Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-04-18
COMMERCE Of PACIFIC
UNITED STATES HOLDS
SPLENDID ADVANTAGES
Gains Made In Trade With the Orient
Have Been Marvellous Manila and
Honolulu strategic Trade
Points.

Washington. April 4.-"The Com
merCe of the paCinC' Is the subject OF
an address by q. p. Austin, Chief OF
the bureau OF Statistics, delivered be-
fore the National Geographic Society at
the Columbia theater IN Washington,
Wednesday afternoon, April 2. 1t is
Oniy III recent years, MIR. Austin said,
that the people OF the United States
nave turned their attention seriously
10 the consideration of foreign com.
mcrCe. The development OF our own
country through the construction OF
railways ana the opening OF the inter-
ior which followed has occupied the at
tentiun OF the capitalists and those en-
gagged in commerce and production. but
now. with the great development which
has followed and the power Of produc-
ing in excess of the demands of our
own population. there Is a general de-
sire to find new markets abroad for the
products of the field, the forest, the
mine, and the workshop. Such mar
kets have already been found in Euro
DttH tOulllIltS, NulCu are easily az
ccss'ble and which are the natural
market for our surplus foodstuffs and
materials for use in manufacturing,
but the fact that there exists on the
other side of the Pacific a market now
consuming n hundred million dollars
worth of products per month, or one
billion. two hundred millions every
year, and chiefly of the kind Of goods
which the United States produces and
desires to sell. makes the question OF
the commerce of the Pacific an cspe-
cially interesting one at this time.
American Disadvantages.
Up to this time the United States has
been at a decided disadvantage in the
attempt to invade the markets of the
Orient, because the great commercial
nations of Europe lie so much nearer
to that market and are provided with n
direct means Of water communication.
The fact that the great producing cen
tiers Of the United States still lie in the
eastern section of the country and that
their products must either cross the
tied states by rail, or travel an
enormous distance by water, in passing
from the eastern coast to the markets
of Asia and the Orient has rendered
that market difficult one for Ameri-
can exporters.
Wonderful Gains Made.
The all-water routes from New York
to the Orient aIe from 1000 to 5000
miles longer than those from London
to the great markets on the eastern
/ coast Of Asia, being about 1880 miles
against a little over 10000 miles from
London; while the route from New
/ York TO the Orient around South AM
I erica and across the Pacific Is 5000
miles long, the shortest route icing
half way round the earth at Its greatest
diameter and that by way Of South
America and the Pacific twO-rhirds oil
the distance around the world m
spite. however, of this disadvantage
under which the United States laDors
as CUmpaI ed with other countries, II
has made much more rapid gains in
the commerce with the Orient than any
other nation. our exports to the Orient
having grown from $4,000, 600 in 1891
to $ll5,OOOO 600 in 1901, an increase OF
/ $50 per cent; while the total exports
were increasing but 80 per cent. Our
imports from the Oriental countries
increased during the same time from
$lO5 100000 to $lG2 .OOC, 900, an increase
of over 80 per cent, while the total inn
ports of the country were increasing
but 10 per cent. An examination of the
commerce of other nations with the
Orient shows that that of the United
( States has grown with much greater
rapidly than the other countries com
peting for that commerce. Taking the
. commerce of the Orient at decenniaI