302 COMMERCE OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 



in return only 162,341 dollars' worth of the products of her own 

 mills and mines and forges. From the United Kingdom, how- 

 ever, the islands purchased commodities to the value of $2,467,- 

 090, or about one-third of the value of their exports to that 

 country. France sold to them almost as much as she bought 

 from them, while Germany sold them more than three times as 

 much as she took, from them. 



The principal articles of export are manila hemp, sugar, copra, 

 and tobacco. During the ten years ending June 30, 1897, the 

 average annual exports of sugar were 301,814,668 pounds, of 

 which the United States took annually an average of 167,414,906 

 pounds and the United Kingdom an average of 128,145,274 

 pounds, the United . States taking a larger amount than the 

 United Kingdom six years out of ten. The exports of sugar 

 attained their maximum in 1889, when they amounted to 

 408,722,161 pounds, of which the United States took 284,654,552 

 pounds, or 69.6 per cent, and the United Kingdom 113,143,941 

 pounds, or 27.7 per cent. In 1897 the total amount exported 

 was only 153,576,125 pounds, of which the United Kingdom 

 took 106,578,638 pounds, or 69.4 per cent, and the United States 

 43,261,182 pounds, or 28.2 per cent. 



During the same period of ten years, 1888 to 1897, the total 

 exports of manila hemp averaged 651,897 bales per annum, of 

 which the United Kingdom took an average of 380,767 bales 

 and the United States an average of 265,344 bales, the United 

 Kingdom taking a larger amount than the United States seven 

 years out of ten. The exports of this product reached their 

 maximum in 1897, when they amounted to 825,028 bales, of 

 which the United States took 417,473 bales, or 50.6 per cent, and 

 the United Kingdom 385,182 bales, or 46.7 per cent. 



Copra is exported mainly to the continent of Europe, the 

 shipments in 1897 reaching a total of 801,437 pounds. The 

 same year the exports of leaf tobacco amounted to 69,803,325 

 pounds, of which exactly 80 per cent went to the continent of 

 Europe. The cigars exported aggregated 156,916,000, of which 

 81,670,000 went to China and Japan. There were no shipments 

 of leaf tobacco to the United States, and the cigars exported to 

 this country amounted only to 2,285,000. 



The chief imports of the Philippines are rice, flour, dress goods, 

 wines, coal, and petroleum. Of the exports from Spain to the 

 islands in 1896, the cotton fabrics alone were valued at $4,915,851, 

 and of the British exports for the same year cotton manufactures 

 and yarn had a value of $1,494,108. In the exports of the United 



