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indicate the immensity of the receipts of grain in this city, I would state that the receipts of grain in Detroit during the year aggregated 10,356,254 bushels, and in Toledo 20,121,622 bushels.

The week of the largest shipments of flour and of grain was that which ended on October 17th, when 8,071,373 bushels were shipped, 4,472,746 bushels being corn and 2,345,974 bushels being of oats. During the month of October there were shipped from Chicago 32,195,081 bushels of grain and of flour in its grain equivalent. The volume of grain stored in warehouses of class "A," declared by this board regular warehouses for the storage of grain, at the close of the year, aggregated 24,868,433 bushels, as against 22,920,903 bushels upon the corresponding date in 1895. On December 26th, 1896, there were stored in "regular" warehouses 13,355,308 bushels of wheat, 5,567,305 bushels of corn and 4,773,557 bushels of oats, as compared with 21,212,938 bushels of wheat, 911,612 bushels of corn and 544,268 bushels of oats upon the corresponding date in 1895.

The receipts of grass seed, including timothy, clover, hungarian, millet, etc., during the year aggregated 83,577,243 pounds, and shipments 92,212,310 pounds, as against 63,868,526 pounds and 65,567,528 pounds, respectively, during the year 1895, and 47,524,961 pounds and 66,139,009 pounds, respectively, during the year 1894. The receipts of flaxseed during the year aggregated 10,299,525 bushels, and shipments 5,734,654 bushels, as against 8,525,237 bushels and 4,726,818 bushels, respectively, during the year 1895, and 5,102,668 bushels and 2,353,757 bushels during the year 1894.

The receipts of lumber during the year aggregated 1,286,643,000 feet and the shipments 509,920,000 feet, as against 1,638,130,000 feet and 773,983,000 feet, respectively, during the year 1895, and 1,562,527,000 feet and 632,069,000 feet during the year 1894; of shingles, were received 265,205,000 feet and shipped 509,920,000 feet. Detailed statements showing receipts and shipments for a series of years, may be examined on page 96 of this volume.

The receipts of butter during the year aggregated 237,795,243 pounds, and shipments 222,004,126 pounds, as against 185,452,991 pounds and 176,846, 168 pounds, respectively, during the year 1895, and 144,868,216 pounds and 155,062,053 pounds, respectively, during the year 1894. The quantity of butter exported from the United States during the calendar year shows a large

increase over that exported during the year preceding. During 1896 there were exported 26,999, 158 pounds valued at $3,866,720, as against 13,935,617 pounds, valued at $2,162,243, exported during 1895. The principal countries to which exported were the United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, West Indies and South America.

The receipts of cheese during the year aggregated 72,011,661 pounds, and shipments 53,639,937 pounds, as against 59,012,937 and 52,226,151 pounds, respectively, during the year 1895, and 53,622,983 pounds and 56,062,563 pounds, respectively, during the year 1894. During the calendar year there were exported from the United States 44,444,392 pounds valued at $3,836,885, as against 40,610,242 pounds valued at $3,382,230 exported during the corresponding period in 1895. The principal countries to which this product was exported were the United Kingdom, the Dominion of Canada, the West Indies, South America, China, Japan and the Hawaiian Islands.

Our receipts of lard during the year aggregated, 67,191,567 pounds, and shipments 413,447,968 pounds, as against 53,936,324 pounds and 387,437,699 pounds, respectively, during the year immediately preceding. The volume of business transacted in this article in this city is not even approached by that transacted in any other place or market in the world. This product is no inconsiderable part of our national exports. During the calendar year ended December 31, 1896, we exported 486,723,804 pounds valued at $27,610,230, as against 501,880,718 pounds, valued at $36,247,796 exported during the year 1895. Last year the tariff policy of the chief continental countries was unfavorable to the exportation of American hog products. I have set forth on page 169 a statement of exports of bacon and ham, lard and of pork to France and Germany from America, for a series of years, as interesting in connection with foreign legislation regarding hog products. Of meats, other than barreled pork, we received 159,931,671 pounds and shipped 714,667,394 pounds, as against 172,203,523 pounds and 698,210,341 pounds, respectively, during the year 1895. These meats found an extensive market throughout the south, 103,600,000 pounds being shipped via Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway.

The receipts of dressed beef during the year aggregated 111,746,930 pounds and the shipments 980,930,688 pounds, as against

109,351,714 pounds and 910,339,175 pounds, respectively, during the year 1895. The trade in this article is constantly increasing owing to the thorough methods for its preparation and shipment and to the unequaled transportation facilities here controlled and centralized for its rapid and economical distribution.

The receipts of live stock during the year comprised 2,600,476 cattle, 138,337 calves, 7,659,472 hogs, 3,590,655 sheep and 105,978 horses, aggregating 14,094,918 head, valued at $187,745,655, received in 277,437 cars. The valuation of our receipts

of live stock from 1866 to 1896, inclusive, amounted to $4,567,278,166. The receipts of sheep in 1896 were the largest in any year, namely, 3,590,655 head, and the valuation of such receipts was $12,172,319; during the month of October we received 378,300 head and during the week ended September 26th last, we received 99,863 head. During the last thirty-one years Chicago's receipts of live stock aggregated 248,826,937 head, comprising 51,815,139 cattle, 1,807,759 calves, 160,438,972 hogs, 33,670,776 sheep and 1,094,091 horses. Notwithstanding extremely unfavorable surrounding commercial conditions, the business at the stock yards has been better than was anticipated at the close of the year immediately preceding. The Union Stock Yards and Transit Company is constantly adding to its already immense facilities in order to maintain this as the largest live stock market in the world. On pages 38 and 39 of this volume may be found detailed statements of receipts and shipments of live stock, by months, for which I am under obligation to Mr. J. C. Dennison, Secretary of the Stock Yards and Transit Company.

