Trade in Palestine
The following statement of United States Consul William Coffin, of Trade conditions in Palestine will be of special interest to readers of the MACCABÆAN. The report is made, of course, from the standpoint of the possibilities of American commerce with Palestine.
THE trade of the Jerusalem consular district comprises that portion of Palestine south of Nablous, east of the Jordan, and extending to the Egyptian frontier, is best gauged by the commerce of the port of Jaffa. Except for the small port of Gaza to the south, practically all of the imports and exports of the district pass through Jaffa. This includes the trade relations of the district with other portions of the Ottoman Empire as well as with foreign countries.
Distribution of the Foreign Trade
The following table showes the imports into and exports from Jaffa in 1010. by countries:
The foreign trade of the port of Jaffa has steadily increased during the past 15 years, having been $2,716,234 in 1895, $3,146,145 in 1900, $4,033,800 in 1905, and $7,932,848 in 1910. In the last year the imports were $4,863,018 and the exports $3,069,830, an increase
of $127,220 in imports and of $340,045 in exports as compared with 1909.
The balance of trade is against the district, although it is not so great as the foregoing figures indicate. Merchandise sent out of the country by parcel post or taken away by tourists is not included in the returns. The total of this trade, which consists chiefly of religious souvenirs (articles in mother-of-pearl and olivewood) and oriental curios, is considerable, but there is no way of arriving at an accurate estimate of its value.
Value of principal Imports and Exports.
The value of the imports into and the exports from Jaffa in 1909 and 1910 is shown, by articles, in the following table:
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