Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-11-16
FROM THE TROPICS.
Imports Were Over $500,
100000 in 1907.
About One Half Of This Was
for FOods'uifs.
crea! Increase Of Tros;c Trade in
Recent Years.

"'''1rlrHr:!'''. ii the United Strits ,,rnn
the Tropics for l.,a;c:n! r,.r IT,. in il
factories aud on me tables ,f i,c ,,.,.-
II" Is illustrated ~ some fi"ur.. i,,ct
prepared hy tie Bureau a. Statistics
"a l''e i'fiFtf'hlrhl % Commerce" and
l"'h"r- Tie llhn"rts Of tropical and
Sub-tr"p;r;,l prot.uct@ amounted to
S2lHGHH.neo IN 1S>:,. 800 600. 600 in 1891
and EOS. Geo GEO IL $50; and VIII exceed
500 iuA,r"i IN the C:lI.ndlr v.:;r 1907
f::rt of this lara" ana "r,ui,,.: inn
l"FiAt,"n f:fri thr tr"ii.al and sub
'r-Pi''Hl countries is fDr,Iep in the
"vlE%h"IS OF the United s,tnt.,r. while
another portion FERNS an imrortant
part az Tia" food supply of the un0ule
If the country. India rubber. fihres.
ray silk. raw cotton ana part 81 tile
Ia " W"ni brought into the United states
fer r~;' in the factories originates in the
tropical or sub-tropical sections of the
world; while the coffee, cacao, tea.
spices. rice, and large part Of the
sugar and fruits and nuts also originate
il. the tropics.
Practically all of the articles Of trnpi-
cai production imported show an in
crease in 1907 over the figures Of the
preceding years. most of them in both
quantity and value. though III some
cases the increased value is Que to an
auvanc" in price rather than an IN
crease in quantity.
FoodStdffs form Approximately one
half of this large total of material
drawn from the tropics for use of the
people of the United States. The
United States is q larger user of cane
sugar than any other country of the
world. and this article is. of course.
entirely If tropical or sub-tropical
production. It's people also consume
a larger quantity Of coffee than those
OF any other country, and this article is
exclusively Of tropical origin. OF
cacaG. lie ilnportations are rapidly
growing. and now exceed in value the
irpnrt2tinns of tea
y large increase in the Importation
and use Of cacao has developed only in
recent years. The quantity Of cacao
imported q decade ago, in the fiscal
y"I: 1874. WAS but @l.h00.0G0 pounds,
Willie il tho fiscal year 1907 it was o.
0o1,03o pounds: the value having
grown from about $1,000. GOO in 1897 IL
over So 100000 in 1907. In 1897 the
Waite oi cacao imported was but about
"ilc-iourth of that of tea: in 1907 it fell
but 4 faw thousand dollars below that
of tea. and in the nine months ending
with September, 1907 exceeds the
value "f tea imports ny more than
$',0G0.ooo The total value Of cacao in
,hr crude state imported in the nine
months cndirg with September was
$ll..,0, o0n against 6,.50, 900 in the same
months of 1906.
The cnlfHn imports in the nine months
ending With Sc1tt nI!;er. 1907. amount
~ practically sI6.G00. 900 in value,
against Il little more than SAG Oo0, 600 in
the same months of 1906: ana the
quantity imported in the nine months
of the present year aggregate 1332000, =
O0o pounds. against $50 900, 600 in The
same months of the preceding year. Of
tea. the importations in the nine
months ending with September. 1907.
amounted in value to SO. SOC. eco. against
81. SOC. GOA i'll tho corresponding months
of 1906. the quantity imported in the
nine montls Of 1907 being Sc. 600 o00
DOullfS. :tSiiiISt bu.''"'.'fb III tltt saint.
months, Of the preceding year.
Cane sugar brought into the United
states amounted to SIP OO0. 900 in the
nine months ending with September.
1861. against $9S.156,00O in tho same
months of last Year: the quantity
brought in being l.133.oo0 pounds.
against { 1919 900 III the corresponding
period Of last year. These figures in
cludc The sugar from Porto Rico. Ha-
wall ant, the Philippine Islands: that
from P,rto Rico and llavaii being no
longer included in the official returns
of imnorts from foreign countries by
reason of the fact that both thos" Is
lands are now customs districts Of the
United states. but their product may
be 1lrnucrly considered in Il discussion
of the tropical products brought To the
mainland Of the United states. Inc
sugar brought from the Hawaiian is
lands in the nine months ending with
Sen:a,nber, 1907. amounted to ,32."oo-
OoO mounds value Il at $23,lJO.O0 ana
that from Porto Rico. 800 ,OOoo 600 pounds.
yal;,ol ut S14 800. 00n while from the
phiIiup;no Islands. whose products are
al, Included in the figures of imports
rro,,, foreign countries. the quantity Oh
s,rar brought in was 100000 pounds
valued ut S6S,oo" :;
Fruits and nuts also show large IN
crease in inportations in 1907 compared
with carrier years. and especially Win
the Immediately preceding year, the toidi
yaIl.e Of the imports in tn" nine hon'hS
ending with September Of the present year
heirc over So 900. 600. against little less
tEan SCI. 0oo 100 in The same ;n"rths OF i%H
and = little more than s.1Wl go in the
same months of 1913. The most important
article in this class, il point of value. nj
least. is bananas. Of which the Waite OF
the imports in. the nine mnnths ending
with September 1877. is slightly below
$40 nm con AGAINST little more than $500
600 in the corresponding months Of 1905,
lemons being TIE next largest single item
s;..4l 900; almonds. Slaih.000: walnuts, ST.
CONTINUED on Page Fourteen.)