The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-07-11
law they averaged 16 million dollars per
month and formed p per cent of the to-
tai exports.
Coffee Imports of the United
States.


> WASHINGTON, D. c., July 8, 1912.
More than one-third of the 2 1-2 billion
pounds of coffee annually entering the
international commerce Of the world is
consumed in the United States, its i'm
ports of that article being twice as much
as those of Germany, three times those
of Netherlands, four times those of
France, nearly ten times those of Great
Britain, and half as much as those of all
Europe, next to the United States the
great offee-consuming section of the
world.
The world leading importers of coffee,
according to the latest official reports of
the various countries thus far received
by the Bureau of Statistics, Department
of Commerce and Labor, are: the United
States, 875 million pounds; Germany, 4O4
million; Netherlands, 265 million; France,
245 million; Austria Hungary, 127 mil
lion; Belgium, IS million; the United
Kingdom, SO million; and Sweden, 65
million. Italy, Norway, Switzerland
and Denmark also consume considerable
quantities, ranging from as to Is million
pounds each. Of the countries on the
western hemisphere, Argentina and
Cuba each import about 20 million
pounds per annum; Canada, about mil
lion; Chile, million, and Uruguay about
8 million, while Australia, the island
continent, consumes between IL and 2
million pounds per annum. Certain of
the African countries are comparatively
large importers of coffee, the imports
into Egypt averaging about Is million
pounds year; the Cape of Good Hope,
20 million, and Algeria, about Is million
pounds.
While the United States is the world
largest consumer Of coffee, the imports
have not increased during recent years.
In the fiscal year 1902, for example, the
imports aggregated l,091 million pounds;
in 1905, 1,048 million; in 1909. 1,050 mil
lion; in 1911, s75 million; and in the pres
ent year will probably aggregate ap-
proximately 300 million pounds, or con-
siderably less than the annual average
of the period since 1900. In 1871 imports
of coffee amounted to 318 million pounds;
in 1881, 455 million; in 1891, 500 million;
in 1901, 855 million; and in 1911, S75 mil
lion. Cocoa has to large extent sup
planted coffee as an American beverage,
the imports having increased from 1-2
million pounds in 1871 to over 140 million
pounds in 1911.
The worlds leading coffee producing
countries are, according to the Depart
ment of Agriculture: Brazil, 2 ID billion
pounds in 1900; Venezuela, "a million
pounds; Mexico, 80 million; Colombia,
80 IL million; Porto Rico, as million;
Haiti, Al million; Dutch East Indies, IS
million; British India, % million; Arabia.
Is IA million, and Abyssinia, 10 million.
The worlds supply in 1909 aggregated
nearly 3 billion pounds, but in 1910 fell
below billion pounds, due to decrease
of about $50 million pounds in the ex-
ports from Brazil.
Brazil is now and has for many years
been the chief source of the coffee i'm
ported into the United States. Of the
s75 million pounds imported last year,
651 million pounds were from Brazil, as
against 224 million from all other parts
of the world, chiefly American countries.
The second largest source of our import
ed coffee is Colombia, IS million pounds,
followed in order by the Central Ameri
can States, So million; Venezuela, 40
million; the United Kingdom, 27 million;
Mexico, Is million; the Dutch East In
dies, 8 million; Haiti and Santo Domin-
go, million; the British West Indies, 2
million; Netherlands, million; Alden,
l 1-2 million; Turkey in Asia, 1-3 mil
lion, and Germany, million pounds.
Less than Is million pounds, it will
be observed, are imported from
Asia, even including the arrivals from
European countries, whose exported
coffee is, presumably, largely the pro-
duct of their Asiatic colonies.
The average price of the coffee i'm
ported into the country has greatly in
creased in the last few years. During
the fiscal year recently elapsed the
average import price has been 13c
per pound, as against Zoe in 1911, &c in
1910, and 1-2c in 1908. Present import
prices are still, however, somewhat be-
low the high level which prevailed in the
period 1890 to 1896, when the average
import price ranged from 14c to over Ice
per pound.
Domestic consumption per capita
reached its highest total in 1902, 1884
pounds, as against 8 pounds in 1891,
10 IL pounds in 1901, and 9 Ia pounds
in 1911.
Porto Rico and Hawaii are the only
portions of the United States in which
coffee is produced and from which it is
exported in any considerable amounts.
From Hawaii the exports to foreign
countries last year aggregated about l
million pounds, and the shipments to the
mainland about Ia million. From
Porto Rico the exports to foreign COLIN