It is said that the overland trade of North China to Russia now requires for its transportation a caravan line of 36,000 camels and bullocks, and 100,000 horses, and that the Siberian trade is as large as that of China. The tea sold at Novgorod amounts to $5,000,000 each annual fair.
The caravan tea is preferred to the ship tea, which is said to be injured by the voyage through the tropics; another argument for the North American route.
[Sidenote: The new railroad across Siberia to St. Petersburg.]
Since Mr. Swan"s pamphlet, the news comes that the Russian Government is now actively engaged in building a railroad from St. Petersburg across Siberia to Vladivostock on the j.a.pan Sea; and the expectation is general that this imperial power will seize Corea so as to bring the terminus of her railroad to Ninsen at the south point of Corea. All the great trade which will thus be developed is in addition to the existing trade of China and the Islands, and will probably swell the China, j.a.pan and Russian trade to over $200,000,000, to which is to be added the Australian and Island trade, which already is, no doubt, over $100,000,000.
Now comes the practical question, Who are to handle this vast trade of $300,000,000 annually?
[Sidenote: The American Pacific States have decisive advantages over all others in controlling the Pacific trade.]
No one nation exclusively, of course. The Dutch and other small powers will have a little of it; but the only contest will be between England and the American Pacific Coast. England has the lion"s share now, but this great nation will hereafter labor under too many disadvantages in its contest with America. America has the needful capital, material, pluck and energy, and enjoys certain decisive advantages, as, for example--1. In distance, which of itself would in this case decide the matter; 2. In the local production of certain staple articles which will be in great demand, and which England cannot supply so cheaply, if at all, such as lumber, meats, flour, canned goods, cheap cottons, and agricultural and other machinery, which, if not cheaper, can be more readily adapted to the wants of the market; 3. In possessing the back country of Eastern America, whereby the entire United States become tributary both ways to the Pacific commerce; to which may be added, 4.
The ever-flowing river in the Pacific Ocean, flowing in a circle from j.a.pan to the American coast and back--the famous Kuro Shiwo, or j.a.panese current; a current which gives a gain to every ship of twenty miles a day in distance; the current which brings the disabled j.a.panese junks to the American coast.
[Sidenote: Advantage in distances.]
The half-way point on the Pacific side between America and England is the Malay Peninsula. This leaves even Australia and all of Oceanica nearer to us than to England, and all of China, j.a.pan and Siberia thousands of miles nearer to us. Hong Kong and Canton are the English headquarters in China, and yet our Pacific coast is 5,000 miles nearer to these than England is. It is also 6,500 miles nearer to Shanghai, which is a more important port than Canton, because of its greater nearness to the rice and tea producing sections. The advantages are still greater in respect to Peking, j.a.pan, Vladivostock, the terminus of the projected Russian railway, and the entire country drained by the Amoor. Our commerce is now within thirty days of the coast of China, and will be in less than ten days when the fast mail and express and pa.s.senger steamers are launched. I insert a table of distances, which is full of significance.
ROUGH ESTIMATES OF DISTANCES.
MILES Puget Sound to mouth of Amoor River 3,900 " " " Vladivostock 4,700 " " " Shanghai 5,750 " " " Canton 6,500 " " " Singapore 8,100 " " " S. W. point of Australia 9,550 San Francisco to Vladivostock 5,200 " " " Shanghai 6,100 " " " Canton 6,800 " " " Singapore 8,400 " " " S. W. point of Australia 9,500 " " " St. Petersburg via Vladivostock 9,700 St. Petersburg to Vladivostock 4,500 San Francisco to Calcutta 10,200 Liverpool to mouth of Amoor River 13,550 " " Vladivostock 12,700 " " Shanghai 11,750 " " Canton 10,900 " " S. W. point of Australia 10,750 " " Singapore 9,300 " " Calcutta 8,700
Liverpool and Puget Sound are about equally distant from west coast of the Malay Peninsula.
MILES New York to Canton, via Puget Sound 9,500 " " Shanghai " " " 7,800 to 8,000
By this it will be seen that New York, by way of Puget Sound, is 1,400 miles nearer to Canton than Liverpool is, and nearly 4,000 miles nearer to Shanghai. Mr. Swan makes the distance from the Pacific coast less than I have given. It should also be noted that Puget Sound has the advantage of distance over San Francisco also.
[Sidenote: Advantage in productions.]
Puget Sound has also the advantage over all compet.i.tors of being able to produce a large bulk of the materials for commerce in its own vicinity. In this report there will be a large array of facts concerning the present and future productions of Washington Territory, which will amply confirm and ill.u.s.trate the above statement. The only real compet.i.tor of Puget Sound on the American coast is British Columbia, but British Columbia cannot vie with Washington Territory in the production of the materials of commerce, and Canada at large furnishes no such background as the United States.
[Sidenote: Coastwise trade.]
It will, of course, not be overlooked, that in the great coastwise trade which the Pacific States have and must always have with each other, they will minister to each other"s prosperity. And here it will be shown that Puget Sound will have the advantage in supplying the wants of others.