The number of vessels arrived at the port of Chicago, during the year was 8,663, representing a tonnage of 6,481,152 tons, and the number cleared, 8,773, representing a tonnage of 6,591,203 tons. There were four vessels lost during the year, viz., one tug and three schooners; two were foundered, one was capsized and one burned. The vessels built during the year in the district of Chicago represented a tonnage of 25,000 tons, valued at $1,330,000. Vessels of wood construction are fast passing away, and large sized steel craft are taking their places. These are mostly of the schooner-barge style and have an average carrying capacity of about 3,000 net tons each. In this volume I refer you to pages 133 to 140, inclusive, for valuable tabulated information concerning the lake marine, and foreign arrivals at, and clearances from,

the chief ports of the world, which is interesting for purposes of comparison. Navigation on the great lakes has always been, and will always continue to be, closely and vitally identified with the growth of Chicago and of all important lake ports, and directly and indirectly, but intimately, with the prosecution of every industry throughout the country, since upon the economical and rapid transportation of the varied and enormous resources of the Mississippi Valley, depends, in an important sense, the profitable conduct of all industries, stimulating and supplying that great inland and interstate commerce, which builds factories, opens mines, constructs transportation lines, puts industry in the place of idleness and distributes the beneficent fruits of a great and varied commercial prosperity among all classes of citizens. During the fiscal year 16,290 vessels passed through the canal at Saint Mary's Falls, aggregating 15,648,025 registered tonnage, and carrying 14,399,332 tons of freight, exceeding the net tonnage through the Suez Canal during the year 1895 by nearly 6,000,000 tons. The traffic through this canal in the year 1895 was the largest in its history. The total amount carried to and from Lake Superior in 1895 exceeds that of 1894 by 14 per cent., an increase largely due to improvements in Hay Lake channel, St. Mary's river, which shorten the route 11 miles and provide safe navigation by night. The commerce passing through the Detroit River during the year amounted to about 25,850,000 tons, valued at $275,000,000, an increase of 7 per cent. over the commerce of the preceding year. This tonnage exceeds that of the combined net tonnage of London and Liverpool for the year 1894. These facts, although partaking largely of a national character bearing upon our exports to a very considerable extent as well as directly upon our internal commerce, are closely related to Chicago and are very significant in the consideration of the proposition to improve our harbor by the general government. Eight of our states touch the shores of the great lakes, upon whose waters are borne the products of a vast agricultural region and merchandise in great variety from the markets and manufactories of the Atlantic states. No question, no proposition, therefore, concerning the commerce on our great lakes, can be merely local or disassociated from its national character.

The population of Chicago is, according to the best estimates, about one million eight hundred thousand; its bonded indebtedness, $17,078,950; its assessed real estate valuation, $195,684,875;

its valuation of personal property, $48,672,411; the amount of total city tax levied, $12,290,145; and the rate of taxation, 5.03 per cent.

The population according to the school census, as published July 1, 1896, was 1,619,226, and as officially declared by the City Council June 22, 1896, 1,750,000. The number of males in our population exceeds that of females by 50,717. The City of Chicago covers an area of 187 square miles; it has 2,570 miles of streets and 1,340 miles of alleys. The annual death rate for the twelve months ended November 30, 1896, per 1,000 of mean population, is 14.41 per cent., and was computed upon the school census of population. The total number of deaths was 23,257, of which 2,367 resulted from tuberculosis, 2,141 from pneumonia, 1,231 from heart diseases, 1,200 from diseases of the brain and 1,165 from bronchitis.

The number of hands employed in our manufacturing industries during the year, was 152,806, a considerable proportion being engaged in the iron and steel industries and at the Stock Yards. The earnings of this host of workers were smaller than were earned by the number employed during the year 1895, although that number was 12,780 less. It is gratifying to note in this connection the decrease in child labor. In manufacturing industries there were employed last year 5,830 children, as against 6,757 during 1895.

The retail trade generally has been unsatisfactory. This is ascribed by the accomplished City Statistician, Mr. Eugene Seeger, to the universal trade depression, to an under-consumption on the part of wage-earners and to an increased number of those who have drifted into huckstering pursuits. Another cause is the concentration of the retail trade, in all its various branches, in a few mammoth department stores, six of which employ not less than 15,000 hands.

From the report of the Fire Marshal there are now in use 1,227 fire alarm boxes, 921 public and 395 private police boxes, making in all 2,543 alarm stations. The total length of overhead wires is 2,630.7 miles. The underground system has been increased during the year by the addition of 1,692 feet of steel pipe and 30,574 feet of cable of various sizes. The total number of feet of cable in this system is 254,888 and of wire 4,540,782. Adding to this last item the length of wire on poles, it gives a total of 3,490 miles

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