The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-07-31
AN INTERESTING QUESTION.


The remarkable growth of the export
trade of the United States is the wonder
of the world. 1t has been the subject
of newspaper comment for many months.
It is being discussed in the magazines
and in political speeches.
The United States are not only increas-
ing their exports TO all markets, but are
all the time seeking and finding new
ones. The production of their fields and
the output of their mills are increasing
so rapidly that it is absolutely necessary
that the volume Of their exports shall IN
crease All of their breadstuffs and pro-
visions and their manufactured goods can
not be consumed at home. Unless mar
ket for the surplus were found the num-
Der Of acres cultivated would have 10
be reduced and mills would have to be
closed part of the time, or else prices
would fan below the profit line. In either
case there would be financial distress and
suffering among the bread-winners.
But these enormous and steadily increas-
ing exports must etenvually threaten
trouble to the nations with which the
United States come in competition.
What about these nations? What has
the future in store for them? Let
us notice for moment the increase of
our exports to the United Kingdom and
Germany. In 1870 TO the former they
were valued at s243, 316, SOS and to the lat
ter at Sal $50, $50 In 1899 to the former
they were valued a s5O5.66S 925 and to the
latter at S153 ,5l3 The increase in our
exports TO some of the other countries
has been even greater, though to no
other has the amount of exports annual
ly been so great The total amount of
our exports in 1899 had the enormous
value of $l,252, 9os ,9S7. A very large per-
centage of these exports were manufac-
lures.
While our exports have been increasing
enormously, there has been but a slight
increase in our imports. In 1915 we i'm
ported $ls,7s7.72S worth of merchandise
more than we exported In 1899 we
exported merchandise of the value
of nearly s5OO,OOOoOO more than we
imported. The value of the pro-
ducts which we are selling is now vastly
in excess of the value of those which
we are buying. That is the reason the
nation is getting rich so rapidly
But how about the nations with which
we are trading? How long can they con-
tinue to buy of us a great deal more
than we buy of them? We are not taxi
ing from the United Kingdom now much,
~ hop ma Of
century ago, while il is taking twice as
much from u.s. Thus far. that country
has been able to continue its large pur-
chases from us because of its immense
foreign commerce with countries other
than this, and because of les profits on
it's carrying trade, but the United States
are gradually taking this foreign com
merce away from 1t, and, besides, they
are preparing to do their own carrying
trade. When the United Kingdom shall
have been deprived of a very large part
Of its foreign commerce and large share
of its carrying trade how will it be able
to pay for what 1t needs from the United
States? That is a very Interesting ques-
sion. Judging from the activity in the
cotton-growing and iron-producing states
of this country in the building of cotton
and steel mills, it is safe to say that il
will not be so very many years before
this question will be receiving the atten-
ton of a greater part of the civilized
world. The income of the United King
dom must be equal to IT'S outgo or else
it will go into bankruptcy. II may get
along without taking any considerable
amount of manufactured articles from
the United States, but it must take
breadstuffs and provisions from them or
get them from some other source. A
present there is no other source from
which they can be obtained in sufficient
quantity and so cheaply.