310 The National Geographic Magazine 



imports from the United Kingdom, our 

 chief rival in that trade, increased from 

 310 millions to 462 millions, an actual 

 gain of about 150 millions, while the 

 United States, despite her disadvantages 

 in longer water routes, was gaining over 

 100 millions. Stated in percentages, the 

 contrast as to growth is much more strik- 

 ing, even startling, the increase being 

 for the United Kingdom about 50 per 

 cent, and for the United States more 

 than 1000 per cent. Even with this rapid 

 gain, however, we are still supplying 

 but about 10 per cent of the imports of 

 the Orient, while our European rivals 

 supply about 50 per cent. 



Having thus shown, as it seems to me, 

 that the countries bordering upon the 

 Pacific produce the articles which we 



require; that they require, in exchange, 

 the articles which we produce and de- 

 sire to sell ; that our share in the sup- 

 plying of that trade has increased more 

 rapidly than that of our chief rivals, 

 and that a large market still remains 

 for us to supply when we have direct 

 access to it, I come to the final proposi- 

 tion, namely, that with proper access to 

 the Pacific we shall have greater and 

 better facilities for conducting commerce 

 with them than any other nation. In 

 support of this proposition I propose to 

 show : First. That we have a greater 

 coast line and more and better harbors 

 on the Pacific than z.ny other nation ; 

 Second. That we have more railway 

 lines to serve as land carriers for that 

 commerce than all the other countries 



Map No. 3. Transportation Routes of the Pacific (see page 313) 



