following totals: Merchandise received from the United States, $30,834,793; shipped to the United States $62,507,811. Alaska shipped to foreign countries, merchandise, $1,544,182, gold and silver, $2,936,018. Her total exports were $84,622,450 and total imports $35,314,993. From 1868 to the end of 191 6 Alaska is shown to have had a total trade, in sea and fur products, of $323,042,290, in products of mines $345,752,111, making a grand total of $668,794,401.
An analysis of the trade for the years 1913, 1914, 191 5, and 191 6 shovi^s that the largest item now is copper, which in 1916 accounted for $333^ millions of dollars, an advance of nearly thirty millions over the production of 1913. Gold and silver made in 1913 $13 millions of dollars, $14 2-3 millions of dollars in 1 914, $16 millions of dollars in 191 5 and $16 1-3 millions of dollars in 1916. The other large item is canned salmon, which in 1916 makes $21^ millions of dollars of exports.
It will be seen that Alaska produces vast quantities of the precious metals and of copper, as compared with the states of the Pacific Northwest. These and her canned salmon, furs, etc., give her people a large average purchasing ability which explains the highly desirable character of the Alaska trade. As yet, most of the general supplies required by them are imported much as they were in the days of the Russian fur trade. Nevertheless, this market cannot be regarded as permanent, for Alaska, too, is beginning to develop
