The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-04-12
New Record for Exports.

New Record for Exports.
Another amazing jump in Ameri-
can exports is reported for February.
The prosperity wave is still rising in
the United States.
American exports for February
reached a total of $4O9, SS6.525 ac-
cording to announcement by the Bu-
reau of Foreign and Domestic Com
u1erce, of the Department Of Com
merce. This is the highest point ever
reached by the export trade in this
country and exceeds the high mark
for December, 1915 by $4,000, 900. II
exceeds the total for January by $S3,-
600, 900. The decline in January had
been taken in some quarters to mean
that the record figure for December
had marked the high life in the flow
of American exports. The total ex-
ports for the first eight months of the
fiscal year 1916 are 81. $50, 5O1, $40 and
1T now seems probable that the ex-
ports for the whole fiscal year will
reach $4,000, 100000.
The excess of exports over Imports
amounted to $215, sol, 408 in February
and to 1926, 217, 1852 during the eight
months ending with February. Last
year February showed an excess of
STA, 682,47 and eight-nontl1s period
an excess of $578, S34, $50, or less than
one-half that of the current period!
Need bf American Merchant Vessels.
Another strong argument for get
ting an American merchant marine
right away is contained in a letter to
Chairman Joshua w. Alexander, of
the House Committee on Merchant
Marine and Fisheries. from Doctor E.
f. Pratt, Chief of the Bureau of For
eign & Domestic Commerce. Depart
nlent of Commerce. The letter, which
has just been made public, calls at
tention to the rapid rise in ocean
freight rates from American ports.
The letter is especially interesting
TO farmers since it shows the remark
able increase in the rates on grain,
one of the principal American exports
at this time. This increase from
New York to liverpool in the last
two years has been about 500 per
cent while the Increase in the rate
on -four has been 500 per cent. and
the increase on provisions only 400
per cent. The more rapid increase
on grain is accounted for by the fact
that in ordinary times grain is car
RED at especially low rates because
of it's desirability as ballast and be-
cause it can easily be taken on and
discharged
The letter is the most complete re-
port on the subject of ocean freight
rates that has yet been published. 1t
includes detailed reports from the Bu-
reau's 3district Offices in New York,
Boston, New Orleans, San Francisco.
and Seattle, as well as data scompi1ed
at the Bureau in Washington A
study of the many tables of rates re-
veals some interesting variations in
the rates from different ports.
I'm January. 191 4sgtles rate grain
feom New York and Boston to Liver
POOL was Al cents per bushe1; one
year later the rate from New York
to Liverpool was 1873 cents and from
Boston to Liverpool 1872 to 1872 cents
per bushel. In January, 1915, the
rate from News York to Iiverpoo1 was
40.6 cents per bushel and from Bos-
ton to Liverpool it was 34.5 to 36-5
cents From these data it appears
that the rate on grain from New York
{ to Liverpool was. in January, 1916,
about ten times as high as in January
1894, While the rate from Boston to
as great. In January of the present
year grain could be shipped from 4
to cents per busllel less from Bos-
ton than from New orlk- The high
err rate from New York is probably
due tor the long delays and high de-
rnurrage charges resulting from the
present congestion at the port of
New York
The advance in rates from New Or
leans to European ports have been
fully as pronounced as the Increases
from New York to the same ports. At
both New York and New Orleans the
rate IL concerned, to ship cotton from
has been increased about 500 per
cent in the past two years but it is
still far cheaper, as far the ocean
rat is concerned, to ship cotton from
New York. in spite Of its congested
condition, than from New Orleans.
On January L, 1915, the rate per 100
pounds of cotton was $2s25 from New
York and So from New Orleans