Arizona republican., 1909-03-10

1906, 900, 900, while the January exports
since 1900 have averaged but about
$40. 600, 900. SO that the apparent drop
of $50, 1000, 900 is in reality due largely
to excessive expectations of the one
month with which it is compared
January, 1908. This is true also with
reference TO the 7-month period end
ing with January. since the export
figures in November and December.
1907, were also exceptionally large;
these three months-November and
December. 1907, and January, 1905
being the only ones in the history
of our commerce in which the exports
exceeded s20O.OOO,OO0 per month.
Another cause. however, of the
falling off in exports is found in the
reduced prices of that largest single
item Of our export trade-raw cotton.
The average value of cotton exported
in January. 1908, was Ill cents per
pound, and in January, 1909. "a cents
per pound. and during the closing
months of 1908 averaged much below
that of the corresponding months of
1907, so that the 1896, 670,02S pounds
exported in the seven months ending
with January, 1909, brought actually
s23, 500, 900 less than did the 2.736,
347.700 pounds exported in the cores
ponding months of the preceding year.
the quantity increasing 46O.OOO,OOO
pounds and the value decreasing
1923. 500. 900.
Another cause of the decline is the
falling off in quantity of corn, wheat
and flour exported. The prices of all
these articles have been, as is well
known, unusually high during the past
few months, and this presumably ac-
counts, in part at least. for the fact
that the quantity of corn exported fell
from $4,000, 900 bushels in the seven
months ending with January, 1908, to
Is, 1000 900 bushels in the corresponding
months ending with January. 1909;
wheat fell from 75,000,000 bushels in
the seven months ending with jan
uary, 1908, to $3.50, 900 in the seven
months ending with January, 1908,
while flour also showed a slight de-
cline in quantity.
Still another of the causes of the
reduction in export figures is found
in the marked decline in values OF
iron and steel manufactures in the
seven motnhs ending with January,
1909. being sSO,OOO,00O against $116,
100000 in the corresponding months
of 1908, decline of $50, $685. 900 iE the
value of iron and steel manufactures
exported To how great an extent
this is due to lower prices. and to
what extent it is due to smaller guam
titles exported, can not be definitely
because of the fact that
in many articles Of iron and steel
quantities are not named in the re-
ports to the bureau of statistics.
though the fact that the export prices
Of pig iron, steel billets, steel rails,
and wire are all less in January. 1908.
indicates that the fall in export val
ues of iron and steel is due, in part
at least, to lower prices.
On the import side the figures are
encouraging, particularly as
an evidence of the activity of the
industries of the coun-
try Crude materials for use in man
amounted in the month of
January, 1909, to 500 2S3.799, against
but $26,70S,161 in January, 1908, and
for the seven months ending with
January show a slight gain over the
ing year. Manufactures for further
use in manufacturing also show an
increase, being S16,422 1876 in January,
1909, against s12,356,254 in January.
1908. This January gain of so per
cent in the value of crude materials
imported for use in manufacturing
and of 33 per cent in value of i'm
ports of manufactures for further use
in manufacturing is of itself encour
aging as to the activities of the man
ufacturing establishments of the coun-
try, but is even more so when con-
is had of the fact that
prices of nearly all of the articles i'm
ported for manufacturing have greatly
fallen during the year and that each
million dollars worth of manufactures
in January, 1909, represents a much
larger quantity of material than in
the corresponding months of the pre-
ceding year. Pig copper, for in
stance, which was valued at III cents
per pound in the importations of jan
uary, 1908. averaged but 1879 cents in
January, 1909. Jute shows a fall from
s1s5 per ton in January, 1908. to $155
per ton in January, 1909; manila
hemp, a drop from 1853 per ton in
January, 1908, to s116 per ton in jan
uary, 1909; sisal grass, from 1928 per
ton in January. 1908, to $114 per ton
in January, 1909; goatskins, from BIZ
cents per pound in January, 1908, to
242 cents in January. 1909; raw wool
Of class l, from 24.2 cents per pound
to 1874 cents per pound; class 2. from
275 cents to 21.9 Gets per pound; and
class 3, from 1872 cents per pound
in January. 1908. to 1913 cents in jan
uary. 1909.