The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1932-10-17
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
FOREIGN TRADE, COMMERCE
BY
SIDNEY C. BROWN
Collector OF Custom

ness and governments are being
forced to their last resources, it is
thought that the record of the GUS
toms district of Florida during the
past fiscal year will stand out ''like
Mars of Perihelion." While i'm
ports and exports and collections
of revenue in the United States as
a whole have been far from salts
factory, there are many bright
signs of encouragement in the
Pe68nsular State.
Pensacola at the extreme west
boasts of its magnificent harbor
capable of floating the ships of
the world. Jacksonville at the
eastern extremity rears its sky line
above the majestic st. Johns. Mi
ami, within stones throw of
where Columbus gave to the
world a new continent, holds Sc
cure her proud place as the queen
of the East Coast.
Key West, Mt The southern
most point in the Union, holds
in her hand the key that un-
locks the treasures of Cuba
and the Antilles. Tampa
from her vantage point in the
central Gulf Coast rules sue
preme her undisputed CONE
mercial dominion.
From the thirteen ports of Flor
ida go boats laden with products
of the entire United States TO the
far reaches of the world and bring
back commodities that crowd the
shores of it's harbors. Recently
there was laden at one of her ports
steamer which circled the globe
carrying merchandise produced in
ten states of the Union, among
them being the sxtrepnes of New
York and California.
In more detail, the ports here
tell their varied stories.
Apalachicola, at the mouth of
the river whose name it bears, has
fallen from its proud estate of the
post Civil War period when it was
one of the leaders in cotton ex-
ports.
With the fruition of plans now
under way through the Recon-
struction Finance Corporation for
bridging the river and bay, thus
furnishing an outlet eastward,
that port is bound to regain its
position of Importance.
Boca Grande, filling in the
stretch of coast between Tampa
and Key West, always makes cred
table showing in the number of
vessels entered and cleared. Last
year it exported merchandise, prin-
cipally phosphate amounting to
1901 ,081.
Fernandina, holding guard at
the extreme northeast over the
mouth Of the st. Mary's River,
formerly a great lumber and phos-
phate exporting port, shows signs
of regaining her past prestige in
that respect. Her progressive
citizens are full of enthusiasm and
inspired with optimism.
Fort Pierce, on the middle East
Coast, is next to the youngest port
in the state. It's productive back
country and rich natural re-
sources have assured it place in
the foreign trade world.
At Jacksonville, Notwithstanding
the general adverse economic con-
ditions, during the fiscal year end
ing June 80, 1892, collections were
IL percent greater than for the
preceding fiscal year. The amount
collected in 1882 was seven times
as much as during the year 1922,
representing a progressive increase
of about 70 percent each year.
Collections at this port in 1882
from importations in the foreign
mail alone increased over the boom
year 1925 fifty percent. This is
due largely to the fact that eff
fective in September 1880, re-
strictions were removed from the
importation of cigars from Cuba,
and Jacksonville was designated by
the Treasury Department as the
only port in the United States at
which duty and Internal Revenue
! tax may be prepaid on cigars from
that country and delivery made d.
rectly to the addressee without
further charges.
Jacksonville is the only port
designated in the district for ex-
animation and distribution of mer-
chandise arriving in the foreign
| mails. Last year 10000 packages
of such merchandise were examin-
ed and $4,000 in duty collected
from that source. In 1891 there
were imported at this port 4,541
boxes of cigars in the foreign mail
in 1882. sos boxes. These i'm
portations of expensive cigars
work TO the advantage of the clear
Havana cigar industry in the state,
in that il helps create demand