Arizona republican., 1904-02-29
UNCULTIVATEDFIELD
Countries Lying Along the
 Mediterranean
New Steamship Line Which Will Ad- init the Commerce of the United States to This Region.

Washington, Feb. 2S.-The recent an- steamship lines between the United States and the Mediterranean cOun- tries lend especial interest to some statistics of our present commerce with those countries. just made public by the department of commerce and labor through it's bureau of statistics. These figures show that the imports of that section of the world fronting upon the ocean, immediately beyond, amount to more than q billion and half of dol lars annually, and that at present the countries in question take only per cent of their total imports from the United States. Northern and western Europe takes largely of our exports, but many of the countries fronting upon or tributary to the Mediterran- can, both those of southern Europe and northern Africa, we'll as west ern Asia, take but a very small per centage of their total imports from the United States. Yet the field, as shown by the figures just compiled, is an important one, the total importa- tiOns of the countries fronting upon or tributary to the Mediterranean, and including India and the Straits Set dement's, lying beyond, being. in round terms, S1.6OO, 100000 annually, while their total imports from the United States are, in round terms, but about 100 millions.
 The proportion which American products bear to the total importations of northern Europe, in comparison with those of southern Europe and northern Africa and the countries ly- ing east of the Mediterranean, presents a striking contrast. The United King dom, for example, takes from the Unit ed States about "A per cent. of her to- tai imports; Germany, about IS per cent; Belgium, about F per cent; Netherlands, about II per cent: France. about 10 per cent; Spain. about 13 per cent, and Italy, about 12 per cent. But. aside from Italy, the Mediterranean countries and those tributary to it take from the United States a much smaller share of their imports than any of the countries above mentioned.
 
 Hungary, a part of which are by way of the Mediterranean the United States supplies only per cent; of those of Greece, per cent; of those of Turkey, which aggregate annually more than $1O0OOO,OO0, less than ? per cent. Of the imports of Egypt, which aggregate s75,000,0OO annually. but a little over l per cent. is from the | United States. Roumania, which inn ports to the value of over $50, 900. 900 annually, shows in it's reports no inn portations from the United States. Of the imports of British India, which amount to $26O,OOO,0OO annually, less than 2 per cent. is supplied by the United States; and of the imports into the Straits Settlements, which amount to about $1300O0. 900 annually, less than 1 per cent. is from the United States. Considering the share which the various great sections of the world take of their imports from the United States, it may be said that North America as a whole, by reason of it's proximity to the United States, takes 40 per cent. of its total imports from this country; Europe, about 15 per cent; South America, about 10 per cent: Asia and Oceania, as a whole, about 9 per cent; while the group of countries above referred to, tributary to the Mediterranean or immediately east thereof, as already stated, take but per cent. of their imports from | the United States.