The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-05
FARMING IN GERMANY.
The Empire Gives Much Attention to
INSTRUMENTATION of the Agra
riaus

| riAns.
VIM. E. Curtis in the Chicago Record.
Heidelburg, Aug. 15-The commercial
and industrial prosperity of Germany,
which has been increasing for the last ten
or fifteen years in a manner that is an
precedented in the history of nations, in
the opinion of political economists. has
reached high tide. The impetus began at
the close of the Franco-Prussian war I'M
der the protective policy of Bismarck,
and those who indorse the policy of Bis
marck, and those who indorse that policy
claim for it the entire credit of the in
dustrial and commercial development Of
the empire That claim is disputed by the
/ other school, but the facts remain that
during the last ten years alone one-half
| of the industrial enterprise of Germany
has been engaged in producing articles
| for the export trade.
This movement has been stimulated by
the government in every possible way.
| For example some years ago CONNER
| cial expedition was sent to South America
| which was folio wed by a horde of drum
| mers representing the numerous and va
| ried manufacturing interests. In Febru-
airy last a similar crusade was directed at
| China and Japan, and the expedition is
| still absent. II originated with the silk
! manufacturers of Crefeld, who are Joined
| by the textile manufacturers of Augsburg,
| SaXony and Barmen, the cotton exchanges
| of all the cities, the North German Lloyd
| Steamship Company and the government,
which granted a heavy subsidy to assist
in meeting the expenses. A splendid ship
| was selected, and each board of trade
and commercial association throughout
the empire was allowed to send three rep
| resentatives to study the tastes of the
,1f,,.
| needs of the buyers of machinery and the
general requirements of the market, who
will make a thorough investigation, bring
home samples and report 10 the special
industries they represent at home how
Germany can best compete In Asia with
the manufacturers of England and other
nations.
This is a single example of many similar
concerted efforts in this line, and when
the information is presented to the manu-
features they will produce lines of goods
suitable to the trade and send out an
army of drummers loaded with samples,
| as they did TO South America. In this
way the export trade of Germany has
been expanded until it is now second to
| England alone as an exporting nation.
Last year the volume Of foreign commerce
was much larger than ever before. The
total in 1895 was 81 962, 769, 326, as against
81 746 200 1871 IN 1884, and 81 S25 551 1858 in 1885,
| u
prosperous trade of 1895.
In 1896 the exports of the empire were
valued at 1874, 1902; the imports were
81, O8S, 4S0 GA. The imports were mostly raw
materials and food products; the exports
were almost entirely manufactured goods.
Nothing that can contribute to the de-
| velopment and the protection of the man
ufacturers of Germany and their foreign
| commerce has been neglected by the gov
eminent, and complaints of their compet-
ton in Great Britain, France and other
| countries of Europe, the South American
| republics, Egypt, India and other parts
| of Asia have only served to stimulate the
| government and manufacturers, the mer-
| chants, the steamship companies, the
| chambers of commerce and other CONNER
ciaT and Industrial associations to new and
more determined efforts. The imperial,
state and municipal authorities the great
| banks, the subsidized steamship lines the
technical and trades schools-in fact, all
agencies except the agrarian leaders-are
| laboring together in harmony to carry out
this great commercial policy for the ex-
panson of the foreign trade.
At the same time this enormous develop
ment has resulted in noticeable advance
in the cost of living, and luxury and COM
fort have increased in a corresponding ra-
ito. The standard of life and the annual
per capita expenditure for living expenses
in Germany is almost double what it was
twenty years ago. Wages have increased
and have drawn labor from the farms to
/ the factories until the fields are titled al
most entirely by women, except upon the
| larger estates where agriculture Is con-
Quoted on an extensive and organized sys-
tenn similar to that of the army.
The rapid conversion of Germany from
an agricultural to an Industrial and a
| commercial nation has imposed great hard
| ships upon the land-oWning classes, and
| hos in Ia oatf of ha
rarian party, composed almost entirely o1
farmers who feel that they have been neg
lected by the government and have been
compelled to pay taxes for the benefit Of
other industries and the commercial
branches of the community. They COM
plain, too, that they have been exposed
to irresistible competition in food prod
ucts from the United States, the Argen-
tine republic, Russia and other newer
countries where the soil is more fertile
and taxes are less.
At the same time the government has
done much for the protection and the en-,
couragement of the farmers. No nation
has done more and these measures have
been the salvation of the agricultural
classes. 1t is difficult to see hoW the emil
grafton of agricultural laborers to the
cities could be prevented, because there
both men and women receive higher
wages enjoy better society, have better
i
and are able to indulge in the social ex-
elements in which the German race takes
| so much pleasure.
It is a truism to say that the United
States, South America. Russia, India and
Australasia are putting agricultural prod
ucts upon the worlds markets, and that
the cheap and abundant means Of trans
portauon make ii possible to deliver them
in Germany at very low prices. The Ger
man farmer has suffered by the competi-
ton until he has been driven into special
industries like the production of beet-root
sugar which has been encouraged by the
government by bounties and other special
legislation. The result has been that the
! manufacture Of beet sugar is now carried
to a wonderful degree of perfection. Sci
ence has been brought to the aid Of labor
to an extent and with a success that is
unprecedented. While the farmer has
been compelled to pay heavy taxes the
money has been expended in his interest,
and has enabled him not only to COM
pete with foreign sugar growers, but also
to produce a maximum of sugar from a
minimum of beets. While the sugar boun-
ty has increased the export trade, il has
aIrr -.