The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-04-22
.OUR. PANAMA TRADE
million A MONTH.
Figures for Current Year Will.
Double Those Oft Previous
Twelve Months.
Bic GROWTH IN EXPORTS
Now Amount to Over $1,ooo,ooo
a Month and Steadily OH a
the Increase.
(snecIal 70 The Times. Dlapatch.)

Especial to The Times DlspatcflJ
y WASHINGTON d. CO April 2l.--'rh Tho
trade of tic tJnitcr states With Panama
is showing a very rapid growth ana
viii amount To appro1lma tely - million
dollars in the fiscal year which ehf's
with June, 1906. The total trade IN tte
fiscal year 1906 was less than s6'"o,V'"o'
1T seems probable. therefore. that the
trade OF the United States With Panama
will show an Increase OF practical Ivy
per cent. in the fiscal year 1906 as conf
pared with that OF 1905. While II nll-
Hon dollars form a small percentage OF
the total commerce Of the United states.
the details Of this trade with the young
est and smallest of the American re- e.
publics are interesting at this time. when
dIscuccions Of the trade Of the United
States with the various American coun-i
tries, one by one, are being presented oyI
the Department OF Commerce and Labor
through It's Bureau OF Statistics
Large Exports.
A Exports form, naturally. the larsef
proportion of our trade with Panama,
w : ~
dollars per month, and seems likely 70
aggregate about l2 millions for the pre-
sent fiscal year. In the eight months
ending with February, the latest flgl
which have reached the Bureau OF sta
tistics, the toatl exports amount to 49,
g430S, against 2,57s,1S5 in the corre-
spending months of 1905. The exports TO
& the area now known. as Panama were
included in the statement oil exports 70
& Colombia prior to January ~ 1904. so
that II Ia only practlcableait to compare
the eight months ending with February
1906, with he eight months ending with
February, 1905. !,
The imports from Panama are n1uch
fsnlalersthan5the exports to- that country
since It's producing Tarea ifiiis snA whl i
It's consuming power Is prop rtionatey
large by reason OF the presence OF large
numbers Of people engaged upon the ca, ca
nal and Z in preparations for that "or <
Tho area OF Panama Is 81 500 square
miles. orr DO Il equa that's & south ",
l.C,arolina and he pop,l1 s
tsgproba blys$r half sn1ilfiuu1 including the
recent additions, the estimated 1popula'
tlon when Panama esta blished /! itself as
n republic having been about $40, O0O Wit
this small area and the attention of IT'S
comparatively small population turned
almost exclusively to- the great public
work under construction, the quantity
| of material. produced for expectation
| Is naturally small. AS n result very
large proportion of the trade between
the United States aud Panama consist Is
| OF movements OF merchandise to that
county while tho movement Of mer--
| chandise from Panama to the United
states re small. For the eight months
ending with February, 1906, the exports
10 Panama were s6S43,02s, and stthe I'M
ports from Panama $627,O90. Or less thai,
| one-tenth as much as the xports. The
| details OF imports from Panama for the
| eight months covered by the latest sta
| tlstical statements arc not yet avnlla'
bic so far as relates TO the articles
forming the total, but figures for thu
! last fiscal year show tina t, bananas form
cd about one-half and India rubber
about ne-nftl, Of tho value Of merchan
! disc Imported. Imports from Pnnaml
consist chiefly Of bananas. india rub
Der, coffee, nd other articles OF tropi
| cal production.
Some Large Items.
| The total exports fro tile United
| States to Panama In the year endlnt
Juno 30, 1905, amounted to $476,562, Q
| which tho largest single Item was flour
sa5o6l3. Cotton cloth, colored. amount
ed to s205 $50, and uncolored cotton clotl
| to s6o,242; other cotton goods amounted
| to sl4G,S67. making n total for all cot
ton goods considerably In excess OF the
figures for -four Iron and steel manu-
features as whole. showed an ever
larger total, steel rails alone amount
Ing TO sl6S.324 +: looks, hinges, and othc,
builders hardware, Sf9,Se5; structural
| Iron ana steel, s33376; sowing machines
/ $l3lSS typewriters sH.7N; machinery
| and other miscellaneous classes not sep
arately specified, s9!(.7N, Logs, lum
Der and manufactures OF wood are al
so an important Item, logs In the las
fiscal year amounting to sl8s76S boards
sl9S,S75; furniture, ssi247; sash, doors
| and blinds. s16,5s7; and other manufac
| lures OF wood, eN,o67.