The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-09-15
OUR TRADE WITH MEXICO.

is being dealt out to the American peo-
pie in the shape of information about
the conditions that prevail in Mexico.
Perhaps it is well within the truth
to assert that the great majority of the
folks on this side of the Rio Grande
are under the impression that Mexico
is land that is well-nigh Frustrated
in it's entirety, physically, CONNER
cially and in every other way
This is no doubt true of conditions
in Northern Mexico where the bandits
and the brigands and the military
forces of Carranza, or the Constitu-
tionalists, have been holding sway for
so long and where famine has stalked
in their wake among the non-com-
batants in that section.
But such conditions are evidently
far from common to the whole of
Mexico. And while there might seem
to be eXaggeration in a statement to
the effect that the commerce of the
United States with Mexico in the fiscal
year ending on June 80. 1915, has been
the largest in the history of our trade
| with that country, compilation of
statistics that was recently made by
the foreign trade department of the
National City Bank of New York
shows that despite the unsettled con-
ditions in Mexico, our immediate
neighbor to the south supplied US dur
ing the fiscal year in question with
larger value of merchandise than ever
before, and that our total trade with
Mexico was also larger than ever be-
fore.
These statistics show that our total
imports from Mexico in 1916 were
$97,676,544 against $77,612,691 in
1915 and $92.69O,566 in 1914. the
former high record year. The ex-
ports to Mexico were in 1915, $685.
542, which was IA millions greater
than in 1916 and 10 millions greater
than in 1914, but materially less than
the average for several years prior to
1914. Combining imports and ex-
ports. however, the total of 1915 was
the largest in the history of the trade
between the United States and Mexico,
being $145,sS5.0S6 against $1s1,s27,-
266 in 1918, the former high record
year.
The above figures of trade with
Mexico do not include the precious
metals, of which we have imported
largely from that country in recent
years. The silver imports from Mexico
in 1916 were approximately 10 million
dollars; in 1915 $16,s02.000; in 1913,
$25, $4,000; and in 1912, $2s,147,OOO
The gold imports from Mexico were
in 1915 little over million dollars
in 1914, IL millions; in 1918, 20 mil
lions, and in 1911, 80 million dollars.
The chief growth of our trade with
Mexico occurs on the import side. The
value of imports from that country
into the United States increased from
$2s,646. 600 in 1900, to $97,61e, 900 in
1915, while our exports to Mexico in
creased from $34,e75,OO0 in 1900, to
$61,2s2. 900 in the high record year,
1911, but fell to s4s,3Os, 900 in 1916.
Thus the greatest increase in our ex-
ports to Mexico since 1900 is but rs
per cent, while the increase in imports
from that country since 1900 has been
242 per cent.
This gain in the imports from Mex
, leo has been one of steady growth
having been in 1900 2SA millions;
, 1905, 46 Y millions; 1910, 5s1k mil
lions; 1913, 771s; 1914, 9215: and in
1916, 971A million dollars. On the
other hand the exports to Mexico have
{ greatly fluctuated. jumping from So
{ millions in 1900 to Sc millions in 1907,
then falling to SO millions in 1909. So
millions in 1911, "a millions in 1915
and again advancing to As millions In
1916.
E Our chief imports from Mexico are
3 coffee, vanilla beans, copper sisal
= mineral oil, hides and skins, rubber
D and substitutes therefor, gum chicle
l lead and live cattle. The copper, lead
= and mineral oil come to the United
n States because it has better facilities
= for turning the raw product into the
Y manufactured state than has Mexico
the sisal, rubber and hides are re.
quired in manufacturing; the coffee
. and vanilla for domestic consumption
$ and the cattle also for domestic con
;, sumption after their preparation fol
i market by feeding. The sisal, which
n amounted in 1916 to 25 million dollars
$ is for use in the domestic industrie,
as is also the 10 million dollars
worth of hides, while the IA millio1
dollars worth of copper and IL million
s dollars worth of mineral oil went t
s the refineries for distribution.
n The growth in the imports of min
/. eral oil from Mexico to the United
l. States has been an important factor il
o our trade with that country. A decad,
e ago our imports in crude mineral OF
: from Mexico amounted to but 1 8 mil
r lion gallons, but in 1916 was over so
: million gallons valued at approximate
t ly 2 million dollars. This comes t.
f US, as above indicated, not because