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The National Geographic Magazine 



Peru. In 1894, when the time for tak- 

 ing the plebiscite came, for various rea- 

 sons advanced by Chile, the voting was 

 deferred, and it has since been repeat- 

 edly postponed, notwithstanding the pro- 

 tests of Peru. 



The province which is in dispute has 

 an area of 8,688 square miles, about the 

 size of Massachusetts, and a population 

 of 25,000. It has been a source of great 

 revenue to the Chilean government be- 

 cause of its guano and rich nitrate de- 

 posits. The occupation of Chile has 

 now lasted for seventeen years, so that 

 even if a plebiscite should be taken, the 

 chances are that the decision would be 

 in favor of its retention by this more 

 enterprising government. 



Bolivia, in penalty for her defeat, was 

 compelled to mortgage to Chile the Lit- 

 toral department, which was her only 

 province bordering the Pacific Ocean. 

 Finally she formally ceded it to Chile in 

 1896, with the condition that at least 

 one port on the Pacific Ocean be granted 

 her. This concession Chile has steadily 

 refused, but she has offered $2,500,000 

 in compensation, an offer rejected by 

 the Bolivians, who assert that Chile has 

 made $300,000,000 out of the province. 



The Ivittoral has an area of 29,910 

 square miles. An evidence of its com- 

 mercial value to Chile is that its popu- 

 lation doubled during ten years, 1885- 

 1895. Its source of wealth consists in 

 its rich nitrate deposits. 



COMMERCE OF THE UNITED STATES 



FOR the first time in the history of 

 the United States the exports of 

 the country for one year have ex- 

 ceeded in value one and one-half billion 

 dollars. In the twelve months ending 

 August 31, 1 90 1, the value of the ex- 

 ports of the United States reached the 

 tremendous total of $1,500,613,236. 

 The value of the imports for this same 

 period amounted to not much more than 



one-half of the value of the exports — 

 in figures, $843,681,360. Our annual 

 exports now exceed the annual exports- 

 of Great Britain. 



The Bureau of Statistics of the Treas- 

 ury Department in a recent report gives- 

 the following interesting table, which 

 shows the imports and exports from the 

 United States during the twelve months- 

 ending August 31 of the last six years : 



Augusts'- ^-P-^^- ^''P-^- 



1896 1737,163,827 1906,403,525 



1897 756,673,034 1,066,603.779- 



1898 623,192,020 1,236,643,922^ 



1899 723,232,313 1,269,504,882 



1900 848,675,810 1,399,000,520' 



I90I 843,681,360 1,500,613,236 



Thus the exports have during the 

 five years increased more than 50 per 

 cent, while the imports have increased 

 less than 15 per cent. 



The growth in exports during these 

 years has, as is well known, included 

 all great classes of products and manu- 

 factures. During the last year, how- 

 ever, the exports of manufactures have 

 not kept pace with those of other in- 

 dustries. In the eight months ending 

 with Jul}^, 1 901, the latest month in 

 which the details are accessible, exports- 

 of manufactures fell $32,000,000 below 

 those of the corresponding months of 

 last year, while exports of agricultural 

 products were $57,000,000 greater than 

 those of the corresponding months of 

 last year. This reduction in exports of 

 manufactures is about equally divided 

 between copper and iron and steel, the 

 reduction in copper exports being about 

 $16,000,000, and in iron and steel about 

 $16,000,000. The reduction in copper 

 exports, according to the Bureau of 

 Statistics, is chiefl}^ due to the decreased 

 demand for copper in other parts of the 

 world. In exports of iron and steel the 

 reduction is apparently explained by 

 the partial suspension of manufacturing' 

 activities in certain lines in July and 

 August, by the reduced demand abroad ^ 



