OCR Text |
Show Billion Dollar Commerce. Tho foreign commerce of the United States approached the $3,000,000,000 point In the calendar year 1905. Tho total Imports and exports of merchandise merchan-dise for that year, as shown by tho department of commerce and labor, through its bureau of statistics, was $2,800,000,000, against $2,307,000,000 in 1900, an average increase of 100,-000,000 100,-000,000 a year in tho fivr . aar period. If to the $2,80G,000,000 of foreign commerce com-merce in 1905 were added the figures of trade with Hawaii and Porto Itlco, formerly foreign territory and included in our statements of foreign trade prior to 1901 tho total would approximate approxi-mate $2,900,000,000, or about $C00,-000,000 $C00,-000,000 more than five years ago and $1,200,000,000 more than ten years ago. Harper's Weekly. |