632 to $724,964,852; and of foreign merchan8,450,174 dise $4,067,018, from $19,615,770 to $15,548, 8,091,522 2,677,469 757. The total exports were $740,513,609, as 2,677,360 against $823,839,402 in 1883, a falling off of 2,558,164 2,488,102 $83,325,793. 2,471,487 Hair, and manufactures of.. 2,326,646 Household and personal effects. COUNTRIES. 2,249,172 Spirits, distilled, and compounds.. 2,111,779 Provisions.. 1,843,452 Cuba Brazil. Paper, and manufactures of. 1,714,419 Salt.. 1,663,831 Cocoa, crude.. 1,644,766 Spanish, other than Cuba and Paints and colors.. 1,818,980 Porto Rico... Bristles Art-works. 1,201,735 China... Malt-liquors.. 1,179,111 Italy... 1,192,204 Japan.. Hay.... 999,144 Austria.. Ivory, animal and vegetable. 967,898 Porto Rico...... Marble and stone, and manufactures of... 957,769 Germany.. Hawaiian Islands. Jewelry, and manufactures of gold and silver. Venezuela... 910,827 Corsets... 848,159 Central American states. Brushes. 591,783 Bark, hemlock. 406,278 French West Indies.. Hops. 304,297 Peru... 14,109,629 All other articles.. Total..... The value of the imports fell off from $723,180,914 in the fiscal year 1883 to $667,697,693 in 1884, a decrease of $55,483,221. The following shows the commerce for the fiscal year 1884 with those countries our exports to which exceeded the imports from them: $162,549,608 $886,238,386 4,872,933 16,558,282 10,928,160 Sweden and Norway. Dutch Guiana.. Santo Domingo... French Africa.. Dutch West Indies.. Spanish Africa.... Total The value of the exports of the products 22,588,655 of agriculture, manufactures, mining, forestry, 11,296,812 and the fisheries, during the fiscal year 1884, is 44,806,196 thus shown: 6,207,520 11,895,190 9,887,826 9,016,486 12,704,292 2,779,659 British N. American possessions.. 88,899,835 Spain.. British Australasia.. 4,878,465 Mexico.. PRODUCTS OF Portugal. 1,262,800 4,618,981 Denmark 8,270,562 Agriculture... 6,881,821 Manufactures Hong-Kong.. 1,504,580 8,088,849 Mining (including mineral oils).. Newfoundland and Labrador.. 616,005 2,105,254 Forestry. 1,118,166 The fisheries Miquelon, Langley, and St. Pierre Islands.. 500,845 2,770,109 Danish West Indies 887,868 French possessions.. Roumania.. Total.. 2.821 4,249 The value of the exports of agricultural prod590,040 ucts fell off from $619,269,449 in 1883 to 481,084 $536,315,318 in 1884, while the exports of all 108,607 other commodities increased from $184,954,82,521 183 to $188,649,534. 228,746 181.050 436,719 2,778 $255,241,533 $550,159,687 The following table gives a similar statement for those countries our imports from which exceeded the exports to them. The total value of the imports and exports during the fiscal year was $1,408,211,302, as against $1,547,020,316 in 1883, a decrease of $138,809,014. The exports of domestic merchandise fell off $79,258,780, from $804,223, Chart showing the proportion in each year of the total receipts from each principal source of revenue of the United States. * Fiscal year ending June, 30. Miscellaneous. Under the act of March 3, 1883, the average ad-valorem rate of duty on all imported merchandise entered for consumption was reduced from 42.64 per cent. during the fiscal year 1883 to 41.70 per cent. during 1884, a fall of ninetyfour hundredths (94) in the rate. The Reduction of Taxation.-April 15, 1884, the House of Representatives, by a vote of 140 to 138, decided to proceed to the consideration of the so-called "Morrison bill," to reduce import duties and "war-tariff taxes," which had been reported from the Committee of Ways and Means on March 11. The bill, after being exhaustively debated, came up for final consideration in Committee of the Whole on May 6. Mr. Converse, a Democratic representative from Ohio, moved to strike out the enacting clause. The motion was carried by a vote of 156 to 151. The action of the committee being reported to the House, was concurred in by a vote of 159 to 155, only ten members not voting. The President, in his annual message of 1883, said: In my annual message of 1882, I recommended the abolition of all excise taxes except those relating to distilled spirits. This recommendation is now renewed. In case these taxes shall be abolished, the revenues that will still remain to the Government will, in my opinion, not only suffice to meet its reasonable expenditures, but will afford a surplus large enough to permit such tariff reduction as may seem to be advisable when the results of recent revenue laws and commercial treaties shall have shown in what