The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-10
TRADE WITH OUR COLONIES
HEAVY INCREASE IN IMPORTS
AND EXPORTS SHOWN.
Normal Conditions of Trade Between
United States and the Islands
Have Not Yet Been Fully Restored

Washington, D. c., April 9.-Acting
Secretary of War Meiklejohn gave out
for publication today some interesting
statistics regarding the trade of the
United States with the islands of Cuba,
Porto Rico and the Philippines, prefac-
ing them by calling attention to the
fact that normal conditions of trade
have not yet been fully restored be-
tween the islands named.
The returns for February show an
increase from the islands in this coun-
try amounting to $S74,4OS, and CORE
spending increase OF exports from the
United States TO the islands of $685., 269,
as compared with the same month a
year ago.
The trade of the United States with
the Philippines, it is said, begins to
show the natural growth due to the
direction Of the attention of American
exporters to the archipelago. While
the exports from our ports to the Phil
ippine islands for February Of last
year amounted to only S1,907. for the
same month this year they are more
than nineteen times as much, being
SIS, 529. For the eight months ended
with Feb rs, 1898, they were only $685.
235, while for the cores onding period
of the present fiscal year they show
a gain of nearly 40 per cent. reaching
$I11,021. Our direct importationS from
Manila for February We're $21I,039, a
gain of nearly 30 per cent over the
same month last year. Notwithstand-
ing the decline of imports into the
United States from the Philippines dur
ing the months of active warfare, the
imports for the eight months preceding
March reacher 81. 641. 175. as compared
with 81, l02, $50 for a similar period the
year before.
Our trade with Porto Rico likewise
shows an excess of imports over eX-
ports to that island. For the eight
months of the fiscal year the imports
from Porto Rico to the United States
gained $50 004 in value over the former
year. being $685.. SS4. against S525, SSi.
OF this gain more than one-half was
in the month OF February, when the
imports Of 1899 reached $l24,61S against
$50. 1S6 for 1898.
The trade balance between this coun-
try and Porto Rico is now in favor
of our exporters, as for the same month
the exports were $26l.6ly, or Sl10, $40 in
excess of those of 1898. For the eight
months of the fiscal year the exports
amounted to 81, 326, $50, a gain of so, 596,
developed regardless of the several
months when the ports of the island
were closed to our wares and mer-
chandise
Trade with Cuba has been in the
past several times as large as our
trade with Porto Rico and the Phil
ippines combined and now is already
showing wonderful gains over the
older figures. A year ago in February,
before the war, we imported from the
island of Cuba goods valued at $685.
729. while for the same month of the
current year the figures were 81, 307, $40.
For the period of July !, 1898, to Feb.
rs. 1899 the total imports to the United
States ports from cuba were S9,11S.T71,
against S6,413,02S for the like period a
year earlier. This increase Of more
than two and three-quarters millions
mainly occurred during the last several
months when the crops were being
shipped.
The exports to Cuba have also pros
pered, those of January and February
showing an increase of over, 1000, 600
in value. For February, 1898, the mer-
chandise exported from this country 10
Cuba was valued at 81 166 IA, while for
the same four weeks of 1899 the figures
were $l.61l.S46. The aggregate worth
of the exports from the first of last
July to the end of February is given
at S1,142.949, an increase of SO per cent
over the preceding year.