THE GROWTH OF INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 74, 1 March 1879, Page 3

THE GROWTH OF INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE.

The San Francisco News-Letter of a recent date states: —The expansion of the commeice of tho world, within the last ■quarter of a century, is almost incredible. The total foreign trade of Great Britain has risen from 1,200,000,000 fiollars in 1850 to 3,G12,23i),000 dollars in 1877. During that time France has increased from 508,000,000 dollars to 1,516,158,000 dollars, and the United States from 330,000,000 dollars to 1,172,487,000 dollars. Tho increase iu British commerce is 300 per cent., in that of tho United States 355, while France has gained to 253 per cent. Tn a young and o miparatively undeveloped country like our own a groater expansion of commercial relations might have been expected, and doubtless would have been accomplished, had the civil war intervened. During these twcnty-soven years we have doubled -our population, while Great Britain has only .added 50 percent, to her inhabitants. The figures of British commerce do not warrant tho statoments that are so frequently passed around the American Press relative to the decadence of that eonutry. Despite the fact that she is shout out of many of the best markets by protective tariffs, and is compelled to pay duties in her own colonies, she steadily enlarges trade and increases her maritime supremacy.