Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-01-25
NEAR THREE BILLIONS
Foreign Commerce of the United
States Shows Big increase
For 1905
EXPORTS SHOW GREAT GAIN
Proportion Of Increase of Exports
Much Greater Than the Increase of
the Imports-December 1905 Breaks
All Monthly Records For the Amount
Of American Exports.

Washington, Jan. 25.-The foreign
commerce Of the United States APP
proaches surprisingly near to the
three billion-d dollar point in the calen-
dar year 1905. The total imports and
exports Of merchandise, as shown by
the department Of commerce and labor
through its bureau of statistics, is q
sos million dollars, against 2,307 MIL
lions in 1900, an average increase Oh
100 millions a year in the five-year per
iod If to the 2.S06 millions OF foreign
commerce in 1905 were added the fg-
ures of trade with Hawaii and Porto
Rico, formerly foreign territory ana
included in our statements Of foreign
trade prior to 1901, the total would APP
proximate $500 million dollars, or
about 500 millions more than five years
ago. and 1900 millions more than ter
years ago.
Another notable characteristic of the
wears foreign trade Is the fact that
the exports in the month of December
were practically 200 million dollars
the preliminary figures Of the bureau
Of statistics being $199,7O9.06S, exclu-
sive Of the trade with Porto R1co'
Hawaii, and Alaska. 1t was only IN
1891 that exports first reached as mucn
as 100 million dollars In any single
month. the earliest month at Whlch
they crossed the 1O0-nillion dollar line
being October, 1891, when the total wa
s1O2,s77,243. This total of more than
100 millions a month continued only
during the months Of October, Novem-
Der and December, 1891, and January,
1892. and 1t was not until late in 1895
that the 10O-million- dollar line was
again crossed. In 1896, 1897, 1898 and
1899 the closing months of each year
showed monthly expectation OF over
100 million dollars, and beginning with
the year 1900 the monthly total has IN
all cases exceeded 100 million dollars,
except during the months OF June,
July and August of 1902, 1903 and 1904,
when they fell slightly below that sum.
The largest months expectation In any
year prior to December, 1905, was that
of December, 1904, when the total was
s174.819,566, but that record is surpass-
ed To the extent of IS million dollars
by the record of December, 1905, which,
as above indicated, is $199,709, 068.
The import record of 1905 is also In
excess of that Of any preceding year,
being for twelve months ending with
December, $1,179,35s,s46, against ST.
035, 909, 100 in 1904, the first calendar
year In which the imports crossed the
billion-dollar line. The growth of i'm
ports. while not rapid, has been steady
and continues to be so, keeping pace,
approximately, with the growth OF
population.
The growth in exports during the
wear amounted to ITS million dollars
and the growth in imports to 143
millions. While the December figures
are not yet sufficiently analysed to de-
termine the precise share which the
various groups form of the grand to-
tai, the eleven months figures COM
bined with that portion of the De-
cember figures now available. seem tc
justify the statement that Of the It's
millions increase In exports in 1905
about 100 millions occur in agricultur-
al products and something over 60
millions in manufactures. OF the 143
millions Increase in imports the eleven
months figures indicate that approx
inately 90 millions occur in manu-
facturers' materials, about so millions
in manufactures ready for consump-
ton. articles OF voluntary use, luxur-
les. etc, and the remainder in food
stuffs chiefly sugar.