The Portland daily press., 1891-04-25
AMERICAN TRADE WITH SWEDEN.
A Market That Already Takes Millions
OF Our Products.
And Where our Trade Might be
Greatly Extended.
Direct Steam Communication the
Thing Needed.

REPORT Of Hon. w. w. Thomas, Minister to Swe
dee, to the State Department.
To Americans the trade of Sweden will
the United States will no doubt be the mos
interesting chapter Of Swedish commerce
This trade has been for many years Of re
spectacle proportions, but 1t is a difficult
matter to obtain any definite information oi
its volume or value.
The American statistics, to which l have
had access. give the total of our imports and
exports to Sweden and Norway together In
the lump. and 1t is. of course. impossible to
distinguish Sweden's part therein. Further.
more. our statistics do not embrace one-third
part of the American products which an.
nually are imported into the Scandinavian
peninsula.
The Swedish oficial statistics give bu
two articles of any Importance as exported
from Sweden to the United States-iron ant
wood pulp-and the total value Of these ex
! ports in 1889 is estimated at only S348, 900. o.
course. 1t is evident to any one at all familiar
with the Swedish-American trade that these
figures represent but portion of Sweden's
exports to the United States. The explana-
each foreign country those goods, and only
those, that are exported directly to that
country. Thus. II steamer sails from
Sweden to England, all goods on board are
accounted for In the statistics as exports to
England, when, perhaps, the ultimate des-
tlnation OF large part Of the cargo may be
the United States or some other land.
The same Is true OF imports. III a ship ar
rive in Swedish port from Germany, for in
stance, all the cargo discharged is written
down as imported from Germany, although
1t may consist In large part of cotton, pork,
or sole leather from the United States.
Tne Swedish statistics Of the American
trade, therefore, embrace only those goods
passing between the two countries In ships
sailing directly from one to the other. But
the great bulk Of the merchandise exchanged
between us Is shipped on steamers of estab-
lished lines that sail to England, Germany,
or Denmark, where 1t Is transshiped in tran.
stu; and it Is these countries, and not the
United States, that are credited with by far
the greater part Of our trade. There ia
fortunately, one way OF obtaining accurate
data upon Sweden's exports to the United
States, and that Is from the invoices sworn
10 before American consuls in Sweden, for
these invoices embrace all goods sent from
Sweden to the United States, indirectly as
well as directly, where the value of the ship
ment exceeds 800. By the politeness Of our
consuls have been furnished with this data,
which | have endeavored to compile into
readable form.
The great dominating export Of Sweden to
the United States Is iron. This one great
staple forms now, as 1t has for many years,
three-fourths In value Of Sweden's entire ex.
port to our country. While the Swedish sta
tlstlcs give the export Of iron to the United
States for 1889 at only 4,52l tons, worth Sl3I.
600. the returns from the American cons uls
show that Sweden actually sent us no less
than Ga. $3.50 tons In that year; that Is to say,
Tor every ton OF iron shipped directly there
were 13 tons forwarded us via other count.
ries.
These g., ,3S9 tons of iron were valued in
Sweden AZ 81, 142, ,472, and consisted chiefly
OF bar and cd n1c, -svet wire, nail rods, and
steel castings with smaller Quantities Of pig
iron, blooms, and ingots.
As purchaser of Swedish iron, the
United States stands second only to Great
Britain, and, as for all other powers, we take
more than three times the amount Of any Of
them.
In the same year uSSo)Sweden also Skinned
to the United States S,O46 tons of wood pulp.
worth S2o4, COL. This Is used In making pa
per, and, OF course, c0mpet5s with the pro-
duct OF our own forests In our own markets.
We, furthermore. bought of Sweden S85,
21I worth OF her matches for our smokers.
separators to the value of S20,6ls for our
dairies. besides S22,683 worth of other
machinery; keen cutting knives and razors
to the value OF more $1,000, calf-skins worth
$4,000, and filtering paper worth $1,000. We
also received from Sweden more than $4,000
worth Of Swedish books. These all find
their way to Swedish fellow-citizens, who
still cherish love for fatherland, its Ian
guage and literature.
Besides this, Sweden sent us smaller guam
titles OF porcelain and silver spoons for our
tables, leather jackets for our sportsmen,
herring and anchovies for Swedish Snor0ds.
borden In the New World, and Swedish
punch. whiskey and porter for our Scandi-
navian immigrants.
The total export Of Sweden to the United
States for the year 1889. as cleaned from the
consular records was valued at So, 600.
This sum Is eight times greater than that
given In the Swedish statistics, and proves that
only one-eighth part of the goods Sweden
sends us comes in ships that sail directly
from Sweden, while seven-eights of the en-
tire Swedish export to the United States are
transshiped in foreign ports.
And even the consular figures do not give
us the whole truth, for we must add to them
all goods sent In shipments Of less than 500
each, all books and merchandise sent by
mail, as well as the vast amount of clothing,
bedding, utensils, and other goods carried
into America by forty thousand Swedish i'm
migrants.
But II is Of stlll greater importance for
Americans to know what Sweden imports
from the United States. Taking the same
year qSS9), we find the Swedish statistics
give the total value of this Import at SI.5S2.
115. But Sweden's import from our country
OF either one OF the three staples-cotton,
petroleum, or rsole-leather-was alone greater
than this total, so much larger Is the indirect
than the direct trade.
Sweden's Importation Of petroleum brings
up an interesting question. When first
visited Sweden, more than twenty. five years
ago. there was scarcely farmers or fisher
mans cottage in the land that was not light
ed. when the nights were dark, with ;Ameri-
eau petroleum. Since then the Russian
mineral oil has been Introduced into the
country and has entered into active competi-
tion with the American,
Now, II there Is any country In Europe
where the Russian oil could successfuify
compete with ours, 1t would seem to be
Sweden, which lies alongside Russia. but is
separated from the United States by the
North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The
Swedish market Is worth striving for, too.
for in no civilized country are the winter
nights longer and the need of artificial illu-
mination greater than In Sweden and Nor
way.
1t is especially gratifying. therefore, to
learn that too day. after years Of rivalry, the
Russian oil has made so little inroads that at
least "a per cent Of the petroleum consumed
In Sweden Is the product Of our country.
Large quantities Of American pork, wheat,
and maize are also imported into Sweden.
American pork has, In fact, become a
necessity. 1t Is In almost universal use
among the Swedish laboring classes. They
prefer 1t to the hog product of any other
country. their own not excepted, and will
not consent to any substitute
Throughout the vast N0rrland forests In
every lumber camp American pork Is as In
dispensable an article Of diet as 1t is In
Maine or Michigan.
Take trip on steamboat in Sweden.
Look down from the bridge upon the deck
passengers. At noon time you will see
ms a one lift up the lid Of his wooden
chest, take out a chunk Of white American
pork, cut off liberal slice, lay it carefully
on disk Of dark, hard rye bread, and on
this and this alone, make his frugal meal,
washing it down, perhaps, with pint OF
light beer,