Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 December 1883 — AMERICAN COMMERCE. [ARTICLE]

AMERICAN COMMERCE.

Annual Report from the Bureau of Statistics. The Chief of the Bureau of Statistics in his annual report of the foreign commerce of the United States for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1883, s*yu: , The total value of the Imports and exports of merchandise during the year amounted to $1,547,020,316, and was larger than during any previous year in the history of the country. The excess of the value of the exports of merchandise over that of the imports of merchandise was $100,658,488. as against a similar excess during the preceding fiscal year of $25,902,683. The value of the exports of domestic merchandise during the last fiscal year was $804,223,632, as against $733,239,732 during the preceding year*—an increase of $70,963,900. The value of the exports of cotton during the last fiscal year amounted to $247,328,721, as against $199,812,644 during the preceding fiscal year: the value of the exports of bread and oreadetuffs amounted to $208,040,850, as against $182,670,528 during the preceding fiscal year; the value of the exports of provisions amounted to $107,388,287, as against $120,655,701 during the preceding fiscal year, and the value of the exports of tobacco and manufactures thereof amounted to $22,095,229, as against $21,430,869 during the preceding fiscal year. The value of the exports of mineral oils during the last fiscal year amounted to $44,913,079, as against $51,232,706 during the preceding fiscal yea'. The value of the exports of products of manufacture from the United States during the last fiscal year amounted to $211,899,001, as against $103,132,481 during the preceding year, and was larger than during any previous year in the history of the country. The value of the exports of products of mining during the last fiscal year was $51,419,149, as against $56,278,887 during the preceding fiscal year; the value of exports of products of the forest was $9,976,143, as against $9,138,934 during the preceding fiscal year; and the value of the exports of products of the fisheries was $6,276,375, as against $6,197,752 during the preceding fiscal year. The total value of the imports of merchandise into the United States during the last fiscal year was $723,180,914, as against $724 639,574 during the preceding fiscal year, showing a falling Off Of $1,458,660. The value of the imports of sugar and molasses was $99,326,395; the value of the imports of -wool and manufactures thereof was $55,224,283; the value of the imports of silk and manufactures thereof was $59,807,616; the value of the importations of chemicals, drugs, dyes, and medicines was $43,126,287; the value of the Imports of coffee was $12,050,513; the value of the imports of Iron and steel and manufactures thereof was $40,796,007; and the value of the imports of cotton goods was $36,853,689. These constituted, in the order mentioned, the leading commodities and classes of commodities imported. The total .exports of gold and silver amounted during the last fiscal year to $31,820,333, as against $49,417,479 during the preceding fiscal year, and the total imports thereof amounted to $28,489,391, as against $42,472,390 during the preceding fiscal year. The excess of the exports of gold and silver over the imparts thereof amounted to $3,330,942, as against a similar excess of $6,945,089 during the preceding fiscal year.

The value of the foreign commerce of the United States with Great Britain and Ireland amounted during the last fiscal year to $614,046,793, constituting nearly 40 per cent, of the total value of our foreign commerce; with France, $156,671,387; with Germany, $123,547,657; with the West Indies, $121,609,923, and with the British North American Provinces, $91,321,129. The total number of immigrants arrived in the United States during the last fiscal year was 603,322, as against 788,992 during the preceding fiscal year. During the last fiscal year 158,092 immigrants arrived from Great Britain and Ireland, 194,786 from Germany, 168,276 from all other countries in Europe. 79,241 from the British North American Provinces, and 8,031 from China. The immigration from China fell from 39,679 during the year ended June 80, 1880, to 8,031 during the year ended June 30,1883. The total duties collected upon imports amounted, during the last fiscal year, to $210,637,293, as against $216,138,616 during the preceding fiscal year, showing a falling off of $5,501,628. The sailing tonnage of the United States the 30th of June last amounted to 2,822,293 tons, as against 2,810,108 tons the 30th of June, 1882, and the steam tonnage of the country amounted'to 1,413,194 tons, as against 1,355,825 tons the 30th of June, 1882. The tonnage of American vessels engaged in the foreign trade of the United States increased from 1,259,492 tons the 30th of June, 1882, to 1,269,681 tons the 30th of June, 1883; and the tonnage engaged in the coastwise trade, the whale fisheries, and the cod and mackerel fisheries Increased from 2,906,441 tons the 30th of June, 1882, to 2,965,806 tons the 30th of June, 1833. The tonnage built in the United States amounted to 265,430 tons during the year ended June 30,1883, as against 282,269 tons built during the year ended June 30,1882. In our commerce with foreign countries there is still a very large preponderance of foreign vessels employed. The tonnage of American vessels entered at seaports of the United States from foreign countries amounted to 2.834.681 tons during the last fiscal year, as against 2,968,290 tons during the last fiscal year: and the tonnage of foreign vessels entered at seaports of the United States amounted to 10,526,176 tons, as azainst 11,688,209 tons during the preceding fiscal year. v In 1865 the tonnage of American vessels entered at our seaports from foreign countries amounted to 3,194,275 tons, and constituted 71 & per cent, of the total tonnage entered, and in 1868, three years after the termination •of the war, the tonnage of American vessels entered amounted to 2,465,695 tons and constituted 44.26 per cent, of the total tonnage entered, but of the total tonnage entered at seaports of the United States from foreign countries during the last fiscal year 79 per cent, consisted of foreign tonnage and only 21 per cent of American tonnage. During the ten months ended Oct. 81, 1883, the average rates per bushel for the transportation of wheat from Chicago to New York were: By lake, 9.16 cents; by lake and canal. 12 cents: and by “all-rail," 16.1 cents; as against the following average rates during the calendar year 1882—viz: By lake and canal. 8,7 cents; by lake and rail, 10.9 cents; and by “all-rail" 14.6 cents. The increase in the average rates is due to the fact that the grain movement during the year 1883 has been much greater than during the year 1882.