The times., 1898-08-15
COMMERCIAL INVASION
The Wonderful Progress Made
by the United States.
VIEWS Of A BRITISH CONSUL
Making Companions With France,
Germany and Great Britain, show
ing That This Country Is Fast
Leading in the Onward March of
Industrial Advancement.

'oPio sam VI Lie DUlttu States IN
her invasion of the commerce of the
world is inteiligently discussed by the
British consul at Stockholm, Sweden, by
the aid of an important series of sta
tisticai tables just Issued by the Swedish
government. covering the commerce and
production of the world in a series of
fve-year periods. These important tables,
which have attracted much attention by
reason of their extensive research, are
discussed by Consul Constable in a spe-
cial report to the British government a
copy of which has just reached the Treas
ury Bureau of Statistics.
In this report he compares the produe-
ton and commerce of the leading na-
tions, and through his analysis of the
gains or loss which they have made, pre-
sents an interesting picture of the growth
of the chief producing and commercial
interests of the United States in compari-
son with that of other great nations. This
analysis, coming from these unprecedented
sources, is especially interesting in view
of its favorable showing relative TO the
production and commerce of the United
States.
Our Iron Output
The principal pig-iron producing coun-
tries are given as France, Germany Great
Britain and the United STATES. In the
quinquennial period, 1S7l-5, the average
annual production of France was l, ,2e5, coo
tons, and in the period 1915, zoos. 900.
Germany increased from an average of
1876 600 tons in the 1s71-5 period to 5,0s2.-
600 per annum in the ls9l-5 period. Great
Britain increased from an annual aver
age of 6.562 coo tons in the 1915 period to
1861, 600 per annum In the 1915 term;
while the United States increased from an
average annual production of 2,2S4. 600 In
the 1S1i-5 period TO an average of S,263,-
900 tons per annum in the 1919 period.
Commenting upon this table, Consul Con-
stable says: During this period 1t dp-
pears that Great Britain and Irelands
proportional share in the worlds produc-
ton of pig iron has sunk from 1863 per
cent 10 2.5 per cent, while on he other
hand the United States has increased its
proportion of outpu< from ri per cent
TO 309 per cent"
The production OF iron ore is aiso DIS
cussed in table which shows thar the
average annual production Of iron ore in
the United States in the period lS9l-5 was
IL 2SS, GOO tons, against u 2i9. coo tons in
Great Britain and Ireland u.6T9,000 in
Germany, o,346, coo in Spain and 1851 900 in
France. Commenting upon these figures.
Consul Constable says that the annual
production of iron ore in Great Britain
and Ireland is estimated TO have de-
creased from 1910 coo in 1s71-5 to 1929
900 tons in lSel-5 while the production of
the United States which for ls11-5 aver
aged 4, 532, COO averaged IL 25S, 600 tons per
annum in the period 1915.
The Production of Coal.
The average annual output of coal by
Great Britain and Ireland during the
ISIS period is given as 126,S ,S72 900 tons.
against 1s4. s19,0e0 tons per annum in the
1875 period; Germany, 446s0.000 tons in
the 1s7I-5 period, and 81, COS, 900 per annum
in the 1915 term while the United States
is given at 45, $4,000 tons per annum in
the 1S71-5-term and leo $50 900 tons per an
mum in the 1915 term. Commenting up
on this, Consul Constable says: During
the earlier period IL thus appears that
Great Britain and Ireland supplied AZ per
cent of the world IS output of coal but at
the present time only "a per cent Ger
many Il per cent, whilst the United States
have advanced from II per cent to nearly
80 per cent
Consumption of Cotton.
The estimated consumption of raw cot
ton for the United States and Great Brit
ain is given by periods as far back as
1880, showing that while Great Britain's
consumption of cotton increased from l.
$50 600 tons per annum from 1S3l-40 to T.
091 600 per annum in 1871 that of the
United States increased from an average
of $4,000 per annum in lS31-i0 to 5522,0
per annum in 1914. ''Since 1870" says
Consul Constable, Great Britain's con-
sumption of cotton has increased by one
fourth, whilst that of the rest of Europe
and the United States has doubled
Growth of Railways.
Commenting upon the table showing the
growth of railways in the leading coun-
tries of the world, Consul Constable says:
1T is estimated. that during the period
of twenty-five years, between 1870 and
1895, the length of railway lines in Great
Britain and Ireland has increased by
about $500 kilometers, in Russia by about
24,500 kilometers, in Germany by 27.624
hlometers and in France. by %, 4s6 kilo-
meters, while in the United States the in
crease is more than 297,000 kilometers, i. e.,
nearly eight times as great as that of
as that of Great Britain and Ireland
Yearly Production of Wheat.
The estimated average yearly produe-
ton of wheat in Germany, United States,
British colonies and dependencies, and for
all nations, shows, according to Consul
Constable's analysis, that "the United
States produces nearly one-hfth, the
British colonies something more than one
eighth and Germany less than one-twen-
tieth of the total production of wheat
throughout the world
Gold and Silver
The table showing the average yearly
output of gold and silver for Germany
dependencies is analyzed by Consul Con-
stable in single sentence in which he
says: Thus the United States and the
British colonies together produce some
what more than one-half of the total an
nual output of gold and nearly one-half
of the annual output of silver through
out the world A further analysis of the
table indicates that the United States
alone produces about % per cent of the
| gold of the world and over IS per cent of
| the silver of the world.
The Total Commerce.
| The total commerce, including imports
and exports is given in pounds sterling
Great Britain and Ireland's annual aver
age 1885, 573 SIS, ,SSS; 1885, 5S9 1866 6s6. Ger
! many 1SS1-5 306, GIL III; 1S91-5 352 III tn
United States. 1876, 302 1888 1888; 1915 347 :
333. $685. Commenting upon these figures
| win