| Show TRADE WITH THE 0 P austin of the bureau of statistics lias an article in the current number of the forum on the trade of the united states with the wg that this country each day in the year upwards of worth of tropical and subtropical sub tropical food stuffs and raw materials each day in the year china japan and india furnish the bulk of the importations from asia and of our imports from these countries silk fabres fibres tea rice and goat skins form fully four fifths of the total value while roost of the merchandise from the other parts of asia s even corp morp strictly tropical while the number of articles imported from tropical and ab countries is of course very large the most important are sugar raw cocoa fabres fibres fruits and nuts tobacco cotton and tea in the importations of 1001 these ten articles aggregate in value pcr cent of the total f or of wha r A ay be termed tropical and subtropical sub tropical products even these figures do not show the real growth in our importations of tropical and subtropical sub tropical products as in nearly all caes thara has been a marked decline in the market valde of these articles so that the increase in the number of dollars does not by any i means show the increase in the quantity of the articles under consideration the putte says the act lias a peculiar in this trade SI ost of the money for these products has been going to foreign coun tries the philippines arc undoubtedly capable or will bo when developed by american energy to cupply a large share of alic various articles for which wo arc now sending our money abroad the capacity of the philippines for abl production of the fabres fibres tropical and nuts cocoa rice spices dye woods indigo tobacco sugar and many other articles which we now import from the tropics is already assured and if ll 11 should develop that they can also pro thit e coffee acu silk and rubber they may not only prove great 1 l supply for our requirements of cil products but in so doing would cure iri grow extremely prosperous and thus large consumers of our bread stuffs provisions and manufactures therein M this trade touch the interests of the pacific elope and the west iw by the development of commerce the philippines we get into more intimate trade relations with and japan aud expands inthe far east for our own products hut particularly will the development of tho philippines lo 10 of great advantage to the whole country especially to the western and northwestern states mr austin propounds thia quenon qu eUon and it certainly is a most pertinent one Is it not possible even probable that when american capitol ahall have supplied the steamships team ships and roads needed to bring to our markets the products of the soil and forests and mines of our various tropical and have developed their producing capacity by opening plantations and mines wo may ba able to expend in them a large charo of the per annum which we aranow sending to other countries |
