The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-08-31
COMMERCIAL FUTURE OF PACIF
&c SHORES AND ISLANDS
EXPRESS COMPANIES TALK
Statistics Of Coffee Consumption-Real
Estate Transfers, Mortgages
and Releases
OFFICE OF THE HERALD,


stock of the new prospects opened up by
the changes on the map which will be the
result of the war with Spain. That The
chief consequence will be the immediate
-. development of the Pac1c's commercial
resources on a scale of hitherto uncontem-
plated grandeur appears to be the unani-
nous opinion.
An able article appears In Bradstreets
on this topic, founded largely upon an ar
ray of figures published by the London
Statist, all Of which goes to show to what
an extent this subject is engrossing the
attention of the far-sighted men OF the
leadig business communities. The article
says as follows:
The recent annexation Of the Hawaiian
islands by the United States, the acquisi-
ton, as the result of the war, of one of the
Ladrone islands and the occupation, which
may or may not be permanent, of the
chief city of the Philippines give new point
to the forecasts of some of the statesmen
of the middle period of the republic, who,
like Seward, discerned in the shores and
islands of the Pacific the chief theater of
events in the worlds hereafter. 1t is need
less to say that the scramble for Chinese
territory on the part of the great powers
gives added force to these predictions,
whose fulfillment seems likely to be hast
ened in most marked way by conditions
and tendencies which have recently seemed
to concentrate the attention of men upon
the new theater of human activity. The
interest felt in the section Of the world re-
ferred to Is, of course, under modern con-
ditions mainly commercial, and 1t will be
worth while to take more or less compre-
hensve view of Its actual and prospective
commerce.
Such a view Is presented in a rather
striking article in the London Statist, in
which 1t is pointed out that the Pacific area
includes the long stretch of coasts of the
two American continents, the Islands Of
Oceandca and Polynesia, eastern Siberia,
China, Japan, Siam, farther India, the
Dutch East Indies and Australasia. The
large portion of the world included in this
category comprises some of the most pop
ulous as we'll as some Of the most sparsely
settled-some Of the richest as we'll as some
of the least productive regions of the
world. Within this area alone do the two
great races of the world-the white and the
yellowstone into close relations and more
or less active competition. Into 1t a rail-
way is steadily creeping across central
Asia, several lines of railway already reach
will sooner or later be cut to It from the
Atlantic. The commercial possibilities in
volved In the development of the means OF
communicate ton referred to are rema rkable
A canal such as has been projected across
Nicaragua will remove barrier which at
present cuts off the producing states of
the Atlantic seaboard from a consuming
area which contains three-fourths of the
population of the world and by bringing
the outlet into the Pacific within COM
paratively short distance of the mouths of
such streams as the Mississippi and the
Amazon, not to mention less important
ones, must enormously increase tho COM
mercial value of the great ocean. AS yet
the trade has hardly been tapped Of an
area Of well-nigh million square miles of
American territory which may look to the
Pacific ocean as its natural outlet.
With the view of essaying at least an
approximation toward a statistical meas
urement of the actual sea-borne trade Of
the area bordering on the Pacific, vhe
writer of the article referred to has taken
pains to gather together the latest figures
attainable of the imports and exports of
the different countries comprised within
the region. Taking the American Pacific
countries from Alaska on the north to
Chill on the south, he arrives at total i'm
port and export trade amounting to G93,-
100000 or, in round numbers, about $685.
100000. These figures, however, relate
to foreign sea-borne commerce alone and
do not include the immense coasting trade
done between the ports Of each country by
native vessels, trade which must ma tural-
ly swell the totals largely, The trade Of
the islands In the Pacific Is more difflcult to
estimate, because it Is so imperfectly re-
corded, but what Is regarded as a reasona-
bly, approximate summary puts the totals
at 959. 250,0O0, or about $685. $50, OO0 These
figures, again, do not include the inter-
irsular trade, which Is at present consider
able, and Of which the potentialities are
large. For the British colonial possess
sions total Is arrived at Of a136, 0O0, 900, or
about $3.50 100000 in American money.
much more important branch Of the
field is touched upon in what is designated
the Asiatic Pacific. which includes the far
east, comprising China, Japan and the
other Asiatic countries bordering on the
great ocean, such as Corea eastern ST.
IBERIA, Siam, French Indo- China. the
Straits Settlements and the Malaylpenin-
sula, and, including the Indian ocean as
part Of the Pacific. Burma and British In
Is made up of s429.0 900, or about 50. 49,.
100000. These figures. again, do not in
\ clude the large junk traffic Of the non
treaty ports of China nor the coasting
traffic Of that great empire. nor the inter-
insular traffic of Japan and the straits,
nor Of the large carrying trade round the
coasts Of Hindostan and between Hindo-
stan and British Burma, a sea-carriage
estimated in round numbers at q, 000 000, 900.
Taking the various countries for which
estimates are presented and putting the
figures together, we get the following pre-
sentation, which is sufficiently striking,
the values given in pounds sterling In the
article referred to being put in the Ameri-
can equivalents approximately:
Summary Of Maritime Commerce of
the Pacific
Pacific states Of North, South
ana central America. .........,$ l65, 900 900
Insular group and islands........ 2ss, $50 200
Western Pacific and the lar east 2.iaS, 900 800
Total SO $50. 250 900
Add estimates Of the coasting' traffic:
Pacinc American .................$ 800 900, 900
Facuc !sian9s ..,....,........... 90 .000, 900
f>eioetS EacAHc ss.s..s....s....... l.00W ,OOO
A naas' 81 s::i: Il s sc sc
Grand total s....................S,o 100 0oo. 900