The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1911-01-13
WORLDWIDE CONTRIBUTIONS
TO THE COMFORTS OF AM.
ERICAN HOMES

other parts of the world are making
to the comforts and requirements o.
homes in the United States are quite
as interesting as the subject of las
week S discussion, regarding the art
icles which producers in the United
States had contributed to the com.
forts of homes in other parts of the
world. Our tea, our coffee, our corks
our bananas, our camphor, our 'licor-
ice, our pepper, nutmegs and other
spices, our silks, some of our cotton
considerable part of our wool and
strange as it may appear, some part
of the onions, potatoes, and cheese
consumed in the United States are
brought from other countries and in
many cases from the opposite side
of the globe and out of the way parts
of the world.
Few people would suppose, for ex-
ample, that this great agricultural
country imports onions, or potatoes,
or clover seed, or honey; yet the val
ue of onions imported in 1907 and
1908 was nearly a million dollars in
each year, and they came from Egypt,
Australia. Japan, the Canary Islands,
Uruguay, Cuba, the British West
Indies, Bermuda, Canada, Mexico and
Spain. OF potatoes more than 31s
million dollars worth were imported
in 1909, the largest contributing
country being Scotland with over 1
million dollars worth, Ireland and
Great Britain, each three quarters of
million dollars worth, and the
remainder largely from European
countries and, in smaller quantities,
from the British West Indies, Aus
tralia, and even China and Japan.
Pepper, of course, is not produced
in the United States and it is not
surprising, therefore, that 2 million
dollars worth is imported annually,
much of it from the Dutch East In
dies, although largely accredited to
the Straits Settlements, the southern
most point of eastern Asia to which |
this merchandise is transshipped
from the East Indian Islands, known
century ago as the "Spice Islands,"
while smaller quantities come direct
from Netherlands, the country which
has for so many years administered
the government of those islands and
controlled largely their fines of pro-
duction. Nutmegs, of which the i'm
portations amount to a quarter mil
lion dollars year, are also drawn
chiefly from the "Spice Islands," or
he Dutch East Indies.
One would scarcely expect that
such an agricultural country as the
United States would find it necessary
o import clover seed, but the quality
runs as high as 20 million
pounds year, chiefly from Germany
ind in smaller quantities from
france, Italy and Scotland. Sausage
aslngs, which we would scarcely ex-
'ect to see imported into a country
laughtering food animals in such
arge numbers, are imported to the
alue OF from to 3 million dollars
year, by far the largest contribute,
eng England, from which the i'm
ortations in 1909 were over u
1llllon dollars, the remainder being
rom widely scattered countries. from
Turkey in Europe. China
.ustraiia, and Turkey in Asia. Ma
ural gas is another article which
e would scarcely expect to see i'm
orted, yet the importations run as l
Ugh as $4,000 per annum. being
lped across the river from Canada Il
or near Niagara Falls.
Of the more commonly used arti-
es of which other parts of the world =
re the chief source, sugar is the u
lrgest in value, its importations
lnglng about 100 million dollars a &c
EAR from foreign countries and 20 u
llllon dollars year from uur own y
land possessions, Hawaii, Porto Ri
}, and the Philippines. Nearly all -
that coming from foreign countries ;.
drawn from Cuba, which supplied -
last fiscal year with 3b billion q
FUNDS valued at 931h million dol ~
is of coffee, the importations
nge from 60 to Is million dollars 70
year and in exceptional years as "a
gh as 100 million. The bulk of
is comes from Brazil though IS
miserable portion comes from ia
; Mexico, Central America, and "
northern, section of South Ameri- -,
ana comparatively small quanti- ".
from Africa. The tea importa- "e
MS which amount to from 12 to IS -.