JAMAICA. KINGSTON, October 11, 1877. (Received Nov. 19.) Report upon the commerce of Jamaica with the United States for the year ending September 30, 1877. GENERAL DEPRESSION. The year ending September 30, 1877, has been one of great business depression on this island. This was largely due to overtrading and decreasing production. Business failures have been frequent, and have entailed much suffering among people of limited means depending upon others for employment, although the distress penetrates and falls upon all classes of society. GROWING TRADE WITH THE UNITED STATES. It is gratifying to note that while this condition of business obtains, it has undoubtedly had the effect of turning the attention of this colony to the advantages of increasing its trade with the United States as a near-by market for the exchange of products. Its exports to the United States have grown from $519,563.48 for the year ending September 30, 1876, to $884,764.15 for the year ending September 30, 1877; the port of Kingston alone increased $350,589.54. Its imports from the United States have increased in a still greater proportion, owing to the facilities afforded trade by a regular and well-managed line of steamships plying between Kingston and New York, and sailing from both ports once in three weeks. As this line has just concluded a five-years' contract, upon the old arrangement, with this colony, the trade and commerce of the island with the United States is likely to be largely increased without any other inducement than such as the law of supply and demand naturally creates. The principal exports to the United States from this port during the last year were, annatto, bananas, coffee, logwood, oranges, pimento, and sugar. The principal imports from the United States were beef, bread or biscuit, butter, flour, kerosene, lumber, shingles, pork, and manufactured tobacco. A FAIR FIELD FOR OUR MANUFACTURES. It seems to me there is a fine field in Jamaica for our manufactures of cotton goods and boots and shoes, as prices in the United States appear now to have reached so low a plane as to afford fair competition with British manufactures. Our hardware is steadily growing in demand, not so much on account of cheapness as on account of superiority of workmanship. GEORGE E. HOSKINSON. |