The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1894-12-21
Are Chances for am AppFopFia-
ti0n 60 Resume Work oaa
Nicarasuan Canal.
CONGRESS WELL DISPOSED.
II the Scheme il Carried cut, Unole Sam
can Give the British Lions Tail
Severe Twist IN the
Cotton Trade.

The Nicaragua Canai d now claiming
the attention Of both houses Of congress-
and win be the order Of the day in Wash
ington until finally disposed 81, The
prospect, therefore, for some defiuite ar-
tion this session BY congress, looking 10
the resumption Of work on the canal, Is
good, One Of the arguments which has
attracted the most attention and won
the most favor for the bill before com
gEess ii the showing that the canal would
bring the United States into quite close
communication with the great consuming
markets Of tho Orient, thus placing
American markets ii position to COM
pete successfully Nith Europe for the
trade Of the east.
To as Of the south, the most interesting
phase Of the subject il in Che vast pos
sIbilities that tho completion Of the
Nicaragua Canal woala open up for the
exteusion Of the cotton trade. Iu d let
ter written In January, 1893, On this sub
seti Mr. Henry q Hester, secretary of
the local Cotton Exchange, furnished
some valuable statistics which demon
strate to what eEtsntshe cotton industry
pf the south IS susceptible Of being bene7
ited BY the completion Of the canal.
These facts and figures, though published
nearly two years ago, are even more
strongly applicable now than they were
heR.
la the letter referred to, Mr. Hester
howed that Great Britain annually ex-
ported manufactures from cotton amount.
ing in value TO mose than 5000, 000, 900,
exclusive Of $4,000 600 worth ef thread,
hosiery, lace and the like, or this vast
foreign trade, upwards Of s170,0On, 900
worth are annually shipped to British
East India, China, japan, Java and
other Oriental countries. Ia the year ia
which the letter was written Tie United
States exported to Great Britain raw
cotton to the value Of abont si70, 900, 900.
It viii thus Dc seen that Great Britain
exported to the east cotton goods ot
about the same value al the raw cotton
imported from the United States.
The export trade Of the United States
to the east is comparatively insignif-
cant, the total for tho year 1891, good
yeaE having been only s43, 100000, in;
cladiug all articles OF cotton goods
alone, the total exports were VI, TsT, 600,
or considerably less than twentieth oi
the exports of eotton goods 70 the east
BY Great Britain.
/ II is clear that the vast bnlk Of Tho
cotton goods exported TO the Orient BY
Great Britain, neaFly all Of which art
manufactured from raw cotton pur,
chased in the United States, should, ii
the natural order Of things, laye beer
manufactured and exported By the
Unlted States, AS the southern statei
produce the raw eetton, they should alse
manufacture Il into goods, and Thus save
ths cost IF shipment ta the Lancashire
I, a ~ m middlemet
realize from handling the stapls
| The building Of The Nicaragua Cana
would bring New Orleans and the othe
southern seaports many thousands d
miles closer to the markets of the 0rjeui
| than are the British mills at Manches
ter. That cotton goods can be manafae
tured as cheaply ID Tie south III III an.
| place else II tbs world Il certain, hence
with eonyenient outlet to the greaI
CONSUMING markets, as would be fir
I g. Al 4 ft Az