The imports to Oregon have consisted of liquors, glass, railway iron, tin, and a few minor articles which come from England; coal comes from Australia as ballast of wheat vessels; general merchandise from China; rice, sugar, and molasses from the Hawaiian Islands; and wool, ore, and hides from British Columbia. The exports from Oregon consist of wheat, oats, flour, lumber, coal, wool, salmon, canned meats, gold, silver, iron, live-stock, hops, potatoes, hides, fruit, green and dried, and to some extent the products of the dairy. A comparative statement of the principal exports is given for the year ending August 1878, in Reid's Progress of Portland, a pamphlet published in 1879 by the secretary of the Portland board of trade.
| 1877-8. | 1876-7. | |
|---|---|---|
| Salmon to S. F., in cases, value | $980,956 | $1,750,350 |
| Wheat, flour, oats, hops, potatoes, lumber, hides, pickled salmon, treasure, and all domestic products from the Columbia to S. F., except wool and coal | 3,765,687 | 2,332,000 |
| Wool exports via San Francisco | 998,305 | 756,000 |
| Coal from Coos Bay 21,410 317,475 | ||
| Lumber from Coos Bay and the coast 151,234 173,367 | ||
| Total to San Francisco | $6,124,492 $5,329,192 |
Wheat and flour direct to the United Kingdom,
value 4,872,027 3,552,000
Canned salmon direct to Great Britain, value 1,326,056 737,830
Beef arid mutton, canned and uncanned, value 133,895 365,733
Wheat, flour, and other products to the Sandwich
Islands and elsewhere, value 637,636 386,600
Gold and silver from Oregon mines, value 1,280,867 1,200,000
Cattle to the eastern states, etc ..... 270,000 \n $14,644,973 $11,571,355
Increase in one year 3,073,618
The number of vessels clearing at the custom-house of Portland and Astoria for 1880 was 141, aggregating 213,143 tons measurement; 93 of these vessels were in the coastwise trade, the remaining 48, measuring 40,600 tons, were employed in the foreign trade. In 1881 the clearances for foreign ports from Portland alone were 140, measuring 130,000 tons, and the clearances for domestic ports, including steamships, were not less than 100, making an increase in the number of sea-going vessels of ninety-nine.
