The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-06
TRADE WITH THE ISLANDS.
PRODUCING AND CONSUMING row.
Err or NEW POSSESSIONS.

Err or NEW POSSESSIONS.
Can he Made to Furnish All the
Tropical Products Imported Into
the United states ana 70 Con-
sumo vast Amounts Homc Goods.
Special Dispatch to the Observation-Disclosures.
WASHINGTON, Jan. Scuba, Porto
Rico, the Hawaiian, Philippine and Samoan
islands; their commerce, conditions ara
producing and consuming power, Il the sub
ject of monograph Just issued by the
treasury bureau Of statistics. In response
to the renewed demand for information
regarding those islands. In this volume,
two previous editions OF which have been
entirely exhausted, an effort has been made
to picture the present physical conditions.
as well as the presentation of statistics OF
commerce and the prospective producing
and consuming power of the islands. Their
present consuming power Is estimated IN
round terms at $100.00o.000 about equally
divided between the products OF agriculture
and manufactures. The imports into Cuba
IN 1899. when normal conditions Of prosper
ity prevailed. were $52.1ol,6 S2; those Of
Hawaiian islands in 1885, 81, $50. $50; Of the
Philippine islands III 1895, $zS.s15.076. while
those OF the Samoan islands In 1895 wore
$418, S40 the chief commercial value Of those
islands being as harbor and port OF re-
pair, refuge and supplies.
The exports Of the islands have. In years
of prosperity, exceeded considerably their
imports. In 1892 Cuba's exports were $751;
O1s ,22S, against $50, 101, 6s2 OF imports: those
- - Z tulo RI In,
against y11 ,850,s00 OF imports. and those OF
the Philippines In 1896. sss, 4S1. 49,, against
$2S 49, 75 of imports Porto Rico's exports
usually about equal her imports, the densf-
ty OF population in that island requiring
large importations Of manufactures and
the agricultural products of the temperate
gone. The expectations Of these islands
consist chiefly Of sugar. tobacco. coffee.
tropical fruits and in the case of the Phil
ippines, hemp. From Cuba the sugar cx-
ports under normal conditions formed full
ly four-nfths of the total value of articles
exported. From the Hawaiian islands eu-
gar forms probably nine-tenths OF the total
expectations. From the Philippines exports
OF sugar and hemp are about equal In
value, together forming about four-flfths
OF the normal expectations; while rom
Porto Rico coffee Is the largest item OF ex.
more than three times as great IN value
as sugar, and forming considerably more
than one-hah the total exports of the
Islands.
Their Producing Capacity.
In Porto Rico the coffee producing area
may be very materially Increased by the
Introduction Of roads and facilities for
reaching the interior Of the island and
transporting Its products to the coast, large
areas in the mountainous portions Of the
island being capable of producing coffee OF
high quality so soon as they can be brought
under cultivation and their products trans
In cuba coffee was at ono time the prin-
cipal source Of wealth, the value Of It's
product having reached during the early
part OF the century about szO,oOoooo ss n
iished by the French refugees from Santo
Domingo. After their expulsion the
plantations passed into the HANDS :, Of the
mated that there were at one time six
coffee estates to one OF sugar. coffee
plantations containing from 900 600 to
land prior to 1880, when the decline in the
price of coffee led to the Introduction Of
sugar growing The tobacco o,prr Ss
terially Increased, while the hemp pro-
duction Of the Philippines may be dou-
bled with proper facilities for Transports
ton.
The great increase in areas devoted to
the production Of coffee. especially in
Brazil and Central America, has ma
lowered lowered prices. which Is Illustrated BY the
fact that in the United States the average
import price OF coffee has declined from u
pound In in 1855. In sugar production simi-
lar conditions prevail. The rapid devel-
opment. Of the beet sugar industry has
resulted n married. and o nTcs o. meet
about two-thirds of the worlds sugar
supply is now from beets. thus greatly
reducing the price Ct sugar; TN. This rednc Nc
United States the average import price
of sugar has fallen from sos cents. In
1878 to 81 cents in 1897. Somewhat similar
which has recently encountered strong
competition from sisal and from jute,
whose production and use in certain lines
creased Thus. while the producing area
of these islands may be greatly enlarged,
1t can scarcely be expected that the prices
obtained in earlier years for their princi-
pal products will again be realized.
Can Furnish Our Imports.
All of the principal products Of these
islands are largely imported into the
United States and seem likely to continue
indefinitely among our largest items of
importation. OF our total importations
of the fiscal year 1899 sugar amounted to
1874 1854 120; coffee, S55, 275 470 fibers $40 300-
oss; fruits and nuts. s,314,2os; crude rub
Der and tropical products, $31 ,S75,207; raw
silk, with which successful experiments
has been made In Cuba and the Philip
pines, s32,479,627; while numerous other
products of the island. including tea,
cabinet woods, gums: indigo and spices,
amount to many millions of dollars. The
average annual importation of tropical
products into the United States exceeds
$3.50. 100000. and nearly all of them may
be produced in the islands in question.
AT present the total imports of these
islands amount to about sl00,000,000. that
of Cuba in 1892 being s52 101, $50; the Philip
pines in 1896, $685. sis, 075; the Hawaiian Is
lands in 1898, $l1, Csc, 800, and Porto Rico in
1896, $3.65e.57S. Their importation are al
ready being stimulated by recent develop
exports from the United States to the
Hawaiian islands In the fiscal year 1899
amounted to $9,305.470, against $5,907,15 In
81 in 1893. against 1855, 65s in 1898. and
IS, 2597 76 in 1897: and to Porto Rico, 3d.
6S5 S4S in 1899, against 81. sos 946 In 1898, and
sl,ssssss in 1887 With increased produc-