The record-union., 1897-07-19
SOME IMPORTANT STATISTICS.
HAWAIIAN COMMERCE DIJRINC
THE LAST TEN YEARS.
1t Is Shown That the United States
Controls More Than Ninety Per
Cent. of 1t.

| WASHINGTON, July 1S.-Hawaiian
commerce during the last ten wears
Is the subject of a circular just issued
by the Department of Agriculture. The
paper was prepared by f. II. Hitch
| cock, chief of the division of foreign
markets, under the direction of Secre-
tary Wilson. The facts set forth bear
directly upon the current decision of
the annexation of the Hawaiian
Islands to the United States and are
as follows:
The comparison of statistics shows
that the United States controls 90 per
cent. of the entire trade of the islands.
The total value of exports and i'm
ports of Hawaii for 1896 was sd. .51S. =
'S9, of which about two-thirds, $15,-
olo, go, was the value of goods ex-
ported. The average of exports of the
ten years, 1SS7-1S97, was $11, ,052, ,141,
and of imports $5,422, ,459, leaving an
average balance of $5,6296S1 in favor
of exports.
OF this traffic 1.20 per cent. was with
the United tates during the first five
years of the decade, and in the second
five years the lead of this country over
other countries was increased to 81 %
per cent. Another impression of the
situation may be gained from the state
! ment that our trade with the islands
in 1896 according to Hawaiian sta
tistics, reached $50, ,924 ,306 the largest
amount ever recorded, while the high
est figures previously was for 1890.
when total of $1S,332, ,631 was re-
ported.
The United States, however, does not
yet hold so high a position in furnish
ing goods for Hawaii as in the taking
of the products of the islands. OF the
average of the exports for the ten years.
nearly eleven millions a year the
United States has bought practically
ALL Only one-half of / per cent. has
been sold to other countries. Of the
goods purchased by Hawaii, on the
other hand, the United States furnishes
only about three fourths.
However, it is chiefly in our sales to
the islands that trade is growing. The
annual average of these sales for the
five years, 1SS7-1S91, was S4.376.312.
but for 1S91-1S96, S4, 1876 275, while the
exports to Hawaii for the last year
amounted to S5.364 ,20S nearly mill
ion dollars more than for any previous
year.
The goods coming from Hawaii to
the United States are mainly agricult-
ural products, while the shipments in
the other direction, except breadstuffs,
are chiefly manufactured. Our imports
of sugar make the largest item in the
trade while our imports of rice come
next. Next in order are our exports of
breadstuffs, cotton goods, fertilizers,
machinery, lumber, tobacco, wire and
chemicals. 1t is noticeable that ship
nents Of American livestock, meats,
apples and corn amount to very little
Prior to 1876, when the first reciproci-
ty treaty was made between the Uni
ted States and Hawaii, the total COM
merce average was only 81, $50, 1896
Since that date a comparative growth
has brought the total to more than
five times that amount.
Figures are furnished for the first
ten months of the fiscal year 1876 as
compared with the same period of
1896. They show large increases in
the import items of trade. The other
countries whose trade with Hawaii APP
pears to be growing are China and ia
pan and Canada.