The times., 1899-10-16
THE TRANSyAAES COMMERCE.
Probable Effect of the wnr on Trade
With Americn.

With America.
| Some indication Of the prospective effect
of the Transyaal war upon the commerce
Of the United States with South Africa Is
found in the facts recently presented by
the Treasury Bureau of Statistics in its
monograph entitled Commercial Africa in
1899 This shows that the imports OF the
Transvaai in 1897 were, according to the
best estimates. over 500. 900, 600. OF which
about $S5,O00O0O were from Great Britain.
SlS.5oe.o0o from the United States. $1,000
600 from Germany and the remainder from
Belgium, Holland, and France.
All of these importations reach the Re-
public, which has no seapoTts, through the
ports of Cape Town. Port Elizabeth, Port
/ Alfred, and East London. in Cape Colony;
Durham, in Natal: and Lourenco Marquee.
in Portuguese East Africa. The direct i'm
portations into the Transvaal through Cape
| Colony in 1897 were $50. .S63,572. and
through the other ports of Cape Colony
probably an equally large amount, those
| through Durham and other ports in Natal
$11,3S9.o42, and those through Lourenco
Marquee in Portuguese territory, SI2, 1886,
| 237. In addition TO this, large quantities
of goods imported into Cape Colony, Natal
and Portuguese East Africa for consump-
ton in those economies were afterward sold
I for consumption in the Transyaal, thus
making up the grand total Of over S100 O0e,
eco.
| 1t will be observed from this statement
that up TO the present time the importa-
I ton Of goods into the Transvaal has large
ly passed through the British ports OF Cape
/ Colony and Natal, which will now be
/ closed against commerce for that State,
hue rt1- ot1 10, of
supplies which the large population there
! located must continue TO have. The clos
| ing of these ports will compel the Beers
either to obtain their supplies of imports
| through Portuguese territory or else live
| upon what they can obtain from their own
/ territory and that OF the colonies which
I they may invade, since both the South At
rican Republic and the Orange Free State
are surrounded by British territory on
/ every side except at the east, where Por-
! tuguese East Africa intervenes between
/ the Boer States and the Indian Ocean. The
/ total value of goods in transit for the
! South African Republic and the Orange
| Free State passing through Portuguese
/ East Africa in 1897 was in round terms
/ s14 coo, Geo. and the exports from the United
/ States to Portuguese East Africa amounted
/ in 1897 to 81. 500. GOO, and in 1898 TO 1881.
I 600. OF this expectation from the United
/ States. the very large proportion was
/ breadstuffs. amounting to 81 227 600; man
ufaetures OF cotton, S13.S11 manufactures
/ Of iron and steel, S15T,543; Illuminating
| oil, 41G,620 gallons: breadstuffs. s103, ,813;
/ manufactures Of wood. 2.iS9. and man
| ufactures of tobacco. $4.5S2. As the very
| large proportion of the goods reaching the
! ports of Portuguese East Africa last year
/ was transhipped to the Transvaal. it may
/ be assumed that practically all of the
/ goods above named were for that territory.
AS already indicated. however the
| Transyaal has up to this time taken large
share of its imports from and through the
/ British colonies of Cape Colony and Natal
I Imports into the Cape of Good Hope from
| the United States in 1897 amounted TO over
I $40, .000 out of total OF sS6. coo 900,
| and of this probably one-half was intended
for consumption in the Trsnsvaal- The i'm
! ports into Natal from the United States in
1897 amounted TO SS.2000c0. out of a TO al
| of $50, ,e00,e eco, and it is probable that con-
siderable share of this was destined for
! the TFansvaal, since the rail distancs from
! the chief port of Natal to the Tiansvaal is
much less than that through the ports OF
] Cape Colony.
What the general effect OF the war will
! be upon the commerce of the United Sta es
| with the South African Repab c, which
has become BY reason of its mining indEs
! tries and population so large consumer
viii naturally be a subject OF some spec
ulation. AS already indicated, fully four
| nfths of the imports into the Transvaal in
/ 1887 came from Great Britain. the total
importation from Great Britain in that
/ year being estimated at 17,012, coo. or
/ $50, ,50S. .OC0, while the next largest source
of importations was the United States,
| from which the importations are estimate
at e2.747 ,0of, or $l3. 323. .000