The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-03-08

to the scene of present hostilities ag- gregates, in round terms. about $500, OO0,- OOo. of which considerably more than one half is imports. Japans commerce is about equally divided between imports and exports, but in the case of China and Asiatic Russia imports greatly ex- ceed exports, and this Is also true of Hongkong, which passes most of It's inn ports on Into China and draws from China most of the articles which become its exports. Probably three-fifths of the total commerce of the countries in dues- tion, taken as a whole. Is in the form of imports. and the United States Is year by year supplying larger share of those imports of the countries in question and gaining upon other countries in the rela- tive share which it supplies thereof. Of the exports from the countries named the United States is the largest single purchaser. The tea. the raw silk, the manufactured silk, the rice, the mattings. and other products of this character which form the bulk of the exports of China and Japan go more largely to the United States than to any other single country of the world, while as to Asiatic Russia and Korea their exports are at present so small as to be of little im- portaneA in a discussion of the com Tnerce of the countries in question.
 The more important of the exports Of the United States to the section in ques- tion are cotton and cotton goods, kero- sene. flour, lumber. manufactures of iron and steel, manufactures of leather and tobacco. Raw cotton exported to this particular section of the world goes chiefly to Japan, and the market in Japan for American cotton is influenced largely by the surplus of cotton in India, which Is of shorter staple and therefore of lower price. In years of short supply in In- dia Japan turns to the United States for It's raw cotton, but in years of plen- tiful supply in India a large proportion of the raw cotton purchases of Japan are the product of India. In cotton Inanufac- lures China Is the most important GUS toner. The exports of cotton manufac- lures to China in the past year have ma terially fallen of, though the reduction in imports of American cottons into Chi na is no greater approximately than the reduction in such imports from other countries. This reduction In importa- ,tions of cotton goods into China is due in part to the unsettled conditions which have prevailed during the year. and in part to the increased importations of cot ton yarn and increased domestic produc- ton of cotton goods.
 Kerosene is an even more important item in our exports to the Orient and in this article the trade is barely hSiding its own, kerosene from Russia and Su. matra proving a very active competitor To China the exports of mineral oils from the United States fiuctuate greatly ranging all the way from 20 to 55 million gallons per annum. Tn 1901, for example the total was 27.OOO.OOO gallons; in 1902 67. 100000. and in 1903. about 100000. TC Hong Kong the shipments, are nor, steady. ranging from 15.000,OOO to 1s,OOO OO gallons per annum. To Japan the ship ments also huctuate in some degree though not so greatly as in the case O China. In 1899 the total to Japan was 32. 100000 gallons; in 1902 59.OO0,OOO, and fl 1903, s5,O00,0OO.
 Flour as factor in our export trad, to the Orient has of late attracted con siderable attention. but the total is no large, nor is the growth rapid. The tota value of flour exports to the Orient iron the United States in the last fiscal yea was: To Hongkong. A,62s, ,224; to .Japan g. 2.247, ,199; to China, $2S9. .6S7, making the to tai to the countries under consideration T,165,06O, or less than 10 per cent. of tn, total exports of American flour in 1903
 R. H. Watkins.