Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-06-05
SOUTH AFRICAN 1RAD[
Three.fourths OF the Continents
Commerce Passes Thru
Southern Ports.
England Gets the Bulk OF the
Business Great Railroad
Development.
United States Selling Mining
Machinery Because She Fills
Orders Promptly.

| OIucIS j 1UluPAys
| Washington, June 5.-The celebra-
ton of peace in South Africa, which Is
TO be followed by the reopening OF the
| greatest gold producing mines of the
world and presumably by general re-
vival of business in that greatest con-
suming section of Africa, lends especial
interest to a monograph entitled Com
mercial Africa in 1901" just issued by
the treasury bureau of statistics.
The commerce of Africa, according to
this publication of the bureau of sta
tistics, amounts to over $I000OOO00, OF
which $429.000,000 represented the val
| ne of the imports. Necessarily In so
| large an area with so many tribes and
peoples who keep no records of their
transactions, q considerable amount of
commerce must pass without being re-
corded in any way. The total imports
at the ports where records are kept
amounted in the latest available year
to $429, 461 900, and the exports to $685.
$4,000. or the exports large share,
especially those from the south, is gold
and diamonds; in the tropical region,
ivory, rubber, palm nuts and gums;
and in the north fair share of the ex-
ports are products of agriculture, cot
ton. coffee, cacao, spices, dates, etc. The
export figures of recent years are less
than those of former years. owing to
the hostilities in South Africa, which
have both reduced production and in
creased local consumption.
About three-fourths of the imports of
Africa are thru the ports of the ex-
IRENE north and south of the continent
those at the north being for the con-
sumption of the more densely populated
regions bordering on the Mediterranean
and considerable quantities going to
the interior by caravans-a large part
across the Sahara to the densely popu-
lated regions of the Soudan. AT the
south a large share of the imports is
under normal conditions. for use at the
gold and diamond mines. which lie a
few hundred miles north of the Cape,
ard are reached by railway lines from
Cape Colony and Natal at the south
and from ports of Portuguese East At
i
ports in the south differs materially
from that at the north, The demand of
the mining region being for machinery.
mining TOOLS, dynamite. powder, flour,
meats and clothing; While at the north
eotton goods, tobacco, spirits, clocks
and trinkets form larger share of the
imports, as is also the case on the coast
Of the tropical regions.
E "A very large proportion Of the trade
of Africa is with England. There are
numerous reasons for this, tho most
important, however, being that her col.
onies-Cape Colony and Natal-on the
south are the avenues thru which mass
most of the goods for that section. and
that a very large share of the growing
trade is also carried by British vessels.
while the bulk of the mining, as we'll as
the stock raising and general develop
ment OF that section, is in the hands of
British colonists and capitalists. In the
north, a large share of the trade of
Egypt is given to Great Britain, whose
alnfiuence In the management of Egyp-
tian affairs is well recognized. while in
Algeria, which has a large trade, a very
large proportion is with France, the
governing country.
s The total recorded imports into AZ
RIGA, aggregating in the latest available
year $429, 461, 900, were distributed as
follows: Into British territory, $751;
$4,000: French territory, 92,o04. 900:
Turkish territory, s777s7oo0 Portu-
guese territory, $40, 795 900: German
territory, sS!S36,00o, ad into the Kongo
Free State $4,722.000. OF this importa-
ton of s429,461,oo0, about per cent
was furnished by the United States, the
total for 1901 being s25,542,61S. Our
total exports to Africa have grown
from s6,377,s42 in 1895 to $1S,594.424 in
1899, and S25,542,61S in 1901. This rap
id increase is largely due to the fact
that orders sent to the United States
for mining machinery and other sup
plies so much in demand in South Afri-
ca are promptly filled with goods of the
latest pattern and most acceptable
character.
Africa occupies fourth place in the
list of the grand divisions of the world
in its consuming power in relation to
international commerce, the imports of
the grand divisions according to the
latest available figures being as fol-
lows: Europe. $4,000, 100000; North
America, si,3O0.0oO,00O; Asia, S9OO,000,-
600; Africa, s430,OO0.000; South Amer
lea, S375,000,00O, and Oceania, $685.
O00 900. OF this total of s11,630,000 900,
the United States supplies 5 per cent
in the case of Africa, 10 per cent of the
imports of South America, 10 per cent
of these of Asia and Oceania, Ia per
cent of the imports of Europe, and 40
per cent of the imports oflNorth Amer
lea, exclusive of the United States.
Railroad development In Africa has
been rapid in the past few years and
seems but the beginning of a great sys-
TEN which must contribute to the rap
Id development, civilization, and en-
lightenment of the dark continent. Al
ready railroads run northwardly from
Cape Colony about $500 miles and
southwardly from Cairo about 1,200
miles, thus completing 200 miles of
the proposed Cape to Cairo" railroad
while the intermediate distance is about
1000 miles. At the north numerous
lines skirt the Mediterranean coast, es
pecially in the French territory of AL
geria and in Tunis, aggregating about
$500 miles; while the Egyptian railroads
are, including those under construction
about 1900 miles in length. Those of
Cape Colony are over 5000 miles in
length, and those Of Portuguese East
Africa and the Transvaal are another
thousand miles in length. Including all
of the railroads now constructed or I'M