New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-06-25
WEST INDIAN TRADE.
CLOSE COMMERCIAL RELATIONS DE-
TWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND
BRITISH COLONIES.
GRy TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUSEl


washington June 24-The fact that reciprocity
,roatv intended to bring portion OF the Die -
West Indies into closer commercial reia .ha,
tho United States has just been sigheu a ,
others OF that group OF islands are suEse'"e e .,
liar arrangements, lends interest 10 " - iii
tables which the Treasury Bureau OF o'"'I'' -
prescnt I'm the forthcoming number Oh i''e 49,
~ Commerce and Finance. These sho" '"a' ~
er,,t semi-circle OF hundreds OF ISLANDS ""s'
stretch from the southern coast OF rIo'''" -
eastern coast OF Venezuela, having d"
nearly one hundred thousand square ""'e0 -
population Of 100000 has an annual co'"'"' -,
$3.50 900 While the events or the last year nav,
brought the most important OF these, CUBA anu
Porto Rico into closer relations with the Oniteu
States these events have been quickly ioho"eu "
suggestions for closer relation on the part u
others Of the group. which naturally Iooh w Wv
United States as the nearest market IN "h'o" ~
dispose of their products and from which 10 W.
tain their supplies 49,, am
OF this great chain OF Islands. connec',"6 80
tinent with continent. Great Britain controls w 80.
the largest number. The Bahamas, which S' -
southeasterly from Florida almost 10 foi'o 49,
with twenty inhabited and scores OF uiiiiiiao
islands have been under British conSroi sinee no
and M the close of the Revolutionary war peca'ne
the home Of many families of Enghsh Ioyai9.'
from the south Of the United states II"
GROUP Just east OF Porto Rico, Is parity ui,u.'
troll OF Great Britain. The long line oi i''''' ,
east coast of South America, touching b'''i'"
C,,o,o on tho mainland are mostly under the con-
troll ~ the United Kingdom. while Jamaica ana t'ie
Cayman Islands. lying south OF Cupa anu p'i.''"
Honduras on the adjacent mainland Oh Ce",'"
America are likewise part OF Greater pi''"'i'
Thus the large proportion of the semi-eire'e 70
Islands swinging from the coast Of Central Amer
Tea past the southern point Of Florida 10 tne 'oi
eastern point Of South America emitting Cuod anu
Porto Rico is under British control. .,
The British colonies thus lying commeroias -
acent TO the United States at the SOUTH nlc'uui's
those on the mainland of Central ana oouth ''o
lea have an area of over l250O0 square nlee ai,u
a nonulaton of nearly two million. ana their Ptmn
chases from abroad amount annuaIy u n' az I'M
100000 in value and their exports 10 a,nf ' fr"its
Their PRODUCTIONS are chiefly sugar uopicai IIuiI
coffee cacao and fbres the importatiohs Oh "r mn
10 the United States are large wniie tle'T anu PTn
chascs are chiefly breadstuffs, clothing, mannu
featured goods mineral oils coal lumber ana
articles of which this country Is iaFBe SiS 900 .
At present sales to them amount 70 apou! 90
or" ye whin mDorts from them amount about
S15OOO,OOO annually or nearly 40 per cent Vi 'ei
While the abolition of slavery in the British West Ho.s
Indies in 1872 the French West ss sRd f9lowed by
the development in Europe Of beet sugar produGnlor
and expectation reduced TIE area ncrossad a the
same time the variety Of the tropical prousEc oS
which they have to Offer ~ gghc Gr bey
nually purchase from the temperate zone one pr,,isb
we se G indies are cotton goods dried fish flour
meats. rice. lumber hardware, furniture and other
| manufactures. In 1897 Jamaica imported cotton
goods worth s1o37!9 fish; $500 6s2 hQnr S9 sS7a
and rice Sl96 1872. Trinidad imported; Flour Solo
9G9 textiles 81 500 IN rice s724 OBS The Bahamas
imported: Cotons Sla9l5; flour sl2569 o Bar ri
does Imported: Cotons s6i02t6; flour s2sl 4g2 rice.
| $50: fish. $40i.277. St Lucia imported Cot,
tons $113,4 -four. $50, 400 St. Vincent imported
! -four worth $41 9O1. The Leeward Islands imported
cottons worth $20S4 22 and -four worth s2s ~ and
| Grenada imported -four 10 the value OF sll269s
| The British West Indies whole imported from
Great Britain In 1897 merchandise valued at $50
1876 OF which S2,1535II consisted OF cottons S'os,-
| $50 OF apparel, $50.0SS Of leather and saddiery'
| SG44 s31 of iron and S231, AZ of machinery
| The exports from the British West Indies consist
| OF sugar moasses. coffee. cocoa spices and pltch
! and other btumnous products Trinidad exported
in 1897 sugar valued at s2Gl3s3l cocoa. S2941 $50;
molasses So 6ST. Jamaica exported; sugar, SosS'-
| 647: rum. SAT- 976: coffee Ss0J,3I6. Barbados:
| Sugar S2.l174lS; molasses. S4iS9!G- St vincent
! Sugar SPA j43; arrowroot. Sl6,3IG. Grenada:
| Cocoa sGl5 jo2: spice. s65.7l2. ST. Lucia: Sugar.
/ $3.50 OfO: cocoa $50 400 Leeward Islands: Sugar.
s11i0J11. The total exports from the British West
| Indies TO Great Britain in 1897 were SIOI1 .43I,
siG4s III being sugar $774.527 rum $2,039,0H cocoa
and s2S3 pol dye woods.
The total imports and exports of the British
West Indies I'm 1897 were as follows: