Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-10-19
Rapid Growth in Trade.

'aPiu SToWIn IN IFade.
The trade Of the United States with
its noncontiguous territories will
amount to 250 million dollars in the
calendar year 1912. Tables just com
pleted by the Division of Statistics OF
the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic
Commerce of the Department of Com
meree and Labor show that during the
eighl months ended August 81. 1912.
| merchandise shipped from the United
States to the nopeontiguous terrific
ries amounted to "A million dollars in
value against 81 million in the same
months of last year; and the merchan-
| disc received from these territories
amounted to 97's million dollars in
value against SOLE million in the cor
responding months of last year. This
showing of an increase of 30 million
dollars-a gain of more than 90 per
cent in the single year-gives assur-
ance that the total value of this trade
in the current calendar year will reach
anu t'lp5ftbIN tACtCu ZJD lIllIllOn uOIIdIS
in value.
The gain in the trade with the nom
contiguous territories has been far
greater than that in the trade with
foreign countries for the same period
shows a gain of approximately IS per
cent The first year in which accu-
rate trade figures with all of the non
contiguous territories were available
was the fiscal year ended June 30,
1903. Prior to that time no official data
was proeurable of the trade with Alas
ka, and figures We're refused by those
engaged in the trade with Hawaii and
Porto Rico after their annexation to
the United States and establishment
as customs districts. This condition
Was, however, remedied by an act OF
Congress which required statements of
this traffic to he made in terms similar
| to those in which the trade with for
eign countries is shown. and in conse-
quence of this enactment full statis-
ties of the traffic have been available
since 1903.
These figures show that the trade
with Porto Rico in 1903 amounted to
about 23 million dollars in value, while
in the current year it will amount to
about - million dollars. or more than
three times as much as a decade ago.
The trade with Hawaii in the year
ended June 80, 1903 was 81 million dol
lars in value, and in the calendar year
1912 will amount to about So million
dollars, an increase of over 100 per cent
in a decade. With the Philippines, the
trade In 1903 was Is million dollars in
value. and in the calendar year 1912
will amount to about As million dollars,
having trebled in that period. With
Alaska the trade of 1908 was about 20
million dollars in value and in the cal
endar year 1912 promises to be about
45 million dollars, an increase of APP
proximately 125 per cent in the period
in question:; these figures being eXclu-
s!ye Of gold received from Alaska
which seems to be greater in the cur
rent year than ever before-the figures
of the months ended with August 81,
1872 being 1-3 million dollars
against a little less than million in
the corresponding s months of 1911 and
a little more than million in the
months of 1910.
Manufactures form the bulk of the
disc passing to the noncontiguous ter
ritories in 1912, and sugar, tobacco
fruits, fish, copper and hemp are the
principal articles forming the $40 mil
lion dollars worth of merchandise be-