Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-06-21

greater than 1t was when the American
flag was first hoisted by the LIST Colorado
Regiment over old Fort Santiago in the
environs OF Manila August 49, 1899.
was a little over $27O1O,OOO OF this trade
3,116,567 rep
Trade for Year resented the i'm
Over $27, 100000. eIn,s, ana no sas'-
ports The total trade of the fiscal year
1912 was $1O4. 1863, S16 1t is expected that
the trade of this fiscal year will bring the
annual volume to a point above an in
crease Of 400 per cent over 1899 The to-
tai trade Of the islands one year after
American occupation was over 100000.
showing an increase of $4,000, 900 within
twelve months after the Philippines came
into their new and better day. However,
the balance of trade was against the is
lands, as the imports exceeded the exports
to the extent of $7SO,0S9. This was due
to the chaotic conditions and the general
stagnation of trade resulting from the in
surrection OF the Filipinos against Amer
lean authority.
Indeed, the balance ftrade against the
islands was ten times as bad in 1901 and
1902 as 1t was in 1900 and the reasons are
!,
1920 while the exports were $23 222-
34S. The following year the imports were
nearly 100000 greater largely repre-
sent1ng necessary foodstuffs. while the
excess OF the year before The balance of
trade against the islands this year was
$l.4S4, 499, or nearly half million over
the year before.
* /;
he
beginning Of better conditions because
of the partial rs
Better Conditions Mobilization of the
cL 1ooo islands through the
oAO wa III Aooo' gradual restoration
of peace under the civil government of
William H. Taft BY this time all honest
peace-loving Filipinos. and they are in
the great majority. had dropped the bolo
for the good old wooden pillow. The rice
fields, which for several years had served
no better purpose than that Of muddy
bivouacs for willy insurrectos and deter
mined fever-stricken American soldiers
now returned to their natural function as
the cradle Of waving grain. Hemp stalks
f1oated down the streams as of yore,
cocoanuts resumed their old place on the
little river landing placs. bundles of to-
bacco leaf again formed the principal
I
districts and the antiquated sugar mills
of Nagos and the Visayas groaned and
creaked in the grinding Of few pounds
of sugar every day.
445 in imports and $50, 1JO,120 in exports.
showing a balance of trade in favor of
the islands of $171,675.
The year 1904 showed a bare $500, 600
increase In imports with a slump of near
ly 100000 in exports. This was due to
a disastrous rinderpest epidemic which
wiped out thousands of carabao in all
parts of the islands The carabao is the
beast Of burden Of the Filipinos. The
carabao is at once the horse and the cow
of the F'ilipinos. The Filipino who owns
a carabao has little fear of poverty and
one who has been able to acquire a small
sequently, the rinderpest of 1904 was a
calamity, and to this day is very per-
picking and expensive problem to the
government, which is still experimenting
with it. The imports exceeded the ex-
ports for the year in consideration by
1886, IA.
The next five years, up to the great
changes brought about in August 1909,
by the bill
Change for Better which estab-
in Next Five Years. fr .neu ,r.b bs' hs.
tween the United States and the Phil
ippines, is a record of steady growth
both in exports and imports. The i'm
ports were somewhat lower than they
were in the off-year 1904, when rinder
pest struck it's hardest blow. but the ex-
ports continued to expand. In all of
these five years comfortable excess of
exports over imports is shown. The best
year in this regard was 1905 when the
imports were SO. 793. go and the exports
were greater by s6.1l9252. On the whole
however. the best balanced year was 1908
when the imports We're $3o.91s,7io and the
exports were So, SsIS1G.
In all of this time the United States
did not have the bulk of the Philippine
trade. AS matter or TACT the United
States was not even the heaviest shipper
of goods to the islands This was be-
cause OF the competitive tariff imposed
by certain stipulations in the treaty of
Paris in 1889 and for other reasons.
The principal exports of the Philip
pine Islands are hemp. copra, raw sugar.
cigars and cigarettes. Manila rope and
heavy Manila envelopes are known the
world over. Other exports of the islands
are knotted hemp. which is shipped prin-
cipally to Italy. France and Switzerland.
to be woven into fine textiles, native fib-
rous hats. the better grades OF which
compare favorably with the famous pam
anna hats miscellaneous group Of
| Maguey shells. native cloth. Wang
Wang oil and perfume and native timber
and lumber. Hemp was far and away the
principal export of the islands until last
year when copra took a slight lead.
Hamp represented over half of the total
exports nearly every year. even in 1911.
Hemp exports were 100000. while the
total exports were over $4,000, 600. Iii
the year 1911 hemp constituted 40 per
cent Of the total value Of the exports,
but 1t now forms only 80 per cent, while
copra which in 1911 represented less
than % per cent Of the total export value.
represented in 1912 fraction above that
Of hemp. Hemp exports were 6.2S3.51O
The copra exports were 1854 49. Sugar
was poor third with $40. 100000 to its
| credit while cigars, cigarettes and other
| tobacco struggled far in the rear to the
| sum Of 81, 500 900.
| The principal imports of the Philippine