Arizona republican., 1904-01-18
What the United States Is
 Doing in the Peninsula
SEVEN YEARS WORK
From Half Thousand Dollars of Ex- ports in 1897, This Country Raised Its Business to Nearly Half Million Last Year - More in Sight.

Washington, Jan. 1I.-kOrean com merce amounts, according to a, state ment just issued by the department of commerce and labor through it's bureau of statistics, to about fifteen million dollars per annunl. Imports material ly exceed exports, and according to the best statement that the bureau of sta tistics is able to obtain, amount to about ten million dollars, and the ex- ports to about five millions. While in the case of China the foreign commerce of the country is carried on chiefly, al- most exclusively, through the treaty perts," this is not the case with refer ence to Korea, only about one-third of the foreign commerce above alluded to passing through the treaty ports.
 American products, both manufac- tured and otherwise, are popular in Korea, but the very large proportion reach that country through China and Japan. and the direct trade of the Uni ted States with Korea is extremeIy small. It is Cnly within a comparative " short time that the direct trade of the United States with Korea was of sufficient importance to justify a separ- ate record. In 1897 the exports from the United States to Korea were $5O9 in value; in 1898, SIPS, GOO; in 1902, $251,- 000, and for the eleven months ending with November, 1903, s366, ,91S, indicat- ing that for the entire calendar year 1903 the total eports to Korea from the United States will amount to about S400,O0O
 While this is a rapid growth. it does not show by any means the entire value n ha nd ha Tnit entering Korea. As above indicated. many of these articles from the United States consumed in Korea are sent first to Japan or China and from those coun- tries shipped into Korea. The value of American petToleu consumed in Korea ir 1901 is stated at over S3O0. 900; machinery and supplies, s25O.OO0, and electrical goods and lumber. S236. .OCO These importatiOns of merchandise from the United States were due in part largely, perhaps, to the presence of Americans engaged in mining opera uons in Korea and the purchase by them in the United States of machin- cry and supplies for that worK.
 The Statesman's Yearbook puts the total trade passing through the Urea ty ports' of Korea at ten million yen of imports and about nine million yen of exports in 1897 and in 1901. fifteen million yen of imports, but only nine million yen of exports, thus indicating the growth, especially in imports, which in 1901 were over 50 per cent in excess of those of 1897. These figures. however, relate to the treaty ports only. The value of the yen is about 30 cents, or practically identical in value with the Japanese yen.
 The imports are chiefly cotton ard woolen goods, metals, kerosene, silk, and machinery for the use of the rail- ways and those engaged in their con- struction. The chief exports are rice, beans, hide. ginseng, and copper The currency chiefly consists of copper cash and nickel coins gold and silver coins being out of circulation. Thefotal cur rency Is stated as aggregating about $22, ,000,000 of which $6,0OO,O is copper cash, s14,0OO,OO0 nickel $1.55OOOO Jap anese coins, and S530, 900 Korean silver dollars
 Eight ports of Korea are open to for ei2n trade and are classed as treaty ports" Treaties were made between Korea and the United States in 1882, and in the same year with China; in 1SS3 with Germany and Great Britain; in 1884 with Russia and Italy: in 1886 with France; in 1892 with Austria. and in 1929 a further treaty with China. Under these treaties Chemulpo Fusan, Wunsan, Seoul (the capitaD, Chinampo, Mokpo, SongChin, Masanpo. and Kun san 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 Korea with Japan is sA'owing more rapidly than with any other country. the importation of cot ton goods from Japan amounting to from two to three million yen annually. Cotton goods are the largest single ar ticle in the value of importations into Korea, amounting to between six and seven million yen annually Silk goods amount to about one and a half million yen per annum. The chief articles of export are rice. A million yen in val ue; beans, million yen; hides. 65O,- 000 yen: and ginseng. 527, 900 yen.
 The minerals of Korea are of consid- erable value. Copper. iron and coal are reported as abundant, and gold and silver mines are being successfully op- erated, an American company having charge of and operating a gold mine at the treaty port of Wunsan under a con- cession granted in 1895. Concessions have also been granted to Russian German, Japanese and French subjects Railways, telegraphs, telephones and a' postal system have been recently in trOduced into Korea. A railway from the seaport of Chemulpo to Seoul, the capital, distance of 26 miles. was built ! by American contractors, and has re duced the time between the seaport and capital from eight hours to one anC ree-quarter hours. The Seoul Electric
 company, organized chiefly by Amer
 jeans and with American capital. ha' | built and operated an electrical railway
 near Seoul which is much used by the
 natives. This electrical plant is saiC
 to be the largest single electrical plan ] in Asia The machinery is imported | from the United States, and the con