[Sidenote: South American trade.]
In addition to these is the foreign trade along the coast of British Columbia, Mexico, Central America, and all the Pacific States of South America. Chili is a prosperous State. She has nearly doubled the volume of her trade in ten years. From 1874 to 1883 her exports went up from $32,000,000 to $73,000,000, and her imports from $35,000,000 to $50,000,000. The United States imports over $4,000,000 of goods from the Pacific side of South America, and exports about $8,000,000 to these states. England, however, gets the most of the West South American trade, so that here again we must enter the lists with Britannia.
Already the contest has begun, and our Pacific States must bear off the palm sooner or later.
[Sidenote: Large existing trade.]
Thus it is evident that a vast field of commercial enterprise is wide open to the people of Washington Territory as well as to Oregon and California. And our commercial statistics show what handsome progress has already been made. Taking both exports and imports, there is already a business of $80,000,000 done by the seven Pacific ports of entry. San Francisco is now far ahead of the others, and this city has nothing to fear from any other port except Puget Sound, which will gain upon her rapidly and ultimately surpa.s.s her. Washington Territory has all that California has on which to trade, and a great deal besides; and has the advantage of position. When our commercial statistics were made up, Puget Sound had no direct railroad communication with her own back country east, much less a transcontinental line. A very different story will be told a few years hence. I here insert a table of summaries which show that the commercial revolution is now in operation.
-------------------+-------------------------+-------------------------TOTAL VALUE OFTOTAL VALUE OFEXPORTS OF DOMESTICIMPORTS OF PORTSMERCHANDISEMERCHANDISE OF THE PACIFIC.FOR YEAR ENDINGFOR YEAR ENDING +------------+------------+------------+------------JUNE 30,JUNE 30,JUNE 30,JUNE 30,1885.1887.1885.1887.
-------------------+------------+------------+------------+------------ Humboldt, Cal.$ 201,500$ 1,731Oregon1,928,829161,170Puget Sound, W. T.1,877,485238,036San Diego, Cal.65,65471,106San Francisco, Cal.37,082,520$32,027,99535,040,350$40,707,708 Willamette, Oregon4,142,156277,386Wilmington, Cal.252,673187,348-------------------+------------+------------+------------+------------$45,550,817$35,977,127-------------------+------------+------------+------------+------------
In the latest report to which I have access, San Francisco is the only one of the Pacific ports mentioned separately.
Much of the exports above reported to the credit of Oregon really came down the Columbia River from the eastern part of Washington Territory; and the great bulk of the exports from San Francisco consists of wheat, flour, and other breadstuffs, an item in which Washington Territory can surpa.s.s all compet.i.tors. The following table shows the princ.i.p.al items of export from the Pacific ports.
Let it be noted that in respect to the production of the larger items, to wit, wheat and flour, wood and its manufactures, animals, iron and steel and their manufactures, machinery of all sorts, fish, etc., Washington Territory can surpa.s.s all compet.i.tors.
PRINc.i.p.aL EXPORTS OF DOMESTIC MERCHANDISE, YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1885.
-------------------+------------+------------------------------------- PORTS ON THEAPPROXIMATEPACIFIC.VALUES.-------------------+------------+------------------------------------- Humboldt, Cal.$ 165,000Wood, and Manufactures of.
{ 1,493,600Canned Salmon.
Oregon, Oregon{ 400,000Wheat and Flour.
{ 32,000Wood, and Manufactures of.
{ 830,000Wood, and Manufactures of.
Puget Sound, W. T.{ 240,000Wheat and Flour.
{ 160,000Animals.
{ 58,000Animals.
San Diego, Cal.{ 4,000Wood, and Manufactures of.
{ 1,800Machinery.
{27,226,000Wheat, Flour, and other Breadstuffs.
{ 1,211,000Manufactures of Iron and Steel.
{ 900,000Fish.
{ 745,000Ginseng.
San Francisco, Cal.{ 700,000Cotton Manufactures.
{ 650,000Wood, and Manufactures of.
{ 430,000Fruit.
{ 375,000Gunpowder, etc.
{ 358,000Medicines, etc.
{ 3,339,153Wheat.
Willamette, Oregon{ 704,000Flour and Breadstuffs.
{ 37,000Wood, and Manufactures of.
Wilmington, Cal.{ 211,928Wheat.
{ 33,600Honey.
NOTE.--Humboldt, Oregon, San Diego, Willamette, and Wilmington have almost no exports except those included in this list. Puget Sound and San Francisco have a great variety of exports.
APPENDIX.
LIST OF EXPORTS OF DOMESTIC MERCHANDISE, YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1885.
EXPORTED FROM THE SEVEN CUSTOMS DISTRICTS OF THE PACIFIC.
Agricultural Implements.
Animals.
Art Works.
Bark, and Extract for Tanning.
Billiard Tables, etc.
Blacking.
Bones, Hoofs, Horns, etc.
Books, Maps, etc.