New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-28
AMERICAS EXPORT TRADE.
SIR ROBERT CITIZEN WRITES ON THIS
COUNTRYs PROSPERITY.
LARGE AMOUNT CARRIED IN BRITISH YES
sELS-FOREIGN CAPITAL IN
VESTED HERE
fBY TELEGRAPH TO TUE TRIBuSE.l


lBY TELEGRAPH TUE TnIBUSE.l
Washington, May 27-The fact that the United
States has overtaken and passed the United King
dom export country and is now leading the
world as a distributor OF manufactures and natu-
raj products is discussed In elaborate paper by
Sir Robert Gifen, n. c. B.. Ill. D.. #. r. s.. re-
Gently read before the Royal Statistical Society Of
England. and just received BY the Treasury Blu
reau Of Statistics The paper In question, entitled
1.-THE Excess of Imports" occupies seventy closely
printed pages OF THE Journal Of the Royal Stats-
teal Society,"" and while 1t treats primarily of the
excess of British imports over exports, 1t incl
dentally gives much attention TO the rapid increase
in exports from the United States. Discussing this
special subject. the paper says:
There are obvious reasons why the United States
should have excess Of exports. In the first
place. the United States has to pay In its exports
for the share OF the carriage OF goods In Its foreign
trade which is performed by foreign ships This is
very large figure. In recent years the proportion
OF imports and exports OF the United States
rled in foreign ships has ranged between IS cent
and 50 per cent, so that the United States is a
country which has to pay other nations for the
carriage OF its goods in the foreign trade II
may be mentioned by the way, that the foreign
country which does the carrying trade for the
United States is mainly the United Kingdom. and
in this difference between the two countries accord
ingy we have pro tanto explanation of the
dom and OF the excess OF exports In the OF
the United States Next the United States Is a
country which money In various ways to
foreign nations There Is an annual stream Of
American visitors TO Europe and there is an Ameri
can colony permanently residing in Europe, whose
expenses have to be paid More important still.
a great deal of capital has been invested In the
United States by Europeans-by English people, by
Dutch people and by Begians, as well as by French
and Germans. not 10 speak OF minor nationalities
in Europe The interest this debt has, OF course
to be paid in exports unless to the extent that in
any given period Refreshments made In the
United States. In these various ways. then.
excess OF exports from the United States can be
accounted for. and II may be questioned whether
In recent years, when the excess OF exports
so large any great withdrawal Of capital from the
United States was in progress"
CHANGES IN EXPORT TRADE.
Discussing the changes in the export trade of the
United States. Sir Robert says:
zone cannot but be struck by the incessant
changes that going on In the nature OF our for
egn trade. 1t Is thing at period another
thing at another period. and few suffice to make
a great transformation. Probably this has always
been the rule. At time In the history OF our
foreign trade the export OF raw wool. TO use a
common phrase was king; at a later. the export OF
woollen manufactures; at later still, the export
OF cotton manufactures; and last of all. about
twenty or thirty years ago. the export Of iron and
history is that other things than those mentioned
have lately been developing the most rapidly. Coal
and other articles have been exported largely
than ever before, and they occupy a larger proper
tonate place in our export lists. Some entirely
new articles, such cycles appear I'm these lists
for the first time. At the same time our shipping
fleet whose work. we have seen, is an export In
a special form, has developed prodigiously. Coal
and shipping together we may say. now occupy n
chief place such as was formerly held by wool,
then by woollen manufactures and then by iron
and iron manufactures"
ENGLAND'S CAhHYING TRADE.
Summarizing the causes OF he recent changes In
the foreign trade Of various countries Sir Robert
continues:
the trade OF a country Ike England In several
ways. principally by the fact that England is a
shp-ownng country. and does a large business all
This work Is really In itself In the nature OF an
export giving the country credit for 30 much In
land il country which earns largely commissions
OF different kinds in it's trade with different coun
tres the commercial and monetary centre OF the
worlds TRADE. Last OF ALL England Is OF tho
OF large interest and profits from other countries
on account OF capital which 1t has invested and
business which Il carries on In such countries, In
Guiding the sums receivable By British subjects In
the service OF dependency like india.
with regard 10 tho earnings or ships, II Is
pointed that the lncreafe allowed for Is much
less than tho Increase In the magnitude or the ship
ping feet itself In 1852 the calculation was that the
shipping feet consisted OF 100000 tons OF sailing
ships and 100000 tons OF steamers the equivalent
In sailing tons OF the steamers being considered 10
present time the shipping feet consists OF smaller
number Of sailing tonnage the number Of tons
being now only 100000 But the number Of steam
sons has Inerss,sa 70 sawyaisni on ~: