The Washington times., 1903-12-19
SOUTH AFRICAN MARKET
A PROMISING FIELD
From U. s. In
creased 800 Per Cent.
BRITISH ADVANCE SMALL
Great Opportunities for Increasing Con-
sumption of American Staples and
Manufactures on That Continent.

The value of South Africa. as a mar
ket is the subject of some special at
tention at the present time by reason of
report upon that subject recently pre-
scented to the British parliament. This
report shows that the British colonies
In South Africa have become of greater
Importance than any other of the Brit
ish colonies except India.
Ten years ago." it says, Great Brit
aims exports to South Africa were
valued at a little under $500, O06. last
year they almost reached s2s,0oo, 900. In
1893 South Africa stood sixth on the list
of Great Britain's customers; last year
she stood second, and was only beaten
by India. 1t is no rash prediction that
this year she will pass India and stand
first on the list as the largest buyer In
the world of the produce and manu-
features Of the mother country
Suggestive Figures.
This statement OF the great and rapid-
~ growing Importance of South Africa
as an importing country lends especial
interest 70 some figures just prepared
by the Department of Commerce and
Labor through it's Bureau OF Statistics.
These figures show that the exports
from the United States to British Africa
have grown with even greater rapidly
than those from the United Kingdom
referred to by the report above quoted
Exports from the United States to
British Africa grew from s3,6SS, 999 in
1893 to $23,s44.295 in 1908. or. in other
words, were nine times as much in 1908
as in 1898, while exports from the
United Kingdom to South Africa grew
from $59. $4,000 in 1893 to So. $50 900 in
1902. the 1903 figures not being yet avail
able. Thus, while exports from the
United States to British Africa are in
1908 nine times those of 1898. those from
the United Kingdom were in 1902 but
three times as much as those in 1893
Striking Comparison.
The relative growth of exports from
the United States and from the United
Kingdom to the territory in question
can be more accurately determined by
utilizing the figures OF the United States
for the year 1902. since the figures for
the United Kingdom for the year 1908
are not yec available. This shows that
the exports from the United States to
British Africa grew from 8, 6SS, $50 in
1898 to SIS 7S01 los In 1902. the total for 1902
being nearly eight times as great as
that for 1888; waile. as already indi-
Gated. that OF the United Kingdom for
1902 was only three times as great as in
1888
The total exports from the United
States 10 Africa have grown with great
rapidity-from $5,I96. $50 In 1893 TO $685.
1858 in 1903. being more than seven
times as much in 1903 as in 1898; while
to Asia and Oceania our exports grew
from SIS O64.03S in 1893 to S5,S27, 52s In
1903; 10 South America, from $50, 6Ss.O77
in 1898 TO $E,137,sT2 in 1903; to North
America, other than the United States,
from Sl19, 1883 IN 1893 to s315, ASP. 769 in
1903; and TO Europe. from 1851, $40. no In
1898 to $1,02S, 256.s57 in 1903
Room for Further Growth.
That there is still room for a growth
In exports 80 South Africa, and that our
share In supplying that market still
falls far below that of the United King
dom, is evident from the fact that the
total value OF merchandise exported
from Great Britain to her South African
colonies in 1902 was sl25. $50. 900. against
a total of SIS. 7SO.1O5 exported from the
United States in that year to all British
possessions in Africa