The record-union., 1898-05-01
SPANISH FOREIGN TRADE INTER
ESTS.

The character and extent of Spanish
foreign trade is just now a matter of
considerable interest to US, since that
our navy will be preying upon it to a
considerable extent before the war is
over. The United States Department
of Agriculture has issued a statement
of Spanish trade from 1891 TO 1895, in
elusive, and the facts set forth are Of
peculiar interest.
During 1891 the total tonnage trans
ported to and from Spanish ports and
for all the time to and including 1895,
cleared in trade with the United King
dom, was 57.75 per cent. of all Spanish
trade. France came next with 1927
per cent, the Netherlands third with
$50 per cent, the United States next
with 3.91 per cent. and Belgium fifth
with 2.35 per cent, while Cuba was
lowest with 2.34 per cent.
OF the merchandise carried by ships
entered at Spanish ports in the same
period 1854 per cent. came from the
United Kingdom, 9.43 from France, $50
from Russia and 5.6S from the United
States. OF all Spanish ships cleared
during 1S91-95 inclusive. 5S.2S per cent.
were bound for the United Kingdom,
14.4S for France, 11.33 for the Neither
lands, 315 for the United States and
2.62 for Cuba.
1t will be seen, therefore, that only a
minimum of Spanish trade and ships
come into our waters. and comparative
ly few Spanish merchantmen are seen
upon our coasts. If we get a plunge into
the bulk of the Spanish carrying trade,
therefore, we must seek other waters
than our own. But whether that will
be the policy of the United States Gov
eminent remains to be seen. The fig
ures explain, perhaps, the reported
anxiety of some European States to
have the zone of naval warfare con-
fined to a region comparatively near
Cuba and our own shores.
SPANS transactions with the outside
world amount annually to $500, 000,0 600
In 1895 she imported merchandise
valued at S161, 500, 516, and exported to
the amount of $155355, 759. The aver
age value of her sea commerce from
1891 to 1895, inclusive, was $315, OFT
40 as compared with S317 1856, 123 for
the preceding five years, showing a
accounted for in the report of the de-
partment.
SPANS commerce is mainly maritime
it being shown that in the period first
named of all her trade only 159 per
cent was transported by land, while
S4.1 per cent went by ships. During
the earlier years of the decade 1885,
1895 more than one-half of her mari
time trade was in foreign ships, but
since 1891 Spain has greatly recovered
her carrying trade, and now the major
portion of it goes on her own bottoms.
The exports and imports in 1895 I'M
der the Spanish flag amounted to S146,-
$50, SOC, and those under the flags OF
other nations to Sill, 145, 676. From
1891 to 1895, inclusive, 20 per cent. of
SPANS foreign commerce was transact
ed with four countries, France, the
United Kingdom, the United States and
Cuba The total value of the merehan-
disc exchanged between Spain, Cuba.
Porto Rico, the Philippines and the
Canaries annually is S50.000OO0 OF
SPANS import trade in the period 1891
% the United States ranked third
among the sources of imports, we fur
nishing only 1924 per cent. of their
values. Cuba came next and Porto
Rico fifth. In the same time more than
"a per cent of her exports went to
France, 2322 to the United Kingdom.