Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1904-12-27
NEW COMMERCE CARRIERS.

I'm January zlSC Inc SIoduSulp MILL
nesota" sails from Seattle, Wash, the
western terminal of the Great North.
ern railway. on her maiden voyage
across the Pacific. This is the max
ing of a new era with American COM
MERGE with the Orient. It Is an era of
progress and development. 1t is fit
ting that the originating of modern
economical methods of transportation
In our trade with the Orient should be
the conception Of purely American en-
terprise. The monster ships, Mime
sota' and dakota" Of the Great
Northern Steamship company, are the
forerunners of a new era which will
bring about a vigorous campaign of
education in Oriental affairs.
The great events which followed the
war with Spain have opened the eyes
of the American public to the vast i'm
portance Of this new field of trade in
the Orient The acquisition of the
Philippines and the consequent won
derful trade which grew up awakened
the merchant, the manufacturers and
those infested in transportation prop
critics to see that in the countries of
the Orient as well as the Philippines
a great and mighty trade could be
huilded.
In this the reason for the formation
of the Great Northern Steamship CON-
pany originated and it should be a.
source of satisfaction to every Ameri-
can citizen that American brains and
energy had all to do with it. It was
American capital which furnished the
money; it was American brains which
designed the greatest cargo carrying
vessels ever built and it was the skilled
American workman who wrought the
completed whole, and furthermore, it
now marks the fuilfillment of a pro-
phecy that in the Orient lay vast
wealth that needed only American en-
terprise to divert toward the United
States.
In speaking of the vastness of Orien-
tai trade a writer says: ut is est.
mated that the countries of the Orient
have a foreign commerce aggregating
nearly $4,000, OO0, 900 per annum, and
that at least 60 per cent Of that com
MERGE consists of imports from other
counties During the year ending
June 80, 1904, the United States i'm
ported from Asia merchandise valuei
at $144, 4O9, 976, and exported to Asia
mercandise valued at $50 1886, max
ing total commerce Of 500, SAC, 2S3
or a little more than 10 per cent of tn.
whole. ....
'.The total commerce Of the Unite,
States during the fiscal year endinl
June 30, 1904, was $2,426,262,249. TIL
Oriental trade was only about 8.4 pc
cent OF the whole. Our exports alon
amounted to $1,435,171,26 1, yet our e,
ports to Asia amounted to only $50
1886, or 4.8 per cent of the Who'll,
When we consider the population {
the Oriental countries is 800, 900 90,
more than one-half of the populatio
5 Of the world-that we are thousand
Of miles nearer those people than an
ether nation-that we produce nearl
+ all of the commodities that they in
port and that they produce great qua
titles of commodities which We u.
but do not produce, it makes us rea
ize that our Oriental trade has bee
sadly neglected in the past
The entire foreign commerce of As
is only about $3.50 per capita eae
year. II it is possible to increase O,
J. sales 10 cents per capita each yea
our trade with the Orient would !
doubled. These are facts which shou
not be lost sight Of.
An important point to be considert
Is that the track Of the steamers of tt
Great Northern Steamship compa,
is the shortest route. The route of Il
# vessels to the Orient is 1000 mil
shorter than by any other. That
takes the short cut is easily seen !
investi gation- On the average ma
North America and Asia are placed
Il they faced each other in alrno
parallel positions, whereas, in Ia,
the spherical contour OF the glo7
5 makes the Asiatic shore line almost
5 cont nuation or projection Of Il
Amerfcan shore line to the other ST
s q the globe. Thus the most dire
route from San francisco to Japan
China instead Of being westerly 4
way Of the Sandwich islands, IL nort
erly past Puget; sound and Bering 81
4 y 1.25o miles further from s,