The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-19

1t is worthy Of the serious thought Of
every business man and public spirited
citizen in the Northwest, that, while the
! exports of the United States to Asia
| Oceanica last year aggregated about 1884,
GOO,0O0 only a little over $200OO,OOO of ex-
ports all told found shipment via our
! Northwestern port, Puget sound; and
that, while our aggregate importations
from Pacific ocean markets reached some
where near $12SOOo,Ooo only 1921, goo ar
rived via Puget sound.
San Francisco imports We're 49,, 900, eco
and exports $34,6OO,OOO, a. decline of nearly
"A per cent in imports and about 10 per
cent in exports. But San Francisco's
imports are by no means confined to
Asia, and her exports are chiefly of
breadstuffs to Europe. The bulk of the
American trade with the Orient, there
fore, is still conducted by New York via
| the Suez canal and Cape Horn-notwith-
standing that. Puget sound is only one
third of New Yorks distance from Yoke
hama via the sEez canal and about one
fourth of the New York distance via Cape
Horn.
Why is it that the Northwest, with this
tremendous geographical advantage in its
favor, is not able to get the t. ade? Why
is it that when sSO,OOO,OO9 of exports go
out to Australasia, $1S 6OO,0 900 to Japan.
about $20O09.OO0 to the various ports Of
China, $S,0O3,00O to the East Indies, ana
100000 to the Philippines, only 100000
of exports all. told go from Puget sound,
and part even of this to Europe? Why
is it that, when our importations from
Japan alone aggregate $3O009,00O from
China nearly $50, 100000, from the East IN
6ies over $6O,OOOOoO, with $4,4OOOO0 from
the Philippines, the total imports receiy-
ed at Puget sound, the shipping port of
the Northwest, were only 6,721, $50 all
told?
Here the Northwest stands with the
shortest haul in Christendom to the mar
kets of the Orient, and yet commands
only little over 20 per cent OF the Amer
lean exports to the Orient and receives
about per cent of the importations of
the United States from the Orient! At
the same time, New York, with three
to four times the ocean time and distance
to overcome, gets the great bulk of the
American-Asiatic commerce.
What is the cause? Lack of CONNER
cial and transportation organization. We
need shipping power at Puget sound. it is
true; 'but that will come when we place
at Puget sound TIE goods to be shipped
and are ready to take care of the i'm
ports that Asia has to sell. Indeed shin
ping facilities ample to take care Of many
times the present Puget sound business
are projected and on the way. What the
Northwest requires is such an organfza-
ton of commercial and TRANSPORTATION in
terests, that will make it a commercial
power competent to cope with the de-
mands of great international commerce.
and this will require the cooperation of
all trade and traffic interests in the
Northwest toward the common. end.
Take the matter Of export demands
The largest single article reudired Of MS
by our nearest and best Asiatic CUSTOM
er, Japan, is cotton. To handle the trade
the Northwest must furnish the cotton
That freight article does not originate
within the territory of the Northern
roads; but it does originate at ST. Louis |
on the Burlington, and hence the neces-
slty of the cooperation of the Burlington, |
if We would get the Japan trade. Pack |
ing house products are the next most i'm |
portant article of export to Asia: but |
packing house products originate at Kan
sas City, Omaha, st. Joseph and st. Louis.
within the territory of the Burlington
again; while Great Northern and Northern
Pacific towns do not as yet produce suhi-
Gent for their own consumption Ehe
same may be said of hardware. machin-
cry, cotton goods and other leading sta |
pies of Oriental export demand.
But the cooperation of the burlington |
with the two Northern roads is necessary.
not only in furnishing the goods for ex
port, but in reaching territory that Will
be ample to take care of the importations
of the Orient. If Seattle, Spokane, Butte,
Helena, Fargo and Duluth are not able
to take care of the entire SIPS, OO0, COO of
Oriental importations which now find a
trade channel to New York and the At
lantic coast, we must have the co-opera-
ton of Chicago. st. Louis and Kansas
City. By cooperation with the Surfing
ton the distributing power Of the North
ern roads is extended and multiplied
until the entire Mississippi valley is made
to join in the work of opening up the
trade channel Of America with Asia