The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-05-18
THE Philippine ISLANDS
LATEST GOVERNMENT REPORT
ON THEIR COMMERCE
THE EXPORTS AND IMPORTS
The Trend Of Trade in Late Years
Has Been Toward the United
States

| report on the Philippine islands Is made b,
Oscar Il. Williams consul at Manila. 1
was to appear in the forthcoming edition
of Commercial Relations" but is printes
now on account of the general demand iol
information:
| Local and European authorities estimate
the area of the Philippine islands at $50, &C.
square miles, and their population at from
5000 900 to 10 900 900. The island of Luzon OF
which the city of Manila Is situated, is larg
| er than New York and Massachusetts,, and
has population of 5000 900; and the islam
| OF Mindanao is nearly, If not quite, as large
There are scores of other islands, large
and very populous. An idea of the Philip.
pines may be formed when it is stated tina
the six New England states, New York
New Jersey. Maryland and Delaware have
" per cent less area. In addition to the
Philippine islands, the Caroline, Ladrone
and Sooloo groups are considered under the
jurisdiction of this consulate (Manila). ]
have received petition requesting that a
consular agency be established at zap, ir
the Caroline islands.
In all. there are about 1000 islands in q
land and sea area of about 1900 miles Of lat
itude and 2400 miles Of longitude
During the quarter ended December 81
1897, there were exported from these is.
lands to the United States and Great Brit
ain 216,S9S bales of hemp (2SO pounds pc,
bale), of which 1882 bales went to tho
United States and only Is, LOG bales to Greal
Britain. During the year 1897 there was All
increase in the export of hemp from the
Philippines to Continental Europe of 10, al
bales; to Australia, 2192 bales; to China, =
bales; to Australia, 1872 bales; to China, 2.
States, 1S3, s96 bales-a total increase of 15s,
4S5 bales, while to Great Britain there was q
decrease of q, 34S bales.
Thus, of increased shipments from thu
Philippines, those to the United States wer,
H4 per cent greater than to all other coun.
tries combined.
or the total exports of hemp from the
Philippines for the ten years ended 1897
amounting to ,52S, 1866 bales (914, O55 tons), Al
per cent went to the United States.
During the same years the Philippine is
lands exported to the United States and &c
Europe 1925 O4 tons of sugar, of which So.
$50 tons went to the United States, 666, Syi
tons to Great Britain, and Al 1862 tons to Con.
tinental Europe, showing that of the tota!
exports more than IS per cent went to the
United States.
At the current values in New York of
hemp a cents per pound( and of raw sugar
Sss cents per pound, the exports of these
two products alone from these islands to
the United States during the ten years UNI
der review amounted to $S9, 263, 722. 80, or an
average of nearly 81. 1926 1872 per year.
according to the returns of the bureau
OF statistics, treasury department, the an
nual imports into the United States from
the Philippine islands amounted to 7415O,.
2S4 during the ten years ended June &c. 1887
or 81, 415,02S per year. For the seven years
ended with 1894, the imports averaged
S, 564 GIL per year, but for the last three
years the imports fell off nearly one-half
amounting to only s4,731 1866, $4,9S2, S57 and
81, 1888 TAO in 1885, 1896 and 1897, respectively.
Data as to cigars, tobacco, copra, woods
hides, shells, indigo, coffee, etc., are not
now obtainable; but a conservative esti-
mate would so raise the figures as to show
United States imports from these islands
to average about 81 900 900 per month. To-
day have authenticated invoices for ex-
port to the United States amounting to
$13s, O6s.12.
Later will write Of the Philippine tar
gagged in translating 1t into English. The
export duties and charges here on the
hemp and sugar exported to the United
States during the ten years ended with
1887 amounted to $5,172, 994S7.
1t is from the above very apparent that
the trend Of trade is toward the United
States, and my best endeavors will be
exerted toward Its further extension.
There are here twenty-five consulates
representing the several countries, but the
volume of the export trade coming under
my official supervision equals that of my
twenty-one colleagues combined.
Our trade is really much larger (espec-
tally in the item OF exports TO the islands)
than Is indicated by the above figures
Large quantities professionalism canned
goods. etc., are sent to Hong Kong or other
ports for transshipment, and are credited
to those ports instead OF to Manila.
In a report published in Highways OF
Commerce, Consul Elliott of Manila says
that there is but one railway In the is
lands-from Manila to Dagupin-a dis.
lance of 123 miles. 1t is single track ano
we'll built, steel rails being used its entire
| length, the bridges being of stone or iron
and the station buildings substantial
English engines are used, which make
forty-five miles per hour. The government
assisted in the construction of the road
| by making valuable concessions of lane
with right of way its entire length, anc
by guaranteeing per cent per year upor
| the stock of the road for period OIL
ninety-nine years, when it is to become
state property. SO far, adds the consul
the road has paid more than 10 per cen,
per annum to shareholders.
Mr.. Elliott also states that the Com.
pania Transatlantica (Manila-Liverpool
maintains a monthly service to Europe
that there are four fines of steamers te
Hong Kong, and many local lines plyins
between Manila and the provinces, the
largest having twenty-elght steamers Of
$4,000 tonnage.
Consular Reports No. 2O3 august, 1887
quotes from report published in the Bull
letin de la Societe de Geographic Com
merciale (Paris, 1897, vol. XIX, No. A, the
following description OF the Industrial con.
dition of the Philippine Islands:
There are about 5000 Europeans resi-
dent in the islands (the total population ii
nearly 5000 ,O0O), of course. not counting tn,
troops. Some 1000 are established in thu
capital, Manila, the center Of the colonia
government. English, Spanish and Ger
man houses are engaged in trade, advanc
ing money to the natives on their crops
Such business methods involve risks ant
necessitate large capital in the beginning
but the profits are immense. The land II
/ fertile and productive, and lacks oniv in