The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-01-16
TRADE WITH KOREANS

TRADE WITH KOREANS l IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF
 HERMIT KINGDOM.
 American Goods Are Obtaining a
 Foothold and Each Shows
 Big Increase in Busi-
 l s ness Done.
 Washington, Jan. 1s-Korean commerce amounts. according to statement just issued by the Department of Commerce and Labor through it's Bureau of stads- tics. to about fifteen million dollars per annuni. Imports materially exceed ex- ports, and according to the best etate- ment that the Bureau of Statistics is able to obtain, amount to about ten million dollars, and the exports to about fivc millions. While in the case of China the
 foreign commerce of the country is car. ried on chiefly, almost exclusively. l through the treaty ports.' this is not | the case with reference to Korea, only about one-third of the foreign commerce above alluded to- passing through the | treaty ports.
 | American products. both manufactured and otherwise, are popular in Korea, but the very large proportisn reach thai coun- try through China and Japan, and the direct trade of the United States with Korea Is extremely small It is only 1 within a comparatively short time that the direct trade of the United States with Korea was of sufficient importance | kk f,,uf oaA.o orufa nnrd lv, a exports from the United States to Korea were $5o9 in value; in 1898, s,0uo; in 1902. $251. 900, and for the eleven months end- ing with November. 19oS $366e1s. indicat- I ing that for the entire calendar year 1908 the total exports to Korea from the United States will amount to about $400.ooo.
 While this is 8 rapid growth. 1t does not show by any means the entire value of merchandise from the United States en- tering Korea. As above indicated, many of these articles, from the United States | consumed in Korea are sent flrst to Japan or China and from those countries ship ped into Korea. The value of American petroleum consumed in Korea in 1901 is stated at over S300.0oo; machinery and sup I plies, $25O,000 and electrical goods and lumber, s23s,OO0. These importations of merchandise from the United States were due in part, largely, perhaps, to the presence of Americans engaged in mining operations in Korea and the purchase by them in the United States of machinery and supplies for that work.
 The Statesman's Yearbook puts the total trade passing through the '.treaty ports of Korea at ten million yen of im- ports and about nine million yen of ex- ports in 1s97, and. in 1901, fifteen million A.,k ,sgv. yen of exports. thus indicating the growth especially in imports. which in 1901 were over 60 per cent in excess of those of 1897. These figures, however, relate to the treaty ports only. The value of the yen is about 50 cents,- or practically Identical in yaluefwith the Japanese yen. The Imports iare chiefly cotton and wool en goods, metAls. kerosene, slliI, and ma chinery for the use of the railways and those engaged in their construction. The chief exports are rice, beans, hide. gin- seng, and copper. The currency chiefly consists of copper cash and nickel coins, gold and silver coins being out of circu- lation. The total currency Is stated as aggregating about $22, 900 of which $e,- 0OO. 600 is copper cash. $l4.0Oo.O00 nIcked, S1,- 5550 900 Japanese coins, and s5SO, 900 Korean silver dollars.
 Eight ports of Korea are open to foreign trade and arc classed as treaty ports.'' Treaties were made between Korea and the United States in 1882, and in the same years with China; in 1883 with Germany and Great Britain: in 1884 with Russia and Italy: in 1Sse with France; in 1892 with Austria; and in is99 a further treaty with China. Under these treaties Chemulpo, Fusan, Wunsan. Seoul (the capitaI), Chinampo. Mokpo, Songchin, Masanpo. and kunsan have been opened to trade. The actual trade through nontreaty ports. however. is. as already indicated, much greater than that through the treaty ports-probably fully double.
 The trade of KKorea with Japan ia growing more rapidly than with any other country, the importation of cotton goods from Japan amounting to from two to three million yen annually. Cotton goods are the largest single article in the value of importations into Korea, amounting to between six and seven million yen annu- ally. SIX goods amount to about one and a half million yen per annum. The chief articles of export arc rice, 4,5Oo,OOO yen in value; beans, 100000 yen; hides 65O,O00 yen; and ginseng, 527 900 yen.
 The minerals of Korea are of consider able value Copper, iron and coal are re- ported as abundant, and gold and silver mines are being successfully operated, an American company having charge of and
 
 of Wunsan under a concession granted in 1885 Concessions have also been granted to Russian, German, Japanese and French subjects.
 Railways, telegraphs, telephones, and postal system have been recently in- troduced into Korea. A railway from the seaport of Chemulpo to Seoul, the capi- tai. distance of twenty-six miles, was built by American contractors, and has reduced the time between the seaport and capital from eight hours to one and three quatrer hours. The Seoul Electric Com pany, organized chiefly by Americans and with American capital. has built and op- erated an elctrical railway near Seoul which is much used by the natives This electrical plant Is said to be the largest single electrical plant in Asia. The ma chinery is imported from the United States. and the consulting engineer. Japanese, is a graduate of the Massachu- setts Institute of Technology
 Transportation in the interior is chiefly carried on by porters, pack horses. and oxen, though small river steamers owned by Japanese run on such of the streams as are of sufficient size to justify the use of steamers.
 The area of Korea is estimated at 3D. OO0 square miles, or about equal to that of the State of Kansas. The population Is variously estimated at from eight to sixteen millions. The foreign population consists of about 5000 Japanese. 5000 Chinese, 300 Americans, 100 British, 100 French 100 Russians. 50 Germans, and about 50 of various other nationalities. kAN Vf-