The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-06-19
OUR TRADE WITH CUBA.
Disastrous Effects of the Existing
War on the Island.
A STARTLING ARRAY OF FIGURES
The Report of Chief Hitchcock, of tho
Foreign Markets Section of the Ag-
riculturnl Department, Indicates %
Falling or of Eighty Per Cent.

i"S hepoTt oi 'nlcI liltcncocK, OF tho
Foreign Markets Section of the Ag-
riculturnl Department, Indicates %
Falling or of Eighty Per Cent.
Washington. June ia significant
report on our trade with Cuba from
1887 to 1897. prepared by Chief Hitch
cock. of the foreign markets section of
the agricultural department, has been
promulgated by Secretary of Agricul-
ture Wilson. The statistics show very
clearly the effect of present hosti!ities
IN Cuba upon the commercial inter-
course of the United States with that
island. During the fiscal year 1896 the
total value of our Cuban trade amount
ed to only $47,5iS, ,61O as compared with
$lO2,S64, 204 in 1893 the year preceding
the breaking out Of the war. This was
a falling off of more than so per cent.
IN three years. Returns already avail
able for the current fiscal year ind-
cate still further decline, the records
lor the nine months ending March "a,
lo9n placing the total value of ths
trade for that period as low as s14,926.-
elI Al this rate the figures for the
nscal year 1897 will hardly reach S2O,-
100000 or less than one-fifth the value
recorded for 1893
During the early years of the present
decade our Cuban trade had received
a material impetus, the years 1887 to
1893, inclusive, showing uninterrupted
gains, and but for the opening of the
war still greater expansion, it is pre-
dicted, would probably have followed,
change between the United States and
cuba has been very largely abridged.
Continuing, the report says:
Our imports from Cuba have general
ly been much in excess of our exports
to that island, the balance of trade be-
ing decidedly against the United
States. During the 10 years 1SS7-lS96
the value of the merchandise import
ed averaged $59,163,556 per annum and
that of the merchandise exported only
$l4,0l7,572 per annum. In 1896 the i'm
ports fell to $40,O1773O and exports to
81 $50 $780,
The remarkable decline in our trade |
with Cuba from July !, 1896, to March
u, 1897, occurred chiefly in the case of |
the Imports, the total value of the iner-
chandise imported during the nine
months amounting to only $S,S41,S3l, or
niue more than the value of the eX-
ports Tor the same period, the latter
being returned at Sc, 1856
OF the merchandise imported into the
United States from Cuba fully 50 per
cent. is agricultural. Sugar. the most
important of the products imported
from Cuba, amounted in value to more
nf "a
for the decade. The heaviest shipments
On record were in 1894, reaching in that
year as high as 2,127, 500. .319 pounds,
valued at $63la7,746. Importations of
sugar were much smaller in the two
succeeding years, amounting in 1896 to
1nly 1893, ,l71,312 pounds, value $24, 4,1O2,-
$50 Returns for the nine months end
ng March 81, of the present year, ex-
1ibit still greater falling off the
otal importation then being only 2O5,-
''9'HS5 pounds, valued at $4251, ,65i.
Molasses imports from Cuba which
n 1894 amounted to 15,S93,579 gallons,
'a!ued at $l1iS,412, were reduced in
s96 to l7lO.l6l gallons, value S128,474.
The largest importation of leaf tobac-
20, the next important commodity,
'rior to the financial year 1896, was in
S93, reaching 2l.6@4S9l pounds, value
o,Siu,UOS. In 1896, however, h-se fig
lres were considerably exceeded, the
then imported being 25,77l,-
II pounds, value S10,613, 3,4GS.
These uninterrupted shipments are
robably accounted for by the fact
nat the western end of the island,
here the chief tobacco growing dis
ricts are situated, has only recently
cen invaded by the opposing forces.
ince the invasion of this region, how
YER there has been a great decline in
II importations of Cuban tobacco, the
ecords for the nine months ended
arch l. 1897, placing the total amount
eceived during that period at only
il3,329 pounds. value $1,eS1 POS. Ac-
'rding to the returns for the corre-
lond1ng months of the fiscal year ,
80 the importatiOns during that Pc
cd amounted to 21,OS5.251 pounds,
llue $6,OJ3.6f7. ..
The report contains numerous tables
lowing in detail the extent to which ,
e importations of all kinds have :.
eadiIy declined since the outbreak of !
g rebellion The most important man. :
acturcd product imported, cigars, :
5arcttes and cheroots, comprised In l.
,iuc more than half of the non-agri- y
ltural imports for the decade The .
turns for them last year were $2,07S, n
J, against 1851 1856 in 1890. r.
AS 10 exports from this country to
lba the relative importance of the
ricultural articles has increased dur
5 the last few years. The shipment +
lard to Cuba during the ten years t,
gregated $25OOOO 600 in value, form G
: nearly one-half Of the total agri- q
ltural exports. For the last fiscal tc
ar there was an extraordinary fall ],
this class Of exports, amounting to Il
ly $l,55l 1856. Bacon and hams at G
ned their highest figure in 1893 since W
ich they have steadily declined, as Il