Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1909-02-08
HOW PHILIPPINE FREE TRADE
Will help TRADE OF HAWAII

pines from America never runs ABOVE
$3.50, 900, or about one-third OF the
iron and steel imports possibly today
in the Philippines under existing
economic conditions.
with free trade established be-
tween the United States and the
Philippines, however, we could he
certain of nearly two million dollars
worth of iron and steel passing
through Honolulu every year on its
way to the Philippines, while the i'm
petus such free trade would give
mining in those Islands would bring
shiploads OF mining machinery, rail
way. machinery, and the interests
which accompany them, through
Honolulu harbor every MONTH with
the money. they would spend at this
place for sightseeing, for souvenirs,
and In the various other money
spending channels that characterize
every busy harbor in the world.
Greater Purchasing Power .
But II is not alone the present i'm
portations Of the Philippines that
would come through Honolulu were
the Philippines to have free trade.
with the markets of the United
States thus opened up to the products
or Philippine farms, the Philippines
would soon become country OF
great purchasing power. Taking the
case of Porto Rico as a parallel. one
expert Harold M. Pitt has made a
careful estimate that granting free
trade to the Philippines. If 1t would
increase the purchasing power Of the
Filipinos In proportion as 1t increas-
ed the purchasing power of the Porto
Rioans. then the Philippines would
under free trade soon grow to the
mark where II would be using iron
and steel articles OF American manu-
facture (for, railways. bridges. farm
ing implements, etc., to the value OF
s29, 600. 900 gold per year.
And likewise. It Is all along the
lines OF practically every important
kind Of article-except shoes. leather
goods and oil-imported into the
Philippine archipelago today. In
: stead OF >the spectacle Of the United
States heading the ,list OF exporters
) to the Philippines as It should do, and
as most people suppose they do, we
; find Americans down usually as far
as the tenth place on the list Of ex-
! porters to the Philippines in certain
= lines, and except In the three in.
stances named the United States ex.
pcrters never rise to above third OF
: fourth place, even under the most
1 favorable conditions possible withou,
: free trade. o.. .-, 1919.
u THE most striking illustration Of
n this fact is in the instance OF the
e amount Of imports OF cotton goods in
to the Philippines. That Archipela
go imports annually cotton goods Il
0 the value OF some 100000. Ye
n while the United States is such
h great cotton-raising country and po
{ sesses such great cotton looms, an
= while every effort has been made b.
n interested American cotton people +
! lswing the business to American ex
o porters, the American Imports 10
}. 1906 were only about 100000; an
L for the year ending June 80, 100,
Il these imports OF American cotto
h goods had climbed only by. $50, 900 on
II OF total possible 100000 of cotto
d imports for the year. over SO pc
IS cent OF which came to the PhiliI
t pines from the looms OF Great Britai
IS alone. During the same period 'onl
@ nine per cent OF the cotton importe
n Was from the United States, and sue
J. Insignificant countries as Spaii
n Switzerland, Japan. and German
/ each furnished the Philippines [
l. within one, two or three per cent ,
'r the. proportion furnished by Ii
, United States. II Is a fact, indee
Ie that the cotton imports from Amer
J. ca have been on the increase Il
ts Philippines; but 1t Is also a fact thu
l. the exports from the United Kingdo
of have been increasing by the san
p percentage, the countries suffering
volume OF their cotton exports to Il
t. Philippines being. Spain and Il
| AS"os hhuhuos VuSh VI WIFI
lie have sustained the loss OF about on
ne half their exports OF cotton goods
Up the Philippines during the past H.
m years.
ryI Thus 1t will be seen that even u
OF der the present economic conditio
cd In the Philippines, free trade b
p tween them and the United Stat
he would give the American cotton g
n porters a steady additional mark
de for S7,OO00OO worth OF their war
IS every year. In addition to this It
to claimed by Mr.. Pitt that free ira
a. would 80 increase the purchasil
nd power of the Filipino people tn
n within a few years they would
DIS purchasing, from the United Stat
an cotton goods to the value of ov
on s26, 100000 per year. .n Ut.
be In this, manner Honolulu won
OF be materially boosted by having pa
through its harbor even such ad,
tional Pacific coast shipping