THE AFRICAN TRADE.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 446, 3 November 1904, Page 6

THE AFRICAN TRADE.

Almost MonopiUzed by the Commerl ■ cial Housae of Great Britain. ■ i *--

WUle tke Trade of the Suited State* Ha* Orowm to *33,000,000, Tk*r *>., p* jf r j oiL'Ml Slates Kingdom Jf*£ Ajmomxtm to SUST,OOOy»©O.

" Hi© importance ot Africa ax a field for the producers and manufacturers of the United States is illustrated by some figures just received by the-.trvas-ury bureau of statistics, showing the commerce of the United Kingdom ■« ith Africa. Considerable pride has been felt in the fact that the exports from the United States to Africa hare gr< wn to $33,000,000 in the fiscal year 1002; but a comparison of these figure* with those of the exports from the United Kingdom to that continent shows that our exports ui Africa still form a vsry small proportion of the importation* of the dark continent. The total exports from the United Kingdom to Africa, according to figures received by the bureau of statistics, were in I*ol, 8157,000,000, or practically five times as much as the exports from the United States to Africa. While the growth of

exports from the United Kingdom to .» Africa has not been so rapid as in the case of the United States, it has been steady and persistent. In 1897 the total exports from the United Kxngaom to Africa amounted to $120,000,000; in 1900. $134,000,000, and in 1901, $157,000,000. Of this exportation of more than $150,000,000 worth of merchandise to Africa, nearly two-thirds goes to the southern part of the continent; the figures being to Cape Colony, $€2,700,000; to Natal, $29,500,000; and to Portuguese Africa, chiefly that section located on the southeastern front of the continent and forming the most direct entrance to the territory of the late Boer Bepublics, $6,020,000. The next .action in importance is Egypt, to which the experts from the United Kingdom are $31,235,000; next, British West Africa, $13,222,000. '9 An analysis of this market for over $150,000,000 worth of British products shows that the chief exports to ; Cape Colony consist of cotton piece foods, iron (wrought and unwrought), eoaL provisions of all sorts, and manufactured articles, especially apparel and haberdashery. To Natal the ex-i ports are similar to those to Cape Colony, with the exception of coal, pi which a considerable quantity is produced in Natal itself. To Portu-g-uese Africa the shipments included eottons, machinery and other supplies, chiefly for the Transvaal and Orange River colonies. To British West Africa, cotton goods, coal and Iron are the nJOst important articles exported. To Egypt the exportationa Included cotton goods to the value of i $1,086,000; coal, $8,325,000; iron; wrought and unwrought, $1,630,000 ;j and machinery, including steam en-- ' gines, $1,935,000. i' i The.following tabid shows, tb.eto- | tal value of exports to Africa from I the United States and United King-

dom, respectively, in each calen&as' , year from 1897 to 1901: *; From United From United fear. States. K'.Dgfioin. 183*7 mm F«BT<HXr .; f720.574,«0 1598 ...... 18,1U,*N ?y*- 118,250,<)50 1599 15,502,3»4 j 11^.52X03 1900 22.979.170 ' *~ <fi§34,563.1>-3 i50i...... 29,f152,0e3 •• ■rr'lCTjao.ooa