The morning call., 1893-12-29
THE TRADE OF GERMANY.

HE TRADE OF GERMANY.
The trade tables of the German empire
for the year 1891 have at last been pub
listed. They contain information which
is of general interest.
Reducing the marks to dollars on the
basis of % cents to the mark the total for
eign trade of Germany footed up
81. $50 O00. 900. that of the United States
being about $3.50, 0O0O 600 and that of
Great Britain being S3.575 0OO,0 600. Ger
many's imports were in round figures
S1,000, 100000. her exports 1885, 90 0.000.
Our exports in 1892 were S1.015. Co., 600 and
our imports 1921 000 In that year we
sent abroad nearly $500, 600. 600 worth of
goods more than we bought from abroad,
while Germany in 1891 bought from abroad
about S64, 000, 900 more goods than she eX-
ported.
The share of the United States in the
trade of Germany was a bout 10 per cent of
the exports, and very nearly the same pro-
portion of the imports. Germany's largest
customer is Great Britain, which takes
one-fifth of all Germany's exports. and
sends her Is per cent of the foreign goods
she consumes. Austro- Hungary, WIFI ch is
coterminous with Germany. supplies 1876
per cent of her imports and takes 10.4 per
cent of her exports, whereas France.
which is ais coteTminous, only supplies
50 per cent of her imports and takes in
return IL per cent of her exports. Rus
STA. which has hitherto supplied Germany
with large proportion of the cereal food
consumed in the eastern CT relies, figures
for 1872 of the German imports. which
were IN part compensated by an export OF
10 per cent OF manufactured goods
Under the economical system inaugu-
rated by Bismarck Germany produced
surplus of manufactured goods. and was
dependent TO certain extent on foreign
countries for her supplies of raw material.
Thus she exchanges with the United
States the finished products of her fac
tories for American corn, cotton, meat,
wheat. petroleum. etc. Her ability to
supply these finished products arises in a
me assure from her wonderful system of n-
dustrial and technical schools, which
enable lads at the threshold of manhood
to become useful factory hands.
The two leading articles which Germany
takes from the United States are grain and
cotton. She used to be large consumer of
American provisions; but Bismarck's
canard about trichn8 led to legislation
which excluded the product of the Ameri-
can hog. and of sol, 253 hogs imported by
Germany in 1892, the United States sup
piled only Q. while little Denmark con-
tri buted 1871, S72. In the same year, the
United States was Germany's chief source
of supply for cereals. Our shipments of
grain footed up 23.065, 600 bushels; the
country which was second to us was Russia,
rpbf ab cd q
portatiOn OF American grain accounts In
par for the present agrsrian movement
in Germany The German farmers COM
plain that they cannot compete with the
American farmers and live; Herbert Bis
marck is minded that the Government
should come to their relief. Yet it is evil
dent that if that long threatened CONT
mental war should break out, it would de-
volve on the United States to feed Ger
many.
In the year 1891. Germany consumed
SIS, 100000 pounds of foreign cotton. or
this three-fifths or 333. 00O, 0G0 pounds came
from the United States. Isl, COO, 900 pounds
from India, and 100000 from Egypt. 1t
may be noted. in passing. that the German
manufacturers account for their purchases
of Egyptian cotton on the ground that
American consumers insist that the
hosiery, knit goods and underwear i'm
ported from Germany shall be made OF that
cotton, because of its rich color and silky
gloss. The cotton industry of Germany
is backward. England consumes 2,OOO-
100000 pounds of cotton per year, and our
con sumption is over 1000, 900. coo pounds.
ali of home growth. Germany is only be-
ginning to figure among manufacturing
nations and she has powerful competitors in
| France and England. All industries in that
empire are obstructed by political uncer-
tainties. Wars. with possib Utilities of inva-
sons, would be destructive to manufacture
ing establishments after the NapoleOnic
wars, Germany could hardly make an ak or
| flannel shirt. Her factories had been de-
stroyed by the invading armies. and the
proprietors were necessarily bankrupt.
Capital is slow to embark in industry SO
long as there is chance OF a repetition OF
| that chapter of history.