The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-10-23
OUR DEMANDS ON TROPICS,

The United States bought more than
billion dollars worth of merchandise
from it's tropical neighbors last year
South and Central America, the West
Indian Islands. Mexico, the Islands of
the Pacific, the southern frontage of
Asia, and the northern section of
Africa were the principal sources of
this supply of over a billion dollars
worth of tropical and sub-tropical
products entering the continental
United States in the fiscal year of
1916.
A compilation by the foreign trade
department of the National City Bank
of New York shows that we brought
into our ports in this fiscal year just
ended more than s300,000,O00 worth
of sugar; s160,000,0Oo worth of rub
Der; $125. 100000 worth of raw silk;
s115, 100000 worth of coffee; 100000
600 worth of fibers; over s4O,OOO,OO0
worth of. fruit and nuts; $40,OOO,00O
worth of cotton, and $35,00O,00O
worth of cacao; while the remainder
of the billion dollars worth of mer-
chandise from the tropics included tea,
vegetable oils, gums, rice, cork
spices, cabinet woods. ostrich feathers,
vanilla beans, dyestuffs, banks for
quinine, tanning materials, indigo,
ivory and ivory nuts, licorice roots,
sage, tapioca and sponges
A very large proportion of this in
crease in tropical imports is due to
the activity of the manufacturing in
dustries of the country; in part also to
the heavy demands upon us from Eu-
rope for material of this class; g part
to higher prices; and a portion to a
disposition 1.-The part of our neigh
bors to make the United States a point
for the distribution of their products.
With the opening of the Panama
canal and the disarrangement of
steamship lines upon the Atlantic and
the Mediterranean, much merchan-
disc formerly sent directly to Europe
is now passing by way of the United
States, part of it for transshipment in
the form in which received, other por-
lions to be transformed into condition
ready for use before being passed
along to the consumers of other parts
of the world.
This total of over 100000,
worth of tropical and sub-tropical
products brought into continental
United States in the fiscal year 1915
exceeds that of any earlier year. the
official figures for preceding years
having been in 1915, 1905, 646, 900; in
1918, 1851, $4,000 in 1910. $636, 920,-
600; and in 1900, $334,591.00o.
| The striking feature of this lar ge
importation Of tropical merchandise
is the fact that the countries from
which it is drawn take in exchange
but comparatively small quantities of
merchandise from us, altho their
chief imports are cotton goods and
other manufactures.
The principal countries supplying
our tropical imports during this last
fiscal year took but about 100000
900 worth of merchandise from us,
altho our imports of their products
exceeded $1,000, 900, 900 in value.
Their indisposition to purchase
American manufactures is largely due
to the fact that they obtain from Eu-
ropean countries the manufactures in
a form better suited to their local
markets than are those of the United
States; and. what is even more impor-
tant in initiating against our trade
with them is that they are able to
purchase these European manufac-
lures on longer credits