The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1900-06-05
TRADE AND
The FLAG
Am eric IS Commerceis
With Its Emblem.
is A COLON ZINC POWER
The Figures Show Gain in Business
Since Uncle Sam Went
Abroad.

American control Of the Philippines,
Hawaii, cuba and Porto Rico does not
depend for its justification on any mere
balance OF dollars and cents.
We are in these islands not for gain.
but because of duty which we owe
their people. If our protection gives them
more peace. thrift, law and order than
hey had beforc-if II opens to them n
new meaning of liberty and broader
range OF enlightenment-why, then, We
nave perfectly succeeded. even If our
lew dependencies provide no new market
for a single added bale of American
goods.
We did not count the probable profit
when we sent our army ana our iieet 70
Santiago and Manila. No such Thought
was In our conscences. But where the
nag has gone commerce, almost without
effort follows There has been no or
ganized official attempt to exploit or
develop" our new dependencies. In sact,
not one of them, except perhaps Hawaii
is ready for such a thing, even II II were
In contemplation.
pines are still vcxed by factional var.
cuba has not half recovered from Span
sh devastation. Porto Rico lies under IN.
dustrial paralysis due parity TO the awiui
hurricane and partly to long but inevi-
table delay in needed legislation. In not
one of these dependencies are conditions
normal With not one OF them have
trade relations been set on permanent
basis And yet every one of them eN
hibits what under the circumstances is
an astonishing increase of commerce
with the United States.
Our imports from Cuba, according TO
the Treasury returns just published,
amounted to si9,l0O,OO0 In the first nine
months of the present fiscal year, gam
OF no less than s6.600O0O over the CORE
spending period of last year. Our exports
to Cuba in these nine months past aggre-
gated s19.6s0.090, gain of more than
s., 100000.
our imports from Porto Rico in the
first three-quarters of the present fisca.
year were valued at $T26,492. Il decrease
Of about 100000. due to accidental ana
Temporary cause.-the hurricane and the
tariff dispute in Congress. But our eN-
ports to Porto Rico in these nine months
have run up to $2,7gS.000 as compared
with sl.702,0O0 in the first thrce-Quarters
of the fiscal year 1899.
Hawaii, considering its small popula.
ton of only little over hundred thou
sand, makes n marvellous exhibit. Our
imports from the rich little Pacific archi-
peIago in the first nine months of the tis
cal year 1900 have been 100000, an in
crease of about s3,S00.000. Our exports to
Hawaii have reached $i0,2l4,00O an in
crease of more than $3,7OO,O0O:
The distant Philippines, with which oGr
trade has until now been inconsiderable,
sent us in these nine months goods val
ued at SS71,0O0. an increase of $l,10O.0O0
over tHe nine months OF year ago, ana
we shipped to the islands goods of our
own valued at s1,976,000, an increase of
s, S15,000
Taking Cuba. Porto Rico Hawaii and
the Philippines together, the Treasury
statistics prove that our imports from
them in the nine months past have been
f3s, 29, 900. an increase in round numbers
OF S9,s00, 900. or 20 per cent over the figures
of the first nine months of 1899. Our ex-
ports to these islands amounted to s34.
66S, 1000, an increase Of 1851 900, or n gain
of a little less than 40 per cent In fact,
our exports to these new dependencies
Exceeded our exports to all of South and
Central America.
This Is only an incident-not the end
Of the great national policy which has
liberated Cuba and brought the Philip
pines, Hawaii and Porto Rico beneath
the Stars and Stripes. American control
of these islands is now only In its first
tentative stages. Trade does not follow
all flags. If 1t even now follows ours. II
Is a most impressive token that our Gov
eminent and our people are fit for their
responsibilities, and that the United
States is destined to be the great colo
MIXING and tranquilizing Power of the
world.