Per cent., including Gulf....... Per cent., Atlantic ports only. Per cent., Atlantic ports only. Per cent., Atlantic ports only. Per cent., Atlantic ports only. (Per cent., including Gulf....... Per cent., Atlantic ports only. In 1897, when 25,085,896 bushels of wheat were exported from New York as against 18,476,263 bushels, the year previous, it was asserted by many that 1896 marked the lowest point of New York's decline. The total from the port of New York from 1892, had been as follows: But the increase of 1897 of 6,609,633 bushels was out of a total increase from the eight ports of more than thirty million bushels. Reference has been already made to the phenomenal year of 1898. Now comes the year 1899 with the exports from New York not only largely decreased as compared with 1898, but also about the same as 1897, as against an actual increase over 1897 in the total from the eight ports of 1,333,065 bushels, New York's proportion of the total exports being smaller in 1899 than ever before in her history. In 1899, too, for the first time in her history, New York took second place in the amount actually exported, according the first place to the two Gulf ports, with 25,015,272 bushels from New York as against 26,038,593 from the gulf. The fluctuations that occur in particular years from special causes, make reference to any one year often misleading. An analysis of the exports from year to year indicate that the tendency at New York, whether in flour, wheat or corn exports is steadily on the decline. What New York has lost has been gained chiefly by the other ports, as indicated to some extent by the following references to the tables in evidence: Although it is impossible to avoid the revelation of New York's loss, forced upon us by the statistics, the testimony of the leading exporters of the West is even more impressive. Exporters of flour and exporters of grain, in Chicago, in Minneapolis and in Duluth, exporters the magnitude of whose operations have familiarized their names in all the great markets for our products, testified from the evidence of their own transactions. The experience of each accorded with the experience of all, with scarcely a variation. Each and all had, in former years, exported largely by way of New York, but were using New York less and less year by year. Some had already ceased entirely, or were rapidly approaching that end. Quotations from the testimony of a few of these witnesses will suffice: GRAIN. Charles Counselman, of Chicago, testified as follows: "Q. How long have you been in that business [grain exporter] here in Chicago? A. About twenty years. Q. As a grain exporter and dealer in grain you own your own elevator here? A. I do. Q. Will you state what the capacity of the elevators is? Q. To what extent do you ship at the present time by way of New York? A. We do very little business by way of New York, very little, not to be mentioned at all. Q. Has that always been the condition? A. No. Q. How long has that been the case? A. Oh, it has been growing less and less for the last five years. |