The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-07-09
NEW BOOK SHOWS AMERICAN COMMERCE
Arranged for Convenience of
 Pan-American Congress
DIFFICULT TO PREPARE
Many of the South American Countries Have No Authentic Figures Showing Their Imports
 and Exports.

Washington, July s-(Special )-"Com- mercial America in 1905" Is the title of a monograph just issued by the department of commerce and labor through its bu- reau of statistics. It discusses the com merce of and commercial conditions in each country of America in 1905 where possible, or in the latest available year where the figures of 1905 have not been announced
 The special purpose of this monograph is to present the latest available inform- ation regarding commerce and commercial conditions In the various countries south of the United States, practically all of which are to be represented in the Pan American congress which is to meet in Rio de Janeiro in the present month, and
 to supply to the delegation from the Uni
 ted States, and to others attending the congress this information in a single vol
 ume and in convenient form for study and reference. The work has been under preparation in the bureau of statistics for several months and includes statistics of the imports and exports of each Ameri- can country by principal articles and the countries from which the imports are drawn and those to which exports are sent.
 Great difficulty has been encountered by the bureau of statistics in the prepar- ation of this document in view of the fact that more than half of the coun- tries of Central and South America have no satisfactory statlsucs of their for eign commerce.. Statesments with refer ence to their trade were therefore nec- essarly made up by taking from the records of the principal importing and ex- porting nations of the world the state ments of their trade with the countries in question and supplementing them with such other information could be obtain- ed from the consular reports and other standard and generally accepted publiea- tons By this process the bureau of statis- ties has been able to present a picture of trade conditions in every country and island of America, supplemented with text discussion regarding production, transportation. and commerce and com mercial possibilities of each, and this is followed by detailed statement of the trade of the United States with each of the countries and islands in question, by articles, during a long term of years
 Total Commerce of America.
 The total commerce of all America is shown to be S5.05O. .027.OOO, of which $2,SO6,- 119,000 is that of the United States leav- ing 8, PAS 9OS, 900 as the total commerce of all American countries other than the United States. import and exports being combined to form these grand totals. Con- sidering imports separately, the total for all America is $21S4, BIT .OoO of which sl, 179135,0O0 is the imports of the United States, and the remaining. $l005, ,242, ,00O the imports of other American countries. The exports of all America are $2S65,65O,- GOO. of which $1 .626, ,9s4.00O Is from the Uni ted States and the remainder, $1 23S. .666 0O0 is the exports of all other American coun- tries. Thus of imports into all America about 54 per cent enter the United States, and of the exports from all America about 57 per cent go from the United States
 Turning to the countries south of the United States. the chief subject of interest at the present moment, the monograph shows that the imports of all American CDunlIltS anu lylllB Souln Ol lile United States aggregated 7S2 million dol lars in the latest available year, and the exports aggregated $1, ,003 900, 600. Of these imports the United States supplies $1S9,- COG, ,OOO, or practically 26 per cent; of the exports the United States takes s35O,OOO,OOO, or practically S5 per cent
 The general fact that the United States supplies 26 per cent of the imports of the American countries lying south of her borders, and takes 35 per cent of their exports. suggests a fairly satisfactory trade relation between this country and her Spanish American neighbors. An an- alysis of the figures, country by country, however. shows some sharp contrasts in the shape which the various countries take of their imports from the United States and the share of their exports which they send to this country.
 In those countries whose ports or con suming centers have shorter transporta- tion routes to this country than to Europe the share of their imports drawn from the United States is larger than from any other country. In those countries from which the steamship route to the United States Is not materially shorter than to European countries. the share of the inn ports supplied by the United States is small, even though the share which she takes of their exports Is large. In the former group. in which the length of routes to the United States is less than that to Europe. are included Mexico Central America, Colombia, Ven ezuela, the Guianas, and the West Indian Islands, and the share of their imports drawn from the United States ranges from % to 75 per cent. and averages for the entire group 47 per cent In the sec ond group. from whose ports the steam ship routes to the United States are no, ma terially shorter than those to Europe, are included Brazil. Uruguay Paraguay, Argentina. and the entire western coast of South America and the share of their imports which they draw from the United States ranges from p per cent downward to 3De per cent and averages for the en- l tire group 12 per cent.
 Aggregate Imports.
 The aggragte imports of the first-men- toned group Gin which the length of routes to the United States | Is less than that to Europe) are 2S5 million l dollars in the latest year for which sta | tistics are available. and of this l24 mil l lions or practically 47 per cent was drawn l from the Enlted States. Of the second group (from whose ports the steamship | lines to the United States are not mater | ally shorter than those to Europe) the | aggregate imports are 446 million dollars | and those drawn from the United States | 5 millions. a fraction above F per | cent. Porto Rico, now a customs district | of the United States. is not included in |