, 0S7,371 and the
exports $1,460S27,271, making the total
foreign commerce of the year $2451,-
9l4,642, which exceeded by $6,053,726 the
high record established by the year
1908 The imports showed a reduction
of $34,6S1 500 as compared with 1908
but exceeded those of any other year,
and the exports were $26, 937, 720 below
those of 1901, but exceeded those of any
other year. OF the $1.460,S 27,271 of ex-
ports, $1,4S5 1907 were of domestic
production, the exports of products of
agriculture being $3.50, 643,073 and of
manufactures, $452, 1852
The imports of the year were char
acterized by the maintenance of the
high record of manufacturers ma
terials in a crude condition brought
into the country for domestic use
They aggregated $3O6, 524,755 in value,
against $126, 643,27S in 1894. $13S, 496,741
in 1884, and $S5, 095, S89 in 1874.
The Exports.
Our commerce with all of the vari-
Gus parts of the world shows a steady
and satisfactory growth. To Europe
9S0,131, exceeding by $2S,673,474 those of
1903, and by s49,S96, $50 those of 1902
To North America the total exports
amounted to 1924, 909, 959, exceeding by
$19, 427, 100 those of 1903, and being much
larger than those of any earlier year.
70 South America the total exports
were $50,755,027 in value and exceeded
those of 1908 by $6.617,155, and were
also greater than those of any other
year. To Asia and Oceania the total
exports of the year were $93, 202, OPS, a
reduction of S2,625 800 as compared with
| 1908, due apparently to the temporary
disturbance in trade conditions Incl
| dent to the hostilities in Asia. The
| chief reduction occurs in the exports
| TO China, which amounted to but $12,-
S62, 432 in the year 1904. against $751;
| S9S, 1853 in 1903 and $24,722, 1906 in 1902.
Trade With Contiguous Territories.
The value of the commerce of the
| United States with it's noncontiguous
| territories-Porto Rico, the Hawaiian
Islands, the Philippine Islands, Guam,
| Midway, Tutuila, and Alaska-was
| $103, 562, S04 in the year 1904, including
| in that statement $6,32S524 of gold
| received in the United States from the
mines of Alaska. The value of the to-
tai shipments of merchandise from the
| United States to all of these non-con-
| tiguous territories was $3S, 6,52S, and
| of the merchandise received from them
SIS, 1877, 1872
| The Steamboat Service.
| There were inspected during the
| year 1916 foreign passenger steamers,
| aggregating 1921, $50 tons; S,196 domes-
/ tic steamers, aggregating 3,545,526
| tons; 206 gasoline and other motor
vessels, aggregating 1891 tons; and
524 sail vessels and barges. aggregat-
| ing COZ, 1926 TONS The total number of
| vessels inspected was 1901, aggrc-
| eating 5,9S4,723 tons. Thirty-two ves-
| sells, with 1889 gross tonnage, were
| inspected in Hawaiian waters, and 10
| steamers, with 1855 gross tonnage,
! were inspected in Porto Rican waters.
/ There was a decrease of %
| in the number of vessels inspected
| during the year from that of the pre-
| vious fiscal year, but there was an in
| crease of 447, 800 in the gross tonnage.
| There were 1888 officers of all grades
| licensed.
| The number of lives lost from va
| rious causes was 1903, the largest per-
| haps in the history of the service, but
| the number of accidents was fewer;
| the great loss of life being due prin-
| cipally to six disasters, one of which
| was the burning of the steamer Gem
| eraI Slocum in which 91 persons per-
ished.
The secretary deals at length with
the investigation of the Slocum dis
aster and the investigation of the
| steamboat service in New York fol-
lowing the disaster and that of the
entire service which is now in prog
ress with a view to the passage of
new laws governing 1t.
Looking Into the Corporations.
The work of the Bureau Of Corpora
IL = the faI
| Gated in the first annual report OF the
department. The bureau has made
examinations of judicial decisions for
the purpose of ascertaining fully those
| constitutional powers and restrictions
on which present conditions are based,
and also those which must be neces-
sarily involved in any future legisla-
ton for the improvement Of present
legal corporate conditions.
For the purpose Of ascertaining and
presenting in available form the legal
| conditions under which corporate bus
mess Is being carried on in the va
rious states material obtained from
thirty states has been compiled and
tabuated. In each OF these states,
with regard to all the more lmportant
/ CORPORATIONS organized in the state
and engaged in interstate or foreign
| commerce typical either OF the states
industries or OF it's laws, every paper
| or document filed or recorded con-
corning each corporation was exam
ined separately, and all information
relating 10 each corporation diclosed
bv the Official records has been col
Iected and compiled. There has been
thus far examined and abstracted the
records OF over 1900 corporations,
which include the larger part OF the
more important Industrial and COM
mercial corporations. jolnt-stock COM
panies. and corporate combinations IN