Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-19
The United States Control Ninety Per
Cent of the Trade.
EXCESS OF EXPORTS OVER IMPORTS
Intercourse With Japan and China
on the Increase.
EFFECT RECIPROCITY


years is the subject of a circular just is
sued by the Department of Agriculture.
The paper was prepared by F. H. Hitch
cock, chief Of the division foreign markets,
under the direction of Secretary Wilson.
The facts set forth bear directly upon the
current discussion of the annexation Of the
Hawaiian Islands to the United States.
The comparison Of statistics shows that the
United States control 90 per cent of the
entire trade Of the islands. The total value
of exports and imports OF Hawaii for 1896
was $21 SIS, $50. Of which about two-thicds.
$15, 515. go, was the value Of goods ex-
ported. The average Of exports of the ten
years 1sS7-1S96 was 81 ,O52, 14l, and of i'm
ports $5.422,4 400, leaving an average balance
of $5.629.6S1 in favor of exports. or this
traffic 91.2 per cent was with the United
States during the first five years of the
decade, and IN the second five years this
lead Of this country over other countries
was increased to 81 80 per cent.
Excess of Exports Over Imports.
"A striking feature of the Hawaiian trade
is the remarkable excess of the exports
over the imports. OF the 21.57S, "a re-
turned as the valuation of all merchandise
imported and exported during the year
1896. the sum of SIS, SIS 23O.13 represented
the value of the goods shipped from Ha-
waiian ports, while the commodities re-
ceived at those ports from abroad were val
ued at only s6,063, 652.41. The imports in
1876 were therefore less than half as large
as the exports, the balance of trade in IA
vor Of the islands amounting to 81, 451 ,577.72.
This balance was an unusually large one,
however. the gains made in expectation
during 1896 being much greater than those
made in Importation. The average value
per annum of the merchandise exported
from Hawaiian ports during the ten years.
1SS7-1S96, amounted to $11 052, a. and
that of the merchandise imported to S.
422, 1914, leaving an average yearly ex-
cess in favor of the exports of s., 6o9. 6S1 90.
After the United States, the country
that enjoys the largest trade with Hawaii
is Great Britain. OF the total commerce
returned for the five-year period, 1Ss7-1s91.
the portion credited to the British amount
ed to 4.S9 per cent. In the five years. 1882
1896, however, their share was only 800
per cent, showing somewhat marked de-
cline in relative Importance. The trade with
Germany also declined during the decade,
the portion credited to that country for
1S92-1S96 amounting to only OIL per cent,
as compared with LA per cent for 1887
1891.
ION the other hand. commercial inter-
course with China and japan increased
considerably, the value of the merchandise
exchanged with these two countries in 1892
1896 forming 2.49 per cent of the total
OF the trade value, as against Las per cent
in 1SS1-1S91. The only other places sep
arately specified in the Hawaiian Official
trade reports as enjoying commercial in
tercourse with the islands are Australasia
Canada. the Pacific islands and France
The commerce carried on with Australasia
formed 0S6 per cent of the total trade In
1sS1-ls91 and O.SS per cent in 1S92-1S96,
showing a slight advance in relative i'm
portance. That with Canada, although
small, more than doubled. in value during
the decade. The trade between the Ha-
waiian group and the Pacific islands was
unimportant. amounting to considerably
less than per cent of the total. This was
also true as regards the Franco-Hawaiian
trade. which has thus far been even small
er than that with the Pacific islands.
Inc percentage credited to the United
States is not SO large in the case of the
import trade it was for the imports and
exports combined, showing that this coun-
try Is relatively more important factor
as a destination of Hawaiian exports than
as a source of Hawaiian imports. During
the past ten years, however, our relative
importance as source OF the merchandise
imported into Hawaii has considerably in
creased, the value OF the goods received
from the United States in 1S92-1S96 con-
shutting 1854 per cent of the total imports,
whereas in 1SS1-1S91 1t formed only TAG
per cent. The imports from Great Britain
during the same years suffered a material
decline. the share credited to that coun-
try falling from 14.64 per cent in 1SS7-1S9l
to 81 per cent in 1S92-1S96 The impor-
IL,
tuting 3.3S per cent of the total imports
in 1SS7-1S91 and only per cent in 1892
1885 The most important gain, aside from
that made by the United States, occurred
In the case of China and Japan, the i'm
ports from these two countries advancing
from 4.19 per cent in 1SS7-1S91 to $50 per
cent in 1S92-1S96.
Exports Mostly Come Here.
LAS regards the distribution of Hawairs
export trade, the United States has an
almost complete monopoly, the value of
the commodities sent to all other coun-
tries amounting to less than 1 per cent of
the total valuation placed upon exported
merchandise. An examination of the
turns for the two five-year periods 1857
1891 and 1S92-1S96 shows that the exact
portion of the export trade credited to the
United States was $3.50 per cent in the
first of these periods and 99.2S per cent in
the second. The small residue of exported
merchandise goes chiefly to Canada, the
Pacific islands. China and Japan, Austral-
asia and Germany. The rapid increase in
the shipments to Canada during 1S!J2-1S95
indicates that an export trade of some i'm
pcrtance may be developed with that coun-
try.
From the foregoing it is apparent that
the commercial Importance of the Ha-
waiian Islands is due almost entirely to
their trade relations with the United
States The growth of these trade rela-