The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1909-05-13

also fall in both imports and ex-
ports, the figures for the twelve
months ending with December, 1903,
being 306 millions of imports, against
325 1-2 millions in the preceding
twelve months; and exports 200 1-2
millions, against 222 IL millions in
the preceding twelve months.
France and Italy show increases on
both the import and export sides.
The imports into France in the two
months ending with February, 1909,
were quoted at PIG IL million dol
lars, against 203 1-2 millions in the
corresponding months of the preced-
ing year;exports 167 millions, against
Ids millions in the corresponding
months Of the preceding year. Italy
for the month Of January, 1909 shows
imports 81 millions, against A mil
lions in January, 1908; and exports
% millions. against 26 1-2 millions in
January, 1908.
This fail in the value Of imports
and exports of the principal coun-
tries of the world is probably due in
part to lower prices Of the principal
articles forming commerce. While
it can not, Of course, be said that
1909 prices are lower in every article
than those Of 1908, the figures Of the
Bureau Of Statistics indicate lower
prices in foreign countries in many
Of the principal articles forming our
own import trade, and also a fall in
price Of certain important articles of
our own export trade The tea i'm
ports of the United States, for ex-
ample, of which the average valren
the countries whence imported was
reported by the Bureau in March,
1908, at 17.7 cents per pound, and
in March, 1909, at l4.7 cents; coffee
in March, 1908, was valued at s cents
per pound, and in March, 1909, at
10 cents per pound; rice in March,
1908, at 20 cents per pound, and in
March, 1909, at 2G cents per pound;
sugar, net above No. is Dutch stan
dard, in March, 1908, at 2.32 cents
per pound, and in March, 1909, 2.23
cents per pound; potatoes in March,
1908, at 1873 cents per bushel, and in
March, 1909, at 41.9 cents; cotton
clothes, bleached, in March, 1908, at
15.5 cents per yard, and in March,
1863, at it.o Gents, hops in March,
1908, at 25.5 cents per pounds, and
in March, 1909, at 1875 cents; raw
cotton (chiefiy Egyptian) in March,
1903, at Il. 4 cents per pound, and in
March, 1909, at 15.7 cents; Manila
hemp in March, 1908, at S144.57 per
ton, and in March, 1909, at $119.1S;
jute and jute butts in March, 1908,
at SAT .04 per ton, and in March 1909,
at $44. IS; sisal glass in March, 1908,
at S133. 10 per ton, and in March,
1909, at S106.92; goatskins in March,
1903, at 264 cents per pound, and in
March, 1909, at 24.4 cents; raw silk
in March, 1908, at $3.61 per pound,
and in March, 1909, at 1888; and
clothing wool in March, 1903, at a.
3 cents per pound. and in March,
1909. at 21.1 cents per pound, these
prices being in all cases those of the
wholesale markets CT the countries
whence the articles were imported.
On the export side, among the
principal articles of export from the
United States raw cotton shows
drop from II cents per pound in
March, 1903, to 9.5 cents per pound
in March, 1909; steel rails dropped
from $50. .8S per ton in March, 1908,
to $2S42 in March, 1909; pig iron
dropped from $18.28 per ton in
March, 1908, to $15.6O in March,
1909; cotton cloth, unbleached, from
7.2 cents per yard in March 1908, to
5.8 cents in March, 1909; canned sal
mon from 90 cents in March, 1908,
to 80 cents in March, 1909; rosin
from $404 per barrel in March,
1908, to $3.50 in March, 1909; tur-
pentine from 538 cents per gallon in
March, 1908, to AZ cents per gallon
in March 1909; crude mineral oil
from Sd cents per gallon in March,
1908, to 80 cents in March, 1909; re-
fined Illuminating oil from II cents
in March, 1903, to 6.5 cents in March,