Rensselaer Journal, Volume 10, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 March 1901 — Grade and War. [ARTICLE]

Grade and War.

In 1899 China was our best customer in cotton cloths. We sent $10,273,487 worth of cotton manufactures to China in that year. In 1900 our cotton exports to China fell off nearly one-half. This was the result of the Boxer war, which brought our total exports of manufactures of cotton in 1900 down to $20,722,759, a decline in value of $2,844,155. In 1899, when we exported cotton Manufactures to the value of $23,566,814, England exported cotton manufactures to the value of $328,325,000; Germany, $53,637,000; France, $32,081,000; Switzerland, $25,747,000; Japan, $16,215,000, and Italy, $10,747,000. The reports show that the consumption of cotton, domestic and foreign, in the United States is nearly twice as large as in 1890. We produce 85 per cent of all the cotton in the world, but we supply less than 5 per cent of the cotton goods which other nations buy. While the war in China has been to our disadvantage in cotton manufactures, the war in South Africa has been to our advantage in that it has made England a larger purchaser of our food products, of horses and mules and has contributed to a great increase of our iron and steel trade in Africa. Great Britain bought of us 6,000,000 pounds more of fresh beef in January, 1901, than in January, 1900; 9,000,000 pounds more of bacon, 3,000,000 pounds more of ham, and 1,940,000 pounds more of butter. In the last year we have also greatly increased our exports of boots, shoes and other leather products, of wagons and all transport materials, our total domestic exports for the seven months ending January, 1901, reaching a value of $887,702,000, against $787,391,000 for the seven mouths ending January, 1900.