The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1898-08-20
The Immediate Future.

Perhaps the most noteworthy feature
Of trade is the steady advance of the
price of railway and steamship stocks
and bonds. The cessation OF military
operations might have been expected
to call a halt TO investors in these secu
rites and certificates. The movement
of troops and of provisions and arma
ments and Of the multitudinous neces-
sites of war will, as matter of course,
cut off large sources Of SPECIAL revenue
that have been prolific since the declar-
alton Of war. Nevertheless prices do
not 60 downward, but upward. Nor is
the upward movement of a speculative
nature; it is the country, rather thdo
Wall street, that Is investigating with
an eve fixed for the future.
1t is not difficult to assign a course for
the upward tendency of prices, nor is
the cause irrational. The movement of
troops and munitions Of war Will be fol-
lowed by the movement Of ernigrants
to Hawaii, Cupa, Porto Rico, and prob
ably the Philippines. and of hundreds
ofthousands of tons OF freight destined
for our new possessions. In effect, a
new world Is about to be opened to
American commercial enterprise.
1t is statement as true as it is bold
that never since the discovery of
America has SO sudden and so safe
new market been created as that which
the events of war have opened to the
people of tue United States. Hawaii
now has less than the population of
tklrd-rate American city, and it has an
area, SOIL and climate capable of sup
porting milliens. Already its compara
tiyeiv small po pulation purchases more
per capita from us than any foreign
country except the United Kingdom,
and within the last four weeks the
movement Of United States passengers
and goods toward our new acquisition
has been greater than any previous he
glra. that to California in 1919 not eX-
cepted. lEasmuch as Hawaii does not
offer tie Inducements of everish specu-
lation in mines, but presents merely to
the immigrant an opportunity for early
independence and to the capitalist a
certain source of good returns upon in
yestments, the steady increase of Ila-
wallan trade is a certainty.
Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippines
present almost an infinity Of possible
development. Leaving out of consider
alton the mines of gold, silver. copper,
and coal. we find in Cuba 800, 900 peo-
pie, in Porto Rico 100000, 900. Here is
4 population of 100000, about half the
population of the United Kingdom in
1880, when it was fighting Napoleon for
Che supremacy of trade throughout the
world, and fully two and half times
the population of the United States
when they became of right free, indie
pendent AMI sovereign nation. The
iOrelgn commerce OF the Philippines
amounts already to SO, 1000, GOO annu-
ally. Rice. flour, wines, dress goods,
c0ai and petroleum have beer the chief
imports, but under a liberal regime,
such as the United States will establish,
large demands for agricultural machiu-
cry, sugar machinery, rails, and loco
motives may be expected Moreover,
a demand for superior qualities of food
and clothing would follow the improved
condition Of labor that good govern
ment would insure. 1t is not an extrav-
agant estimate that the commerce Of
the Philippines could DE trebied in the !
next three wears. In Cuba hardly a
tenth of the land is under cultivation !
and the system of agriculture is most
primitive. Yet, even under these dis |
advantages the normal foreign trade of
the island is we'll above $1,000 900. |
while Porto Rico 5 foreign commerce, in !
an equally undeyeloped condition, has /
shown an annual aggregate of fully So
900 600.
There are ilimitable possibilities to !
be deduced from these figures, and the |
commercial men Of the country are pre- |
pairing not only 10 deduce them but to /
exploit them.-Chicago ldtcr-Ocean.