The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-26
EXPORTS OF THE NORTHWEST.

Gals of the G. A. r. responsible for it.
EXPORTS OF THE NORTHWEST.
a year ago are being fulfilled, and the
Northwest begins to forge to the front
in reaching the trade Of the Orient.
For the fiscal year ending June 80,
1902, Puget Sound holds the banner
over all other customs districts of the
United States in both the percentage
and volume of increase in exports as
compared with the previous year.
In a year when the total volume Of
American exports shrinks over $780,
100000, or about s per cent, the exports
Of Puget Sound show up with an in
crease of 65 per cent!
There were only eight ocean and
gulf ports of the United States that
showed any material increase in ex-
ports for the fiscal year just closed,
as compared with the year before; and
Puget Sound easily led the others
indeed, in percentage and volume of
It'll Cct0C w dS 81 1dE III Lie l0du DIS To
be without competitors for that honor
The eight ports which gave increase
were: Philadelphia, Newport News,
Fernandina, Pensacola and Port
$1,00o,O00 increase; Willamette, Or,
with $1,75O,OoO; San Francisco,
with a little over $3,50O,OOO in
crease; while Puget Sound presents
a net advance of over $4,000, OOO That
is to say, the export increase Of Puget
Sound was greater than that of all the
other seven ports which showed any
increase.
AS compared with Puget Sounds
export increase of $13,ooO,O0O, New
York and Boston fell off about $40,-
100000 each, Baltimore about $25,0OO,-
600 and New Orleans SIS, 100000. The
three Pacific orts-Willamette, San
Francisco, and Portland-were the
only customs ports of the United
States which showed substantial in
crease in volume of export trade dur
ing the fiscal year, and the bulk of the
Pacific gain was at Puget Sound.
Specially significant is the large ex-
port growth at Puget Sound as com
pared with San Francisco. The com
parison proves that the 1,250-mile
shorter ocean haul possessed by Pu-
get Sound in reaching Asiatic mar
kets, as compared with the San Fran
cisco-Honolulu route, is beginning to
show in the export statistics
By reason of the dominant influence
of Hawaiian sugar as factor in the
Pacific carrying trade, San Francisco
heretofore has been the leading Pacific
port. But the two northern ports.
Puget Sound and Willamette, this year
loom up with an aggregate export VOL
une several millions larger than that
of the California port-$45, 0OO, 900
against $4,000, 000-and Puget Sound
single handed bids fair to out-volume
San Francisco another season.
Look at the export figures of the
past three years.
San Francisco drops from $40,368,-
2SS in 1900 to $34,596,792 in 1901 and
rises only to $38,1S3,755 in 1s02-not
quite holding it's own.
Puget Sound marches steadily for
ward from modest beginning at the
following gait-$17, 9o3,1O7 in 1900,
$2o,67S,S29 in 1901, and $33,788.821 in
19O2-nearly doubling in two years and
inorq4 sing Ak In ~
the big freighters that are building in
Connecticut-the greatest freight yes-
sells in the world-report for business
at Puget Sound next season, the ex-
port trade of the Northwest will move
forward by leaps and bounds and Pu-
get Sounds shortcut to the Orient
will control the Pacific Orient situa-
ton.
1t is a fact that the vessel tonnage
of Puget Sound in the foreign trade
already leads that Of San Francisco.
AS given by the government month
ly summary for June, the net tonnage
which cleared at the two ports in the
foreign trade for the year ending June
80, 1902, was as follows: San Fran
cisco, 1920 steam tonnage and %, sos
sail tonnage, total of 71,1S5; Puget
Sound, 88,54S steam tonnage and 49,
S19 sail tonnage, total of 107, 367-or,
almost exactly so per cent greater
than that of the California port.
The change of the past year in the
steam tonnage of the two ports is re-
markable. The Puget Sound steam
tonnage engaged in foreign trade rose
from 74,S7S in 1901 to SS,548 In 1902:
while that Of San Francisco dropped
from 57,752 to 4S,2S0. This shows
rather plainly that the steam tonnage
which formerly cleared at the lower
port is being transferred to the north
ern harbor.
The trend of the recent cotton ex-
ports to Japan shows the drift of the
| carrying trade. Puget Sound exports
of cotton rose from 22,174,0S3 pounds
in 1901 to 5S,630,715 last year, an in
crease of $50 per cent in one year:
and large volume of cotton was turn
ed away from Puget Sound for want
Of vessels. Cotton exports from San
Francisco last year were a little over
100000 pounds, or less than ONE