The age-herald., 1898-07-13
OUR TRADE
 WITH HAWAII

From the Chicago Times-Hersld.
 Now that the Hawaiian annexation reso- lutions have been passed by both houses of congress and the annexation of the islands is about to be accomplished the figures concerning the commercial rela- lions between the United States and the islands from the beginning to the present time have a timely interest. The commerce of the United States with the Hawaiian group extends over more than half cen- tury. Tables issued by the bureau of sta- tistics show imports from the island as carly as 1926 and exports to them as early as 1S37. The early exports. however were only occasional It was not untfl 1853 that regular shipments from this country to the islands Lssan, and in that year the value of the exports only $l.4O6. The imports at the same time were not of much greater value How our trade with the Islands has grown since then is shown in the fact that our imports from there this year will doubtless exceed s15, GOO ,OO0 and show an increase of Si,50o000 over the im- ports or last year, whereas there is a gener- al and decided reduction of imports from other parts of the world.
 
 Since .1S76 when reciprocity treaty was adopted, the United States has enjoyed a large share of the commerce of the Ha- waiian group. Prior to the adoption of that treaty the annunal sales of the United States to the islands never reached $1 1OO0,- GOO. save in two exceptional cases In 1877. the year following the adoption of the treaty, the $l 900 900 mark was passed per- manently, and since then American exports to the islands have grown steadily year by year. In 1879 the g 0oO 900 mark was permanently passed. In 1890 the amount was $4000,000, and in 1898 if the present rate be sustained, tho value of our Ha- waiian shipments will considerably exceed $6,000O00
 Of the total imports by the islands in 1875 a little over one-third were from the United States. The $1 900 GOO worth of goods from this country in 1877 was one-half of the total amount imported by the islands When, in 1884. the islands took s4 ,5eo 900 worth of imports of the amount. Of the s6,962ooo imported in 1890 the United States sent S,n1,OO0 worth, and in 1S96, when the islands imported $6,O63000 werth $4eO00o0 We're shipped from the United States
 If the United States has sent to. Hawaii the larger part of it's imports it has also taken much greater percentage of it's ex- ports than has any other country. In 1875 only about 57 per cent. of the exports from the islands paid duty at Uncle Sam's cus- tom houses. In 1S77 the year following the adoption of the reciprocity treaty, more than 80 per cent. of Hawaii's exports came to the United States, and the proportion has been about the same ever since that time. Summing it up: Of the $2OO, 900 900 worth of exports from the Hawaiian is- lands since the. reciprocity treaty of 1876 more than $1S0 000,0 900 worth have come to mi tpl nd of thn worth of imports into the Hawaiian group more than $70,0Oo,o0O worth were from the United States.
 Sugar, of course, is and has been the chief article of export from the islands though rice has been for years an item of consider able value. During recent years coffee, pineapples and bananas have taken 1m- portant rank in the eXporta tions of the country. Of the $15,500 OG0 worth of exports during 1896, S5 900 worth was sugar. The principal other exportatons were 5,OO0,O0O pounds of rice, 225,o00 pounds of coffee, 126,- 900 punches of bananas and 15O,0O0 pine apples. During the last few years the in- crease in the exportation of sugar and cof- fee has been very rapid, the coffee exports growing from 5,300,000 pounds in 1887 to 22.- 25oO00 pounds in 1896, and sugar from 212,- 000000 pounds in 1887 to little than twice that amount ten years later.
 One peculiarity of our trade with Hawaii during the last twenty years has been the tendency toward reduction in the number of articles produced from there. In 1876 the list of exported Hawaiian articles included besides sugar and rice, wool tallow, molas- ses, peanuts, hides, goat skins, sheep skins, whale oil, whalebone, ivory, salt, sperm oil and many others. At present, sugar, coffee, rice, pineapples and bananas are the prin- clpal articles of export, though the total value of the exports in 1896 was six times +l,aA q .lzaax, fIn rintxr Af ntft o1n was much more numerous.