Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-19
THE RACE FOR TRADE
Story Of American Occupation of
Manila Custom House.
IMPORTS SHOW FIERCE RIVALRY
Spaniards BewiIdered by Our Way
Of Doing Business.
HEAVY TRANSMITTING FEES

Written for The Evening Star by George Arthur
Smith. Editor American Soldier In Manila
The financial returns of the Manila Gus
tom house covering the period from August
o. the date of the American occupation of
the custom house, to December 81, 1888,
tells story Of an importation race almost
as exciting in the telling as rush for
claims on newly opened reservation.
The total revenue. in excess of expenses
and refunds, amounted to S1SS6.55S.I6
These figures are of Mexican currency or of
pesos instead of dollars, and can 50 be con-
sidered throughout the report. The duties
collected on imports were $i5o3, 473.04 and
on exports 1885, 74.20. OF these amounts
$165.s0 were collected in fines In other
words, it cost the bewildered Spaniard that
amount to catch The drift of Uncle Sans
way of doing business. The Spaniards con-
sidered our methods frightfuly complcat ted
at the start, but they now admit them SIM
pie, once one gets accustomed to them.
-Four hundred and fourteen dollars and M
ty-tive cents were collected as translation
fees 1t costs the unlucky skipper who has
SO far neglected his education as to slight
the learning of English 10 cents line for
translating every document that comes to
the custom house yelled in the mysteries
of Castelano. Thus will the language of
the conquerors prevail in time.
There were seventy seven foreign and 260
coast vessels entered MAMMA during TINS Pc
Rod Eighty foreign and Pol coast vessels
cleared for ports various in and beyond the
Philippines. These figures represent
total tonnage Of 99,047.G3 entered and S.
G92.S1 tons cleared England heads the list
of foreign traders with 61,907 50 tons regis
tered, and Norway second with ships regis
tering total of 10, 1882 tons. American
ships come next, followed by Spain, Ger
many, France, Italy and Denmark in their
order. In the coasting trade the American
nag floats proudly above old Spain herself,
which is very good example of the tickle
ness of Spains sons in thus taking up so
quickly with the new love. May it be said,
however, of few Spanish captains, and
with the honor of Spain staring US in the
race, that they preferred to sell or leave
their ships for others to command, rather
than face the odium of Old Glory at the
masthead The tonnage of vessels in coast
trade flying the American flag was "a 032 81
while that of poor but once proud Spain
summed up at paltry /, 192 10 tons, hardly
the size of a Gloucester fisherman. So
Wen sail the , seas as, with our added tons,
With knife in our teeth for the Moros we meet
tStill more of the white Mans Burden'D
Now let take a look at the importa-
ton figures. They rise and fall like a
barometer, and one can find no better
method for judging of the enterprise of
the different countries of the world than
to look at the importation barometer at
Manila for the first few months after her
occupation by Americans All INV figures
are for the period from August - to De-
cember 81, 1898.
ScOoped on Cigarette Paper.
In a country that probably smokes as
many cigarettes as a good part of the rest
OF the world put together, cigarette paper
is an item of Importance as well as of
import There are no paper mills in the
Philippines. They have depended upon
Spain almost exclusively for their cigar
cite and print paper. Wrapping paper is
evidently too expensive, for it is very sell
dom used. In August there We're 1866 kilo-
81 ans "a kilogram, or kilo, is equal to
2-2o46 pounds) arrived from Spain China
was quick to forsee paper famine and
landed 1,s95 kilos in this month, but its
owner evidently did not meet with the sue
cess hoped for. as China does not again
add fuel for the flames until December,
when she brought in 262 kilos, probably
for Chinese consumption only. In Sep
TENDER 1t seemed If the world had seen
fortune in cigarette paper, for England
jumped in with S,S13 kilos, Germany with
1852 kilos, France with 10,606 kilos and
Sam all this time? Well, in this case at
least he was ''scooped," for he did not
offer to Manila a particle of cigarette
paper during the year 1898, and thus missed
the greatest opportunity of his life in not
sending his cigarette fiends on a chase to
his new possessions for the necessary plat
ing for the odorful "coff1n-nail.'' Spain.
however, was not out of it for good. In
and followed it UP with "a, 1852 kilos in De-
cember. She may make a few more spurts
for favor in the paper market, but it is
safe to say that Uncle Sam will likely look
into this question himself bit in future.
The trade in fireworks always has, and
more than likely always will be, held by
China and Japan. 1t might, however, be
interesting to note that the importation of
fireworks amounts to quite a bit in the
course of year, in which time there are
no less than 1876 holidays which the
miniature rattle of musketry is let loose by
our newly acquired Young America. The
total importation of this article of COM
merce for the period mentioned was 6,592
kilos. or somewhat over six tons, notwith-
standing the fact that great effort WAS
made by the American authorities to sup
press this species of exuberanee in view of
the strained conditions of nerves and af
fairs
Would you believe it that Manila, the
home Of the mango, paupau, lime, lemon,
orange, banana, mountain apple. water
melon. pineapple and dozens of other fruits,
was importing fresh fruits? Well, she is,
and during the time for which l am quot
ing figures she imported no less than 141, 1927
kilos from the United States alone. Here
was not entirely ''scooped." though he was
beaten out by China, who shipped all the
rest of the fruit received, amounting to
269, 354 kilos.
Flour to the extent of ISIS, 439 kilos was
shipped from the United States, her only
competitors being China and Japan, who
shipped but 24S and PIG kilos, respectively
1t will be but short time before the Fill
pinos will discover the higher value Of our
-four as food supply over and above that
now attached to the crudely manufactured
rice product now in use.
OF the Is 5S5, 1893 kilos raw hemp exported
from Manila but 1921 kilos came back
in manufactured articles, principally from
Spain and China. This trade will undoubt-
eddy be controlled by the United States in
future.
Not for any commercial value as to trade
possibilities but simply to show their rela.
tive consumption, l want to say that 7,2oo
kilos of joss sticks are down on the re-
port l refuse to class John as stingy
when he burns up this amount of incense
to the gods in less than five months
It took 395, 449 kilos Of matches to light
Manila's cigars and cigarettes during this
time All of these came from Japan, with
the exception of 70 kilos from Enkland,
who had probably not figured on the mar
ketable value of lucferS In an atmosphere
almost cloudy from tobacco smoke.
Our Triumph In Machinery and Oil.
That the United States are going to inn
press upon the natives some of their own
mechanical genius is evident from the fact
that 8. 1O2 kilos of machinery came in from
here These figures are small, however. and
II ia gratifying to note the figures Of I'M
49, .t~t1e hon tho