The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1898-09-24
NEW TRADE ~ ;IE,;.
SOUTH AFRICA OFFERS US =
PROMISING FIELD.
IL Already tho Incrense-seDort OF
Consul General stowe Shows United
states Arc Steadily Growing u
Favor. .

Not only is it true. as asserted BY
! Consul General Stowe in his long re-
| port to the state department on the inn
ports into South Africa, made from
| Cape Town, that trade in that region
| has untold posi- bilities, and that one
| of its obvious features at present is
the foothold gained by United States
| goods, but it is also true that the trade
of this country with the British and
Dutch communities Of southern Africa
| tends to weld together in a common
brotherhood the peoples who are in
| terested in the trade and to strengthen
| the bonds that bind them in sentiment.
! These are the worlds freest and. pos
| eib1y, happiest communities. 1t Is,
therefore, a matter of deep interest to
the lover Of free government on the
original Teutonic model. as we'll as to
the enterpristng trades.nan and manu-
facturer, that the commerce OF this re-
public with South Africa is largely on
the increase and already has reached
a highly respectable stage of Develop
ment.
The trade of the United States is
! mainly in food stuffs. Among the ar
ticles mentioned as having held their
own in the last year are electrical
goods and appliances. steel and iron.
| galvanized iron, tools. hoes, forks
hardware, silver-plated ware, furnl-
ture and window glass. An improved
demand for drilling and hosting ma
chinery and oil and gas engines Is
noted. England, it is stated. sent more
goods in 1897 than ever before. En-
glish shippers urge that they are not
On the same footing with Americans
and Germans. They hope that prefer
entail rates to American shippers will
be withdrawn.
The imports into South Africa aggre-
gated last year 1929, 15O.12S Of which
Cape Colony took $S7,14S,927. This
trade came from the following coun-
tries: Great Britain and possessions.
$3S, SIC, 1862; United States, $13.151 OH;
Germany, $5,122, 73s: other competing
countries. $15.745,291; foreign coun-
tries. not competitive, $6,460, 6G5.
Germany is preparing to foster her
trade. initiating the United States in
classes Of goods and methods Of pack
ing. Her proportional trade at De-
1agoa Bay is shown to be large. She
sends to South Africa monthly trade
and export journal, in order to make
known German industry and prove it's
ability to compete with all civilized
nations. British manufacturers are
calling attention to the attractive ad-
vertising of Americans.
In the trade with the United States
the principal increases stated in the
table are flour. lard. clocks and
watches, cotton manufactures and
raw tobacco. Timed beef, agricultural
implements, sewing machines. hides
and bacon show a decrease. The
heavy lots of cattle and crops caused
loss of importations of implements.
vehicles, etc. The table of items OF
merchandise imported from this coun-
try is three pages and a half long OF
fine type and embraces a large num-
Der of articles.
Mr.. Stowe is surprised at the small
imports of fish, particularly cured fish,
such as mackerel, salmon, halibut, etc.
He thinks the Americans should have
the glue trade of South Africa. With
large apple crops, Americans send no
cider. England furnished all the malt.
How much of this, says Consul Gen
eral Stowe. was made from barley sent
from the United States? OF wire fenc-
ing, produced SO largely in the United
States, England sent twice as much as
this country. And SO on. Bacon and
other salt-cured meats are imported
from the United Kingdom in the ratio
or ten to one as compared with the
United States. Yet the bulk of raw
meat came from the latter
The United States, the great silver
producing country, sent only about
Great Britain's nearly $4,000. 1t is
pretty much the same way as to man
ufactured tobacco and worse as to
whisky, by comparison with the United
kins dom.
The total imports of Cape Colony
for 1897 were $31. 2i4.4 for 1898,
$27,767,748. The exports were respec-
lively $2S.441 5i9 and $37.CG4, SIS
The total exports Of woo,e2s from
don, Ii-ol Iva Z,
and Cape Town. Of which the last
named exported less than any. were,
for 1897. sO,s23,327 pounds--nearly sew
entoan thousand pounds less than 1896.
The revenue of Natal for 1897 was
$1O769, 1925; expenditures. 81 oO3.033.
The value of the i'm ports was $29.139.-
1876, against S2S.4G3. $50 in 1895. The
exports were ST .S93,122. They were, in
1896, SIS, 6SS,527 The decrease is cred
tied to the rindeIpest, locusts and
drought.