The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-04-18
SPANIARDS ON THE SEA
EXTENT OF THEIR COMMERCE
WITH OTHER COUNTRIES
the Ships of Other Nations
England Far In the Lead
Trade With the United States
Shown to Be Small In Compare
son.
Bv the Associa,ed Press.

By the Associated Press.
WASHINGTON, April 17.-Secretary
Wilson, of the agricultural department,
has authorized the publication Of a bull
letin on the subject Of Spains foreign
trade from 1891 to 1895, inclusive, pre-
pared by Frank Fl. Hitchcock, the chief
of the section Of foreign markets. The
facts brought out are Of particular in
terest at the present time.
Two general matters are treated in
detail In the publication, viz: Span
ish commerce proper and shipping and
navigation. It is shown that of the
total tonnage transported to and from
Spanish ports during the years 1891 to
1895, inclusive, 57.75 per cent was car
ried by merchantmen entered and
cleared in the trade with the United
Kingdom. France ranked second, with
1897 per cent Of the total, and the
Netherlands, with 8.52 per cent, stood
third. The United States, with a rec
ord of 3.91 per cent, was the fourth
country in Importance. Belgium fifth,
with 2.35 per cent, and Cuba next, with
2.34 per cent.
OF the merchandise carried by vessels
entered at Spanish ports during the
years 1891 to 1895, inclusive, 1854 per
cent came from the United Kingdom
France furnished 9.43 per cent, Russia
$50 per cent, and the United States 5.6S
per cent.
OF the goods carried by vessels
| cleared during 1891-1895, the United
Kingdom was the destination of 58. %
| per cent France received 14.4S per
cent; the Netherlands, 1873 per cent;
| the United States, 315 per cent, and
| Cuba 2.62 per cent.
| Spain's commercial transactions with
| the rest OF the world amount annually
| to more than $3OO,O0O,000. In 1895 the
merchandise imports amounted to
$751; ,s29, SIG, and the exports $155, 355, 759
| The average value for 1S91r1S95 was
| $315, 077, 440, as compared with $3f7, $685.
| 1923 for the preceding five years.
| Spain's foreign trade Is largely mari :
time. Of the merchandise imported and
exported during 1891-1S95 only 159 per
cent was transported by land, while S4.1
| per cent was carried in seagoing YES
| sass.
| During the earlier years Of the dec
ade, 1886-1S95, more than one-half of
| SPANS maritime commerce was carried
| by foreign vessels, but since 1891 there
has been a change, and the national
! shipping is now in the ascendancy.
The imports and exports made I'M
| der the Spanish flag during 1895
amounted to $146,S69,S 06, and those I'M
der flags of other nations to only $115,
| 1866. OF the foreign commerce Of
Spain during 1891-1S95 about 70 per cent
was transacted with four countries,
viz: France, 31.1 per cent; the United
| Kingdom, 22.05 per cent; Cuba, 1920
per cent, and the United States, 6S2 per
| cent. The total value of the merchan-
| disc annually exchanged between Spain
and Cuba, Porto Rico, the Philippines,
| the Canaries and her various minor
possessions exceeded $50,000000 The
United States ranked third among the
sources of Spain's import trade during
| 1S91-1895, furnishing 1894 per cent OF
next with 4.46 per cent, while Porto
Rico supplied 2.64 per cent
| Of the merchandise exported from
| Spain during the same time BAL per
cent went to France, 1882 per cent to
the United Kingdom, 1853 per cent to
Cuba, and S.47 per cent to Porto Rico,
while the United States came eighth in
| the list of countries to which Spanish
| exports were consigned. The average
yearly value of the goods transported
| by Spain to and from France in Span
ish vessels was $32, ,47S, to and
from Cuba in Spanish ships,
$32, O64, 1856, the United Kingdom,
United States $9,302,723. OF the mer-
chandise from Spain in Spanish YES
| sells, 36.77 per cent went to Cuba, 27.50
| per cent to France, 772 per cent to
| Porto Rico. Coal, which constitutes
| the most important item among non
agricultural imports, is produced chief
| ly from the United Kingdom, the re-
ceipts from the United States amount
| ing to less than 1 per cent Of the total.
During the calendar year 1895 there
were entered and cleared at SPANS
ports 1886 merchant vessels OF
1 these vessels ,169 carried the flag Of
Spain and 1887 vessels the flags Of
| other nations.
The average yearly tonnage for the
| five years, 1891-1S95, was 24,374, 939,
| while that for the preceding five years
was only 22,499,590. This increase was
due to the growth in the tonnage of
| the Spanish merchantmen.
On Dec. 81, 1895, the latest date for
| which there are available statistics
| the merchant marine of Spain compris-
| ed 1,783 vessels, having an aggregate
| tonnage of 1852. Compared with the
! statistics for 1886 the figures for 1895
show a slight increase in the size Of
the fleet and a rather marked one in
| Its tonnage. The steam vessels in
creased from 431 In 1886 to 528 in 1895.
| It is shown that for the five years,
| from 1891 to 1895 inclusive, the Span
ish shipping was conducted somewhat
| more extensively from the customs
districts along the Atlantic than from
those on the Mediterranean sea. The
ships entered and cleared on the At