Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-24
Small Increase in Customs.

A, unusual feature of the statistics of
Tho focal wear 1908 is the very small in
crease in customs revenue despite the very
preat increase in dutiable imports. The
vear,s imports were valued at Sill ,5o7,-
400 as against 1891 ,Os7, 81 in the proceed
ing year, an incasase of $iL6, ~. Y" me
imports of dutiable merchandise curing
1903 were valued at 5000 Oh ,23S, as against
S536 9J7 131 in 1904 an increase OF S63,ll4,-
1O7 Despite this fact, however, the Gus
toms revenue derived fro mthe largely IN
creased dutiabe imports of 1908 IS less than
S1;OOOOOO in excess of that derived from
the imports of 1904, being 500, 060,5lS for
1905, as against $261 ,2T4,565 for 1904 This
decrease in customs revenue is declared py
the Department of Commerce and LABOR
to be In part due to the admission of Cuban
products, especially sugar and tobacco, at
a reduction of 20 per cent from the regular
tariff rates under the reciprocity treaty or
December q, 1903, and in part to the I'M
usually large amount of dutiable merchan-
disc remaining in warehouse at the end of
the year upon which duty had not been
paid.
Increase in Imports.
On the import side the largest increases
occur In the classes manufacturers ma
terials wholly or partially manufactured"
In which the figures will be about $4,000
600 in advance of those for the preceding
year, and in ''luxuries and other articles
of voluntary USE which seem likely to be
more than S15.000,000 in excess of the fig
ures of 1904.
On the export side there is a decrease of
over S53 100000 in agricultural products,
but this is more than offset by a large in
crease In exports of manufactures. The
products of the forests and the fisheries
show a-slight net decrease as compared
with 1904
Increase in Exports.
The articles showing the largest increases
In expectations during the eleven months of
1905 for which details are available are
Corn an increase of $4,000, 600: copper
manufactures. an increase of sos, 0O0, 600
about one-third being In exports to China,
where large amounts of copper are in de-
mand for coinage purposes; cotton manu-
features, an increase of 100000, prin-
cipally in exports of cotton cloths to China;
raw cotton, an increase of 50 1000 900; iron
and steel. an increase of SO, OooO 600
Decreased Expectations
The principal articles showing decreased
exports are: Wheat, reduction of s32, Co.,,
COO: wheat -four SOS, 100000. Exports from
the United States of wheat during the fiscal
year just ended have been even lower than
the year before. In the two foremost Eu-
ropean grain markets, the British and the
German, the leading position has been taken
by wheat of Russian and Argentine origin,
wheat imports from the United States
showing unusually low figures for the
period under consideration.
Increase in Century.
Imports into the United States were in
the year just ended twelve times as much
as in 1860, and exports from the United
States about 21b times as much as In that
year The actual increase in imports since
1850 has been 81 O26, 100000, and in exports
81 AS 100000. Imports have doubled dur
ing the last twenty-five years, having been
SAB I5.777 in 1879 as against SO, Iii, 507 500
in 1905 Exports. however, have doubled in
sixteen years, the figures of 1889 having
been $742 401 ,375, and those of the year just
ended 81, SIS, 462 1913.