Show A commercial RECORD the commerce of the united states with its con contiguous territory in 1905 seems likely to exceed by many million dollars that of any preceding year the nine month statement ending with september issued by the department part ment of commerce and labor through its bureau of statistics show that aba shipments from the united states to its contiguous noncontiguous non territory amounted to against in the corresponding months of the preceding year an increase of six and a halt million dollars and that the shipments 0 merchandise to the united states from Us contiguous noncontiguous non territory in the same period amounted to against in the corresponding months of the preceding year a gain of over nineteen millions thus the total commerce between the united states and its noncontiguous territory amounts to over million dollars in the nine months ending walh september 1905 against 77 millions in the corresponding months of the proceeding year these figures relate io merchandise only and do not include the gold and silver of which the shipments from alaska lo 10 the united states were nearly seven million dollars of gold produced in that territory and five and a half millions of foreign gold shipped from alaska being presumably that originating in british territory adjacent thereto this shows a total increase of over 25 million dollars in the trade between the united states and its contiguous noncontiguous non territory ia the nine months of the preceding year it was not until 1901 that the commerce between the united states and the various areas now designated as its contiguous noncontiguous non territory had reached as much as million dollars but it seems likely that the total for the present year will reach fully million dollars this increase in the trade above referred to is found in the movements of commerce to and from each of the important areas la question except in the single instance of merchandise shipped from alaska to the united stales in this there is a falling on of a little less chaji two million dollars compared with the corresponding months 0 the preceding aw this reduction being apparently due 10 a shortage in tho shipments ol 01 salmon which in the nine months ot 1905 amounted to but and a halt million pounds against 39 millions in the corresponding nine months of the preceding year the value being two million dollars loss than that ot the corresponding months 0 1904 in shipments from the united states there was an increase 0 nearly two million dollars to alaska of over three million dollars to porto rico about one million dollars to the philippine islands and nearly a million to the hawaiian islands in shipments from the noncontiguous territory to tho united states there was an increase of about five million dollars from porto rico of over four million dollars from tho philippine islands and of about twelve millions from the hawaiian islands but a decrease as above mentioned ot about millions from alaska duo apparently to a shortage in salmon shipments during the period in question |