The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-12-10
Trade Value OF
the Philippines

n EALIzING our need of markets it is
II encouraging to make the good prog
IN rcss that has been made CONNER
cially in the trade of our branch
establishment in the Orient, the Philip
pine Islands. :.
According to figures taken from bulletin
No II, United States department of agi1-
culture, section Of foreign markets, Frank
II. Hitchcock, chief the British consul
at Manila collected data of the approNi-
mate value of imports into the Philippines
during the three years QS25-O, immc-
diately prior to our occupation.
The figures are as follows:
1898 Observation-Disclosures. .Si,9lo'"m
1896 .......................... "'-'-'oo
1897 Observation-Disclosures. 9,12OcU
OF which amounts an average annual
value of $125,l32 came from the United
States.
We occupied the island in the fall of
1898. From then till June 80, 1902, less thaa
four years, and in spite of the disturbed
condition OF the territory. the total impor
tations were $0G 1864 nearly four times
as much as in the three years prior to
our occupation. In fact the one year, no.,
the imports were So, ,1il,Si2 Exceeding
any year in the history of the archipel-
ago), which is about $7,0OO000 more than
the three years 1891 On the 500, 1854
imports. the duties collected We're over
go, 100000. Our share of these imports
was.
1900 Observation-Disclosures. .$lc57,1ol
1901 NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 2,So',oS'
1907 Observation-Disclosures. A03,',2i
the increase for 1902 over 1900, being LIZ
per cent.
These import figures during our occu-
pa ton do not include purchases entered
free of duty at the Philippine custom
house for the use OF the United States
military government the insular govern
ment or any of its subordinate branches,
Philippine trade has also suffered s"-
verely, since our occupation, from lhc
ravages of the rinderpest, cholera and
locusts.
1t is also necessary to explain that the
figures do not fully represent the share
of American goods in the imports, for
the reason that much and many OF oh
shipments pass through Hong Kong and
are reported as originating from mat
point This difficulty will be obviatod
when we have Il line of American Vessels
of proper speed and capacity sailing fire.
qucntly and regularly to Manila, and
when the harbOr improvements under
construction and projected, make Manila
the shipping center OF American business
in the Orient, and II properly equipped
rival to the British trade and shipping
| center of Hong Kong and Singapore
| Turning to the export trade of the Phil
| ippines, we lind that our purchases have.
| trcblod during the last two years, besides
| many large shipments of hemp to Europe
| ana Hong Kong, destined for use in the
| United States and eventually reaching
| here, but classed here as British OF f.u-
| ropcan exports.
| This is proven by the fact that The Ma
| Mia records show $l,5O0,00J worth of hemp
| sent to the United kingdom rs final point
| of destination during 1902, while United
States records for the same year show
| Si,250,O0O worth as imported from rho
! United Kingdom.
In the fourteen years. 1SS0-lSG4, the inn
| ports aggregated only $l1,O0GOo0, and the
exports only S20H1,OO0, Consequently our
| import figures of S9j,0OO00D for less than
| -four years. has more than five and one
hnlS times the Spanish figures OF $l1,OoO,-
| 0C1 for fourteen years, During those four
teen years our share Of the sales TO the
| Philippines averaged only the paltry sum
of Sl30,UOO yearly.
| In 1902 our sales increased 81 10000 over
| 1901. giving ms Il rating of l3 per cent,
| while the Spanish trade declined 10 rat
| ing of pcr cent. The share of the
| United Kingdom rates at II per cent, but
her loss in 1902 was one-ffth, OF which ST.
JOO,O0o was for cotton goods, which we
| supplied,
The we'll managed bureau of msular
| affairs, Colonel Clarence Il. Edwards
| chief from the advance sheets of whose
| lAii itlblt ll'S' llS slNn ilt
| extracted concludes by saying:
The export figures of the archipelago
| i'm the fiscal year 1907 We're larger, with
two exceptions 1870 and 1889, than in any
| year of its history. The last fiscal yeal
shows an increase over 1901, $4392G620
worth of merchandise being exported, of
which the United Kingdom and United
States received nearly Sl6000.000 In prac-
tically equal proportions. However, the
rc-cXportation OF hemp to this country
| through the United Kingdom places the
| United States far in advance as the lead
ng market for Philippine products at the
present time"
While we have broad Americans like
Governor Tart and his assistants. in
charge of our branch in the Orient, we
1eed not worry as to the growing ana
Ultimate value Of these new possessions
OF ours. Walter j. Ballard