The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-31

| see
ELEVEN months.
Our sales to Alaska consist OF general
merchandise. Those who buy are Ameri-
cans with American wants. They buy
books and boots, coffee and cotton cloth,
foodstufs Of all kinds, beer, wine, whiskey,
candy and tobacco, toys and firearms, soap,
musical instruments and writing paper.
To no small extent the life Of the people lie
indicated in their purchases. They buy
foodstufs In large amount, and only lin
tied quantity Of agricultural implements
They buy q much larger quantity Of woollen
than Of cotton goods. Their purchases Of
rubber boots and shoes almost equal their
purchases Of leather goods. They spend
as much for playing cards a. they do for
toys. They spend more for plug and pipe
tobacco than they do for cigar, and their
purchases Of books and other printed matter
stand TO their purchases Of liquor In the
ratio Of I to 5.
Aside from gold and silver, our purchases
from that region consist chiefly Of canned
salmon. This item constitutes more than
% per cent. Of the import trade. Copper
ore, furs and whalebone comprise the
other notable items.
Hawaii also takes a varied assortment In
which ioodstuhs appear as the largest
item. The Hawaiians bought last year
1475 900 worth Of spirits, wines and malt
liquors. which lie Just about the same as
the Alaskan purchases. Alaska bought
S4O1 600 worth Of manufactured tobacco,
and Hawaii exceeded that by 100000. The
people clothed themselves with tle3 900
worth Of cotton cloth, SOS ,955 worth OF dress
goods, 1891 us worth OF cotton wearing
apparel and 500 4os worth Of woollen gar.
ments The purchase Of tes2 ,a3o worth Of
fertilizers Is a significant item, and 30 Is
SIS 900 worth Of soap.
Sugar represents 95 per cent. OF our pur-
chases from the island, with t729 OIL worth
OF raw coffee az the second item. The re-
mainder consists largely Of goods and mer-
ohandise returned to the mainland for
various reasons.
Porto Rico also buys foodstuhs IN large
quantity, notably rice, which represents
nearly one-duarter Of its total imports.
Breadstuffs and provisions form another
quarter Porto Rican homes we're lighted
by SIS, 400 worth Of American candles ana
SIS 900 worth Of refined oil. The sale OF
boots and shoes represents 20 cents for each
islander for the year. We do not make the
shoes they want Twenty thousand dollars'
worth OF perfumery and cosmetics shows
the popularity Of those wares, and the Porto
Ricans dosed themselves with nearly $4,000
worth Of patent and proprietary medicines:
They bought 800 900 worth Of books and
nTintad matter. large part Of which was
school books and text books. Manufac-
lures Of iron and steel constitute 10 per cent.
Of the total imports, including 1000 tons OF
steel rails, Ave locomotives and SOS 900 worth
OF sewing machines Imports OF wood and
manufactures Of wood represented $500 900.
Sugar formed "A per cent Of our imports
from the island tobacco, cigars and cigar
ettes 10, I54, 4S6l, II per cent; coffee. fruits
and molasses, from 2 TO per cent. each
= ar
mainder. Porto Rico bought from other
countries q, 200 .OSs. and sold 10 other coun-
tries IS s37 e2l One-quarter OF the imports
came from Spain, and about another quar-
ter, represented chiefly by fish, came from
the maritime provinces OF Canada. OF the
eXports France took nearly 81 900 900 and
Cuba little more than that sum. Spain took
about $500 900. Coffee conn ossd the larger
part Of this foreign trade.
Our sales TO the Philippine Islands are
something Of a farce. We sell them IS, 900
900 and they buy $50 900 900 from other
people. We take about one-third Of their
exports. We sell them about t465 900 worth
Of cotton cloth 1900 900 worth Of foodstu1s,
$3.50 900 worth Of hav for the horses OF Amer
lean citizens, $3.50 900 worth OF Illuminating
oil, SPAS 400 worth Of spirits, wine and malt
liouor, principally beer for the use OF Ameri-
cans: tiO9 600 worth Of wood and manufac-
lures Of wood, and tl,l34, 100 worth Of iron
and steel goods. just how much OF all this
vast trade Of IS zoo. 900 IL for distinctly
American use cannot be said, but 1t il proba-
BILE that Il would include the larger part.
Commercially, we are not even getting our
seed back in our Philippine enterprise.
Our imports are practically limited to one
item-hemp We buy a little sugar and
about IS 900 worth Of cigars and tobacco, a |
few straw hats and a little vegetable oil. |
We are certainly doing a retail business in |
our prospective Far Eastern entrepot, |
while our competitors run the Wholesale |
department.
shipments 10 Guam and the Midway Isl |
ands are quite unimportant. They consist |
largely OF building material, which isproba- !
bly, not for uss by natives but bv resident |
Americans. Tltuia, with a smaller trade, |
shows a wider variety Of imports, 1t |
bought 80. 765 worth Of cotton goods, COM |
pared with Guam, 1854, and Midway, tlsi. |
IL bought foodstuffs, provisions, coffee, |
fish iron and steel, liquors, paper and manu- |
features Of wood, 10 the extent Of a few |
thousand dollars each Our imports were |
chiefly copra.
The total importation Of these areos |
amounted last wear to 76,649 $50, Of which |
the United States-of which thew form a |
part, definite OF ndehnite-supphed ST. |
per cent Their eNports. exclusive Of Alas
kas bullion, were $50 eSi ,6Ss out Of which |
10 per cent. came 20 this country.