The Grit-advocate., 1901-03-29
GREAT COFFEE PORT.
NEW YORK LEADS IN THIS
IMPORTATION.
Nine Tsnths of All the Coffee Used In
the United States Enters at That
City-We Arc Nation of Coffee
Drtnksrs.

The increased American demand for
tropical and subtropical products forms
marked striking feature Of American
import trade as indicated in the most
recent monthly summary issued by
the Treasury Department. Such i'm
ports of tropical and subtropical prod
ucts now amount to $3.50 100000 per
annum, including sugar tea, coffee.
cocoa, spices, fruits, rubber, cork,
rice, nuts, indigo, olive oil and ivory.
The largest item of such commerce
is sugar, and tea and coffee follow.
New York Citys commercial suprem-
acy as the chief coffee port of the west
ern hemisphere was unsuccessfully
challenged some years ago by Balti-
more, port nearer the sources Of cof-
fee supply, and it has again, but less
seriously. been challenged by New Or
leans. The in portation of coffee into
the United States are to the amount
of 80O,000,000 pounds a year. of which
6O0,O00,O00 arr shipments from Brazil,
two-thirds of the whole amount. From
other South American countries 90,-
100000 pounds are shipped to the
United States from Central America
100000 from Mexico 10000 900. from
the East Indies direct 100000 and
from the East Indies via European
ports as much more. The United
States is one of the great coffee-con-
suming countries of the world and the
Importance Of coffee as an article of
commerce Is considerably enhanced by
the fact that in addition to the large
amounts Of it imported into the
United States for domestic consump-
ton there is a trade of $3,000,000 a
year reshipped from this country to
European ports, chiefly France, Ger
many ind Holland. Until a year ago
80 per cent of the imports of foreign
coffee were to the city of New York,
which received 100000 bags. the an
nual average Of New Orleans being
800 900. Of Baltimore 200, 900 and of San
Francisco 150, 900. No other American
cities tmport coffee in any appreciablc
amount. and the disparity between
New York and its three competitors
Is so large as to preclude the notion
that New York's lead can at any time
be seriously challenged. In behalf OF
New Orleans. the claim is made that
freigh. rates from Brazil to New Or
leans are about one-half the rates to
New York The extension of Amers-
can influence over Cuba and Porto
Rico has had the effect of stimulat-
Ing closer commercial relations with
those two islands, both of which are
coffee producers, and the facilities OF
delivery Of coffee in New Orleans are
greater than in New York, besides which
sundry western trunk lines have made
New Orleans their harbor terminus
for the shipment Of American grain
and merchandise to foreign cot ntries
and retIrn, and the delivery there Of
coffee for shipment to the cities of the
far and middle west would thus be
faLilitat ed. New York has its coffee
exchange, and this city shares with
Havre and Hamburg only its impor-
tance as shipping port for coffee
New Orleans. though nearer than New
York is to Brazil. is not in such good
connection with European ports and,
moreover. the largest coffee consum-
Ing states are on the Atlantic seaboard,
and of all these states (since Baltimore
ceased to be factor in the merket)
New York is the great distributing
point.-New York Sun