The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1906-09-06
Is Designation Given South's
Staple by Uncle Sam.
RECORD-BREAKING TRADE
Total Value of Raw Cotton Sent
Abroad, for the First Time in
History, Goes Beyond the Four
Hundred Million Mark. :

"Cotton is king in the export re.
cord of the United States for the fs-
cal year just ended" This is the in
troductory sentence of a statement
just issued by the department of
commerce and labor at Washington.
Continuing the statement says:
'"The total value of raw cotton ex-
ported for the first time crossed the
s40O,00O,sO0 line and exceeded by far
the value of any other article Of mer-
chandise sen: out Of the country. The
exports of breadstuffs of all kinds ag-
gregated but s1s6,OO0, 900, those of pro-
visions but s211, 100000 and those OF
iron and steel manufactures but $751;
100000.
''The value of the cotton exported
has Increased very rapidly during the
last five years. 1t was not until 1901
that it crossed the s30O,O00,000 line,
and in a short five years period it has
grown to Eore than s4OO,OOO,OOO, or
all increase of about 33 per cent
Cause of Growth.
This growth is due in part to an
increase in the quantity exported, but
in part also to the advance in price
since the quantity exported in 1906
was about 70G,000,0OO pounds less than
in 1905, while the value was s21,-
100000 more than in 1905.
'The expectation Of manufactures
cotton was also larger in 1906 than
In any earlier year, aggregating practi-
cally s55,000.OOO, against s50,000;00O in
1905 and s22,500,0O0 in 1904. The
growth in manufactured cotton has
been quite as striking as that OF
raw material.
Europe ia, of course, our principal
customer for raw cotton. The United
Kingdom took last year s177,000,000
worth, Germany s101,OO0,O0O, France
s45,O0O,G00 and Italy about 1000, ,o0o,
while the ether countries of Europe
took about s32,O0O,000 worth. Japan
is also a customer for our raw cot
ton, but very irregular in the guam
tity bought, since she only buys large
ly 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, sS,0O0,000; in 1906,
s17,e00,COO, and in 1904 less than 3d.
100000.
China Good Customer.
in manufactured cottons China Is
by far cur largest customer. The total
value ot all cotton manufactures ex-
ported in the fiscal year 1906 was, as
:oove indicated, 53,000,0GO, in round
terms, o. which about s30,0CO,0O0 went
to China. Practically all Of the cot
ton goods sent to China was in the
form of cloth, the total value Of cloths
exported to China in the year being
so9,641.1Ss, and of other cotton goods
s172,SS7. The exports of cotton cloths
to China in the fiscal year 1906 exceed
ed both in quantity and value those OF
any other earlier year, the value in
1906 being about two million dollars
greater than in 1905, and the number
OF yards about twenty-four millions
greater than in 1905. China's rank
as a purchaser of American cottons
is indicated by the fact that of the
I'll, 100000 yards of cotton cloths ex-
Ccrted III 1906, 49S,000,000 went to
China, while about 133,00O,000 yards
went tc the American countries south
of the Cpited States, and twenty-five
millions tc Asia other than China and
Oceanic"
nAGOES FIGHT CONS1ABUlARY.