quarters those reductions can be most judiciously effected. The Secretary of the Treasury, in his annual report, discussed the condition of the foreign trade of the country, and urged that steps be taken to increase it. To this end he recommended the appointment of a commission, "composed of men not wedded to free trade or protection-fair-minded men, who would prosecute the inquiry thoroughly, comprehensively, and impartially." Continuing the consideration of the subject, he said: In the commencement of its work the commission should, I think, regard the following points as being settled': 1. That the public revenues are not to be in excess of what may be required for the support of the Government and the gradual reduction of the public debt. 2. That our manufactures, which under the fostering care of the Government have attained such gigantic proportions, and whose prosperity is essential to the welfare of all other interests, are not to be put in jeopardy by radical and sweeping changes in the tariff; and that all reductions of import duties should be made with a view to their ultimate advantage by opening to them markets from which they are now in a large degree excluded. ... Owing to the shortness of the time allowed to me for the consideration of the subject, I am not prepared to name the articles upon which duties should be removed or reduced. This much, however, it may be proper for me to recommend: 1. That the existing duties upon raw materials which are to be used in manufacture should be removed. This can be done in the interest of our foreign trade. 2. That the duties upon the articles used or consumed by those who are the least able to bear the burden of taxation should be reduced. This also can be effected without prejudice to our export trade. In regard to our internal revenue taxes, I have to say that, as these taxes, with the exception of the tax upon whisky, ought not to be and will not be needed able bounds and rigid economy is established in all for revenue if appropriations are kept within reasonbranches of the public service, I see no good reason for their continuance. The tax upon tobacco should, in my judgment, be removed. The tax upon whisky could not be repealed without a disregard of public sentiment, nor without creating a necessity for higher duties upon imported goods; but while this is true, the tax upon the alcohol used in manufacturing might be removed with decided benefit. tions, nor was any action on the subject of taxCongress did not adopt these recommendaation taken at the second session of the Fortyeighth Congress, which closed March 3, 1885. The colored chart shows the proportion of the total receipts from each principal source of revenue for each year since the establishment of the Government down to and including the fiscal year 1884.* There were no receipts from postage in the year 1884, there being a deficit in the postal revenues, and the receipts from direct tax ($70,720.75) were too small to be indicated on the chart. UNIVERSALISTS. The "Universalist Register" for 1885 gives the following summary of the statistics of the Universalist churches in the United States, Canada, and Scotland: 1 General Convention; 22 State conventions; 948 parishes, with 37,263 families; 687 churches, with 34,349 members; 611 Sunday - schools, with 51,935 members; 768 church edifices, having a value above indebtedness of $7,092,264; 669 clergymen in fellowship, and 14 licensed lay preachers. Of the members, 522 are in Canada and 120 in Scotland. The educational institutions comprise twelve colleges, theological schools, seminaries, and academies, which report 109 professors and teachers, 1,227 students, and property valued at $2,373,000. The Universalist Publishing-House returns about $45,000 of assets, and publishes and owns the copyrights of 150 volumes and 6 periodicals. The Chapin Home possesses property, including the building in New York city, valued at $129,162, and had 56 inmates. General Convention.-The Universalist General *As the space allotted to the total receipts from all sources is the same for each year, however much that total may vary, it will be understood that the colored spaces furnish no basis for a comparison between the receipts from the same source for different years, but only indicate the proportion which the receipts from any source for any year bear to the total receipts for the year. For example, the customs receipts for 1884 were less than for 1883, though the yellow space indicating them is larger. |