Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 19.djvu/790

UNITED STATES. oil cake and oil-cake meal, $19,743,711; and cotton-seed oil, $14,211,244. From the table it will be seen that there have been significant increases in the exports of mining and of forest products, but not enough to affect greatly the percentage which they constitute of the total. The largest item in the group of minerals exported is coal, while boards and naval stores are the largest items in the exports of forest products. The preceding table shows the growth in the exportation of the ten principal articles of domestic manufacture, which together form about 80 per cent. of the total manufactures exported.

The exports of iron and steel include a large list of articles, chief of which are locks, hinges, and other builders' hardware, electrical machinery, wire, pipes, and fittings, steel rails, sewing machines, locomotive engines, and structural iron-work and steel. About five-sixths of the total value of mineral oils exported is represented by illuminating oils. The extraordinary growth in the exports of cotton manufactures has taken place mainly since 1893, and is the result of the increased use of electricity, in connection with which most of the product is utilized. One-half of the exports of cotton manufactures is represented by uncolored cloths. The most rapid growth in the exportation of leather and its manufactures in recent years has been in upper leather, and in boots and shoes. In 1895, 822,412 pairs of boots and shoes were exported, and in 1902, 3,966,766 pairs. Nearly one-half of the value of exported agricultural implements is represented by mowers and reapers. The following table shows the growth of the importation of merchandise into the United States for consumption; the percentage figures indicate the proportion of the specified classes to the total imports:

The table reveals the effect of the establishment of manufactures in the United States; in fact, imports of manufactures have increased absolutely but little in recent years, and for a long period of years have tended to decrease relatively, while at the same time the importation of crude articles for domestic industries has increased both absolutely and relatively. The importation of materials for manufacturing ($415,151,874 in 1902) greatly exceeds the imports of manufactures, and even the exports of manufactures. The importation of food and live animals has begun to decline absolutely and relatively. The bulk of the food group is sugar and coffee, amounting in 1902 to $55,061,097 and $70,982,155, respectively, and constituting the two largest items of importation into the United States. The only other large food item in imports is fruit and nuts, the value in 1902 being

$21,480,525. The largest items in the group of ‘crude articles’ imported in 1902, with their respective values, were: hides and skins, $58,250,834; silk manufactures, $42,631,615; rubber and gutta percha, crude, $27,094,622; fibres, vegetables and textile grasses, $31,526,674; copper manufactures, $24,865,301; tin in bars, etc., $19,463,736; chemicals, drugs, and dyes, $19,818,689; and wool, hair of the camel, goat, alpaca, etc., $18,466,122. The principal item in the group headed “partially or wholly manufactured, etc.” was chemicals, drugs, and dyes, not elsewhere specified, valued in 1902 at $35,286,164. Of imported articles ready for consumption and luxuries, the most important was cotton goods, $44,460,126, of which laces, edgings, etc., constituted over one-half; this was followed by manufactures of fibres, $39,036,364; silk, $32,640,242; iron and steel manufactures, $27,180,247; diamonds and jewelry, $25,990,570; and manufactures of wool, camel's hair, etc., $17,384,463. As compared with 1901 there were large increases in the imports of cotton goods, manufactures of fibres, and jewelry. Iron and silk remained about the same, while manufactures of wool, camel's hair, etc., decreased over one-half.

The bulk of the foreign trade of the United States is by sea and with non-contiguous countries. In 1903 the imports by way of the Atlantic ports constituted 80.06 per cent. of the total imports and the exports 63.6 per cent. of the total exports. The Government reports show, however, that from 1893 to 1903 the percentage of gain was greater for the Pacific ports than for the Atlantic. During that period the Atlantic ports showed an increase of 14 per cent. in imports and 46 per cent. in exports, while the Pacific ports showed gains of 17 per cent. in imports and 87 per cent. in exports. The imports by way of the Gulf ports for the same period showed an increase of but 1 per cent. and the exports an increase of only 6 per cent. Of the foreign trade of the United States during the fiscal year 1903, 64.5 per cent. was with the Continent of Europe, and the bulk of this was with the four Western European countries, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and the Netherlands. The protective tariff of some of the European countries greatly restricts our exports to them, as in the case of France, and in the case of some almost prohibits our exports, as Austria-Hungary. The United Kingdom accepts our exports free of duty, and constitutes by far the greatest market of the world for American products. In 1903 the exports to the United Kingdom amounted to $524,691,638 as against $504,896,090 for the remainder of Europe. If with the United Kingdom are included the other