INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS DURING THE YEAR 1875. ccxxxvii 



Ohio, 3 ; Illinois, 2 ; and New Hampshire, Vermont, Mary- 

 land, Missouri, and Kansas, each 1 ; total, 180. The total 

 number of operatives employed was 14,479; of whom 4086 

 were males above the age of 16 ; 1048 were males under 16 ; 

 6858 were females over the age of 16; and 2478 females un- 

 der the age of 16. The wages paid amounted to $4,497,319; 

 the value of the capital invested and employed was $14,708,- 

 184; and the total value of the year's production amounted 

 to $20,082,482. 



We have at hand the detailed statement of the exports 

 and imports of the United States for the fiscal year ending 

 June 30, 1875, issued by the chief of the Bureau of Statistics; 

 from which it appears that our total imports during that pe- 

 riod were valued at $553,906,253, a decrease of $41,954,995 

 as compared with those of the previous year. Our exports 

 during the same period were valued at $643,081,433, a de- 

 crease as compared with the previous year of $49,957,621. 



Railroads. For the year 1875 we may record, as far as 

 ascertained, the construction of 1483 miles of new railroads 

 in the United States. Some additions to these figures will 

 possibly have to be made, but when returns are complete 

 the total for the past year will hardly exceed 1500 miles; 

 showing a decrease of about 25 per cent, as compared with 

 the figures of 1874, of over 60 per cent, with those of 1873, 

 and of over 80 per cent, as compared with the figures of 

 1872. Our estimated figures of new construction for 1874, 

 published in last year's Record, require but a trifling correc- 

 tion, as will be apparent from the appended statement : 



Mileage constructed in 1 872 (ascertained) 73-tO 



" " in 1873 ( " ) 3833 



" " in 1874 \ " ) 2025 



" " in 1875 (estimated) 1483 



The most important lines completed this year are the 

 New York and Canada, along the west shore of Lake Cham- 

 plain, and an extension of the Southern Pacific in Southern 

 California ; neither of these is very long. 



The leading event in railroad business during the past 

 year was the long competitive contest begun by the Balti- 

 more and Ohio and the Pennsylvania Railroad Companies in 

 March, 1875, and continued between all the lines from the 

 East to the Northwest until September. The establishment 



