The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-10
TRADE is INCREASING
Heavy Exports to Cuba, Porto
Rico and the Philippines.
SHOWS WONDERFUL GAINS
Fifty Per Cent Increase in Imports From
Manila, Although Normal Trade
Conditions Have Not Yet
Been Restored.

Washington, April 9.-Acting secre-
tary of War Meiklejohn gave out for
publication to-day some interesting
statistics regarding the trade Of the
United States with the islands of Cuba.
Porto Rico and the Philippines, pre-
facing them by calling attention to the
fact that normal conditions of trade
nave not yet been fully restored be-
tween the islands named. The returns
for February show an increase Of i'm
ports from the islands in this country
amounting to 374,4oS, and. a CORES
ponding increase of exports from the
United States to the islands of S693. 269
as compared with the same month a
year ago.
The trade of the United States with
the Philippines, it is said begins to
snow the natural growth due to the 1-
rection of the attention of America,
exporters to the archipelago While the
exports from our ports to the Philip
pines for February of last year
amounted to only S1,907, for the same
month this year they are more than 10
times as much, being $19,529. For the
eight months ended with February Is.
1898, they We're only $69,235, while for
the corresponding period of the pres
emit fscal year they show a gain of
nearly 10 per cent, reaching $117,O21.
Oar direct importations from Manila.
Tor February were s277,O33, a gain of
nearly 90 per cent over the same month
last year. Notwithstanding the decline
OF imports into the United States from
the Philippines during the month Of
active warfare, the imports for the
eight month preceding March reached
s2,64l,17o, as compared with s2,1O2.Ss9
for 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 $60,604 in value over the former
year, being s5S5,sS4, against s525,SS4 OF
this gain more than one-half was in
the month Of February, when the i'm
ports of 1899 reached $124,61S, against
SS9,1s7 for 1898.
The trade balance with this country
and Porto Rico is now in favor of our
exporters, as for the same month the
exports were $267,619, or $17o,545 in ex-
cess of those of 1885, For the eight
months of the fiscal year, the exports
amounted to $1.326596, a gain of $12,5S
developed regardless of the several
months when the ports of the island
were closed to our wares and merchan-
disc.
Trade with Cuba has been in the past
several times as large as our trade with
Porto Rico and the Philippines COM
bined, 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 So, 059, 729, whila
for the same month of the current year
the figures were $2,307, $40 For the
period of July /, 1898, to February 2e.
1885, the total imports to the United
States ports from Cuba were $9,17S,779,
against $6,413,02S 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 a million
dollars in value. For February 1898,
the merchandise exported from this
country to Cuba was valued at Sligo
744, while for the same four weeks of
1899 the figures were 1871, 846. The ag-
gregate worth of the exports from the
first OF last July to the end of February
is given at $1,142,949, an increase of SO
per cent over the preceding year.