Rensselaer Republican, Volume 20, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 February 1888 — OUR TRADE WITH MEXICO. [ARTICLE]

OUR TRADE WITH MEXICO.

Statistics Showing ire Increase—Joaloiuy of fCwropean Oonntoriea, - Washington ipeeiai in N. T. Evening Poet Mr. John W. Foster, ex-minister of the United States to Mexico, to Spain, and to Russia,who bat recently returned from a trip to Mexico, has again left for that city. Mr. Foster is the attorney for the government of Mexico, and it is believed that in that capacity he has gone back in order to assist in making farther preliminary arrangements for the proposed hew monetary treaty. The departure of Mr. Foster, who has the fullest confidence of the Mexican, as well as oar own government, and who, although a pronounced Republican, has been employed on important diplomatic matters by the present administration, will not diminish the interest which the representatives of foreign governments have manifested in this proposed treaty. Such a treaty would,of course, be a great injury to the increasing trade between Germany and Mexico; for, if the difficulty connected with the making of exchange between the' United States and Mexico should be removed and an international agreement reached, by means of which the silver coin of Mexico, represented by an international c ertifleate, could in some way be accepted for merchandise purchased in the United States, the stimulating effect upon the commercial exchanges between the two countries could readily be understood. f the importers of Mexico could pur ehase their goods in the United States without loss of the great discount to which they are now compelled to submit in . making' their purchases in Europe, and could, in addition, receive the benefit, both as to time and oost of transportation in favor of purchases in the United States, the bulk of the trade of Mexico could be transferee! to this country, to the great disadvantage of Germany, France and England. It is not easy to give a complete exhibit of the Mexican foreign trade on ac« count of tardiness of the Mexican government in making returns. The volume and tendencies of the commerce between Mexico and foreign countries, however, can be pretty fairly estimated from the following comoilations of the latest date accessible here from the returns of the Mexican Treasury. These compilations are made by an authority upon Mexican commerce and finance, Senor Garcia Cubas.

The principal articles of importation into Mexico are cotton, woolens, bard ware, articles of food, linen and hemp The following table shows the market value of all imports for the fiscal years ending in 1874 and 1883. The great increase in the volume of trade came in the last two years of this period, and was due to the increased facilities for internal transportation afforded by the new lines of railway. From — —twitt. IM? s *. England..; „ 312.042,068 BJ#,7<o,#)i mi ' 10,705 448 France 4,878,07 7,9 6,144 Germany 4 &> ,osß 7,601,276 B|«in 1,270,496 2,441,152 South America 1,895.051 361,48

Total M,005,-W 851,79 »,C« Instead of continuing this comparison by showing in a similar table the exports to the same countries for the correa y ending years, Senor Cuba# presents a table that shows by articles the ex ports for the fiscal years ending in 1878 and 1883. As railroad building had not begun in 1878, this date is as valuable for purposes of comparison as 1873-74 would have been; but the failure to specify the destination of the exports is a very serious omission. The table is as follows: Articles. 1877-78. 1888 88. Precious metalsl22/61,59# 82#. S 8 837 Other exports 8,701,901 12,17.,# .t Total-836,286,56# £41,8# ,404 The articles noted as having especially increased in exportation are; Henequin, from $1,078,076 to $3,311,062; cabinet woods, from $1,450,468 to $1,917,323, coffee, from $1,242,041 to $1,717,190; live animals, from $30,000 to $634 376; ca outchouc, from $9,055 to $159,832. The values exported to the several countries with which Mexico deals for the year ending 1883 were: To England...Bl7,26B,’’dS To United States..... 16,»»,0S8 To Frandh .. 4,2CH.00i Fo Spain...... 1,98?.248 ' To Germanyl.l2B,7l9 To all other countries 49#, 872 T0ta1,841,807.402 The general drift of these figures shows very conclusively that railroad building in Mexico is having a wonderfully stimulating effect on her foreign commerce, and tt at a very large part of the newly created tiade is coming to the United States. One further fact may be cited as showing very conclusively the direction of the increased trade—the exports from the port of Vera Cruz for the three years endimr respectively in 1883, 1884, 1885 were $22,956,816, $25,119,42ft and $17,069,098. For these same years the exports by rail into the United States through, collectively, Paso del Norte Nuevo Lardo, N >gales and Piedras Ne2ras were $2,353,422, $5,583,394, and $11,421,101. - - ZL The Poet’s Pay. Bp'ch. Young man (to editor)—What do you think I-ought to get for th it poem, ah? Editor—You ought to get sio— man (overjoyed)—Oh, that is fully as much as I expected* > Editor—Yes; $lO or thirty days. ' That was more than he expected.