The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-10-15

eeographical position with reference to the markets of the East, only just opening to the world, the possibilities of our trade extension in ana through those islands are startling.
 Porto Rico with an area of 435 1 square miles, a population of mil lion. and .zonly agricultural resources upon which to rely, exports $34,OoO,- OOO, 900 worth of product and possesses an annual external trade of $56,OOO.0OO while the Philippines with an area of 115 900 .26 square miles, haVlng population of seven and half mll- lions. exported in 1908 but $32, ,00O, ,00O worth of products, and participated III foreign trade to the extent or only s63. GOO. 900. This, however, is but the starting point. The trade has been substantially the same since American occupation in 1898. If our experience in Porto Rico is any guide at all Pnlio ippine trade will pass the $20O,Oo0,0oo
 mark within five years, ana tnose e:, ao o establish themselves in 1t now Will pc taking part in supplying the 1slanos with s1OO OOO GOO worth of manufactur-
 ed articles, in exchange Tor Whlch we
 shall receive an almost equal quantl-
 W of those products that we now buy
 in foreign countries which buy but lit tie of us-
 One who has lived in the Philip
 nine Islands and who has some idea
 of their extent and fertility thelr
 wonderful forests of hard wood, the
 minerals known to exist and the
 houndIess tracts of rich uncultivated
 land never disturbed. by man. IS so annalled by the immensity of the trade possibilities that he hesitatess to pre- dict concerning their future beyond
 the immediate certaintles. Ihey con stitute a great sleeping empire. about equal in size to Great Britain and on- ly slightly smaller than Japan, popu- lated by a people perfectly capapie under suitable leadership and with the enterprise and capital of America of developing it into one of the rlchest countries of the world. i
 The opportunity is there and only needs the ingenuity and practical sense of this Yankee nation to make it one of the greatest producing coun- 1 tries and markets in the East
 | In addition to what may be done in the Philippine Islands commercially it should be remembered that the capiS tai of Manila is within a few days sailing of ali the chief Asiatfc ports, and but two days from Hongkong, one | of the principal gateWays to China. China is developing rapidly. The building of railroads is giving a great | impetus to commerce in the Empire and the spirit of progress that pre- yails there is bringing it into more in- innate relations both commercially and politically with the outside world. | Under present conditions it takes from five to six months from the time mail orders are sent from China to the i United States or Europe before goods are received, and from four to five months for goods to arrive that are 1 ordered by cable. Nearly all Chinese i imports, are purchased through brok- 1 ers and foreign houses, as they do not carry permanent stocks there. Amer | icau houses could however and doubt | less will carry permanent stocks in Manila when the Philippine trade de- | yelops for our manufacturers will be i in control of that trade From such 1 stocks the trade of China could be supplied, and it would not be long be- | fore Chinese merchants would appre- l ciate the advantage of buying all they could in Manila even at a slightly in
 I creased cost, for the necessity of buy l ing heavily and carrying abnormal | Requirements could be more accurate | ly anticipated and a tremendous sav i ing effected by the great reduction l that would result in the amount of l capital necessary to conduct their business This operation would no doubt be gradual as are all radical changes in the customs of the Chinese. l But there can be no question that the
 development of the resources and con- trol of the trade in the Philippines will assure our ascendency in an ul- the trade of China. It should be un- 1 trade of the Philippine Islands is car ried on by Chinamen, and no small proportion of the wholesale trade as well. These Chinamen not only sell goods to the F'ilipinos.s but they buy l their products. They are keere to sec