THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



39 



merchant and manufacturer mean dull 

 days for the turckey." There has been a 

 noticeable decrease in the number of men 

 who go about looking for odd jobs. Busi- 

 ness has so improved that men who were 

 once driven to crime to avoid want, now 

 have steady work. In May, 1895, there 

 1,623 convicts in Joliet prison; now there 

 are 1,278. For the first time in the histo- 

 ry of this institution a whole month passtd 

 without the addition of a single new con- 

 vict. In commenting upon this the Times- 

 Herald says; ''There has been no trans- 

 formation in the character of men, but the 

 scourge of grinding poverty has been 

 withheld, and the temptation for the weak 

 is uot what it was. ! ' 



The -table of imports and ex- 



ports for the nine months 



Oar Exports 



and Imports, 



ending with September, 1899, 



the treasury bureau of statistics, gives 

 some interesting faces regarding the clas- 

 ses of articles in which the increase of im- 

 ports predominates, and the classes most 

 affected by the increase in exports. Im- 

 portations have increased from $475,360,803 

 in the nine months of 1898 to $585.934,124 

 in the nine months ending with Septem- 

 ber, 1899. 



An examination of the imports by classes 

 during that time shows that the increase 

 is almost exclusively in articles used by 

 manufacturers and foodstuffs, largely su- 

 gar and coffee. The class "articles in a 

 crude condition for use in domestic iiidus- 

 dries" increased from $148,937,651 in the 

 nine months of 1898 to $190,252,298 in the 



nine months of 1899 Thus articles for the 

 use of manufacturers increased, in round 

 terms, 50 million dollars: foodstuff ?, 37 

 million dollars; manufactures ready for 

 consumption, 9 million dollars, and arti- 

 cles of voluntary use, luxuries, etc., 15 

 million dollars. 



The export side of the nine months' 

 statement is t qually interesting. The 

 total exports in the nine months ending 

 with September are more than $30,000,000 

 in excess of those of the corresponding 

 months ef last year. An analysis of the 

 s tatement by great classes presents some 

 curious and suggestive facts, especially 

 when considered in connection with the 

 import figures. The exports of products 

 of agriculture, for instance, are nearly 

 $30,000,000 less than in the nine months of 

 last year, while those of manufactures are 

 $50,000.000 greater than those of the cor- 

 responding months of last year. This 

 enormous increase of $50,000,000 in the ex- 

 ports of manufactures is especially inter- 

 esting, when considered in conjunction 

 with the increase of $50,000,000 in imports 

 of material for use ef manufacturers. Ex- 

 ports of manufactures in the nine months 

 ending with September, 1899, amounted 

 to $277,502,649, against $277,822,045 in the 

 nine months of 1898, are formed 31.34 per 

 cent, of the total exports, while in the 

 corresponding months of lest year they 

 formed but 22.66 per cent, of the total ex- 

 ports. 



Products of the forests acd mines also 

 show a material increase in exportation. 



