The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-09-12
COTTON KING OF EXPORTS.
Ear Exceeded the Value OF Any Other
Article OF Merchandise Exported
From This Country-Has Increased
::e::s Per Cent in Last Five Years.

Washington, D. c., Sept. 2.-"Cot-
United States for the fiscal year just
ended" This is the Introductory SEN
tence of a statement just issued by the
department of Commerce and Labor.
Continuing the statement says:
1.-The total value of raw cotton ex-
ported for the first time crossed the
$500, 00G, 600 line and exceeded by far
the value of any other article Of mer-
chandise sent out of the country. TIE
exports of breadstufs of all kinds ag-
gregated but s1S6, 900, 600, those of
provisions but S2ll, OGO, coo, and those
Of iron and steel manufacturers but
s16l, 600, 900.
''The value of cotton exported has
increased very rapidly during the last
Eve years. 1t was not until 1901 that
it crossed the $500, 600, 600 line. and in
short five years period it mas grown
to mole than S400, 600. 600, or increase
OF about 33 per cent. This growth is
due in part to an increase IN the
quantity exported, but iRIpart also to
the advance in price since the q9an-
tity exported in 1906 was about 700,
900, 600 pounds less than in 1905, hence
the value was s2l, 600, 600 more than in
1905.
"The expectation of manufactured
cotton was also larger in 1906 than in
any earlier year aggregating practical
ly s53, 900, 900 against $50, 10000 IN
1905 and 500, 800, coo in 1904. The
growth in exports of manufactured
cotton has been quite as striking as
that of the raw material.
Europe is, Of course, our principal
customer Tor raw cotton. The United
Kingdom took last year SLIT, 900, 600
worth, Germany 5l01, 600, ,0O0, France
s45, 900, 600 and Italy about s27, 900. 600,
while the other countries of Europe
took about s32.000,Q0o worth. Japan
is also custemer for our raw cotton,
but very irregular in the quantity
bought, since she only buys largely of
American cotton when prices are low,
relying upon India and China in years
when American prices are high. The
value of cotton exported to Japan in
the fiscal year 1906 was, in round
terms, So, 600, 600, in 1905 SIT, 600, 600.
anu III iSUt 1GSS tNaH So, VOo3 OOo.
In manufactured cotton China is
by far our largest customer. The to-
tai value of all cotton manufactures
exported in the fiscal year 1906 was, as
above indicated, s53, 900, 900 in round
terms, of which about $50, 600, 600 went
to China. Practically all of the cot
ton goods sent to China was in the
form of cloth, the total value of cot
ton cloths exported to China in the
year being s29, GAL 1sS, and other cot
ton goods SLIP, 887. The exports of
cotton cloths to China in the fiscal
year 1906 exceeded both in quantity
and value those of any other earlier
year, the value in 1905 being about
50, 600, 600 greater than in 1905, and
the number of yards about $4,000, 600
greater than 1905. Chira's rank as q
purchaser of American cottons is indi-
Gated by the fact that of the I'll, 900, :
600 yards of cotton cloths exported in
1906, 495, 600, 009 went to China, while
about l3S, 900, 0Co yards went to the
American countries south Of the
United States, and 25,000,0 900 to Asia
other than China and Oceania. -