The evening times., 1899-09-15
TRADE WITH VENEZUELA.
Growing Popularity of American
Goods I'm That Country.

| GroWfnE Popularity of American
Goods I'm That Country.
The special attention that has been at
tracted to Venezuela within the last few
days by reason ofsevents transpiring in that
republic. lends interest to a statement just
prepared by the Treasury Bureau of Sta
| fistics showing the commerce of the United
States with Venezuela during a term of
years and the growing popularity of goods
| from this country as testified to by the
British Minister to Venezuela.
venezuelan imports now amount to near
| ly $15,G00,C0 annually, having grown from
81, 6G9 in 1870 to S12 2053, ,502 in 1887, and
, $13, 241, GOO in 1897. The United States fur
| nished in 1870 37.24 per cent of the imports
of Venezuela; in 1887, it furnished 3042 per
cent, and in 1897, 1886 per cent. The ex-
| ports to Venezuela from the United States
lave not made the progress that they have
TO other parts of the world. In 1890, they
were $4,o2s,5S3; in 1895, $3.740,4 ,464, and in
1899. 50. .S51,634.
Just what Is the cause of the falling OF
in exports from the United States to Vene-
zuela and in the percentage which the Unit
ed States furnishes of Venezuelan imports
,, is the more difficult to understand in view
OF the fact that foreign testimony indicates
that goods from the United States are par
ticularly popular. A statement sent to the
British foreign Office By the British Minis
ter at Cafacas.' w. H. d. Haggard, discuss
ing the relative popularity of American
goods in Venezuela compared with those OF
European production says:
While this year there has been a very
i large general decline in the imports into
the port of La Guaira, and the proportion
or this decline in English goods has been
1ar how hot ,f Ty,tt
States, amounting in the former to more
than one-fourth, while in the case Of the
latter It only amounts to about one tenth,
the manager OF the Caracas and La Guaira
l1ne-an English corporation-tells me that
, he does not attribute this to the fact that
! the imports CT the British goods, in which
there is competition between Great Britain
and the United States, has declined in a
greater ratio than that of American goods
| OF the same nature. but rather to the want
of purchasing power. which has prevented
the import Of British goods more than 1t
has that OF American, for the former con-
sist chiefly of articles which the people
| cannot manage to do without Cotton
cloths even, for instance are not an alb
solute necessity in this climate for the
mass OF the population, while American
imports, although they have been affected
also. have not felt this influence to the
cles of the prime necessities OF existence,
such as flour and other foodstuffs.
The question of American competition
Will, / imagine, be more serious in The flu
ture. American manufacturers have hith-
erto found a sufficient market in the Uni
ted States. 1t is only lately that they have
seen their production larger than their To-
cal demand. and that they have conse-
quently begun to export in any large guam
titles. 1t Is to be expected that the impetus
given by the result of the war, and the
consequent realization of the fact of the
existence of other markets besides the
United States will increase this effect. II
may, indeed, be said to have already done
so. The countries which will feel this first
will naturally be those on the same conti-
nent.
Great Britain, however. not only holds
the bulk of the trade, but can. when an
Intelligent manufacturer is found, under
sell German and American made goods. A
very experienced commercial agent told
me last December that he mad within the
previous twelve months undersold certain
German made drills at prices varying from
8 to 10 per cent below German quotations.
and that he had within the previous six
weeks sent home orders for these goods
amounting TO over $4,000, which for one
class of goods from small market like
this was large amount, especially In view
of the fact that twelve morths
before, these goods were not
made in England. He added
that other travellers were also selling thCnl
SO that during the year a. large business
will have been taken away from Germany
by Great Britain, thus reversing the state
CT things so long complained of. This
gentleman also stated to me that they had,
moreover, beaten the Americans in drills,
which the latter had hitherto supplied, so
that Great Britain Is nov selling 10 lhis
country rs per. cent Of ali printed drills
imported here, whiel formerly all came
from the States"
The foi owing war, tl9 exports TO Vs'nez-
uela from the United States i'll each year
from 1889; to 1899: 1889. SO. 7SS, ,9s1; 1880.
s4,02S $685.; 1891, s4.7S4, $50; 1892, s4,O49, ,1s5;
1893. s4,207. Col; 1894, s4.137 .163; 1895. s3.-
740.464: 1896. $3.s3S,746: 1897, s3,417,522;
1898, $2,746.26T; 1899, s2,S51,63