The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-09-22

figures and other valuable information
pertaining thereto. All of this Is al the
service of United States manufacturers
without cost to them. except where
special information Is desired and this
Is securest on payment Of su5scrip-
ton fee of $50 peg year
During his tail. Mr.. Green said:
THE times are sadly out of joint In
this country. Confidence is lacking. no
new enterprises are going forward,
money Is scarce, and our home market
Is no longer q profitable one. This is
not a happy condition Of things, n,r
is 1t one that should exist In this the
richest country on the face OF the earth
in natural wealth and natural resourc-
es. as well as creative wealth. One OF
the reasons for the present state Of af-
fairs is the enormous industrial eXpaD-
sion of the past few years. which has
placed us i'm the DositiOn of being able
to manufacture in from six to eight
months an entire years consumption
of any one class of goods which may
be mentioned.
TALK ABOUT COMPETITOR.
1--WE have heard so much of British
competition. German competition. i;el
sian competition, etc, etc, with The
producers of American manufacturers.
have Obtained the idea that foreign
industries exceed those of our own
country IN magnitude: but the fact Is.
that the United States is the greatest
manufacturing nation in the world.
According To Mulhall the following was
the total value of ali the manufactured
goods, produced by five PRINCIPAL ma
lions of the world In lSSS: The United
states. ii, 100000 900: Great Britain.
tS2o. 2o.oOo'Ooo: Germany t5S3, 900, 900:
France. f4S5,OO0, 900: Russia 1868 OO0. 900.
1t will be seen by these figures. that in
lsAS. the manufacturers of this country
equalled in value the combined output
or all the manufactures of Great Brit
ain and Germany. which next to the
United States are the greatest manu-
featuring nations.
I'm 1880. according to the census. the
total value Of manufactured goods pro-
duced show that the United States eX-
ceeded the above enormous total by
nearly 30 per cent, the figures being
nearly $4,000. .OOO. 600
THE amount of capital invested in
manufactures in the United States, Is
today larger by ten times than the
aggregate capital of all the national
banks of the land. Our capacity to
produce has developed far beyond our
capacity to consume and there is
nothing in the outlook for the future
to better these conditions. as while in
the past ten years the population of
the United States has increased % per
cent, our manufacturers output has
increased "a per cent. The greatest
need of our manufacturers is wider
market as never has there been a time
when the competition was SO keen. and
the margin of profits so small, as at
present.
THE FOREIGN FIELD.
"These conditions have led our man
ufacturers to turn their attention to
foreign fields. They can compete in
the - rkotS of the world with other
nations. both in prices and quality.
While our exports of manufactured
goods are small in comparison with
those OF other nations. still they are
increasing in Il very satisfactory man
ner. We now export, per year. goods
to the value of less than 5000. 10000 900.
as against Great Britains $9O00O0.0 900
and Germany's $500,0 900. The eX-
ports of manufactured goods for the
fiscal year of 1896 We're but a little
over 26 per cent of the total. Figures
for the seven months of this calander
year indicate an export trade OF not
less than S24O. 10000 of manufactured
goods. This will be far in excess of
anything in the past. and it is men,
toned as a proof of the growing pop
ularity of American goods wherever
introduced.
1T is II strange fact that very
few of the American manufacturers
have any idea of where they stand in
comparison with the manufacturers or
other countries. In the past each one
having been So thoroughly absorbed in
competing with his neighbor. each aim
ing at perfection, to enable him to hold
his trade. that they have distanced the
manufacturers of other countries.
zone of the greatest obstacles In the
past In the development of export trade
has been the lack of knowledge. A de-
sire for such knowledge and OF the
possibilities of trade has led to the
establishment of the Bureau OF Inform.
alton Of the Philadelphia Museums, or
which l am addressing YOU
The following tables show the pro-
portion between the total imports and
exports of the United States and Great
Britain with Mexico, Central ara South
America and the West Indies during
ISg, If the trade OF Great Britain De
taxed as 100 that of the United states
is as follows:
" Iuio
,t..l