The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1900-08-09
COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY.
RE Cnifea states GAINS the Ascend
ancy In Manufactures rs In
Agriculture.

"Thc Commercial Ascendancy Of the
United States" Is thus set forth In
Century by Hon. Carroll ID. Wright,
United States commissioner o' labor;
"The industrial ascendancy Of the
United States has long been assured.
According to careful estimates. the
production OF manufactured goods
the present year will reach at least
the value of $i2 500. .OOO. 900. This sum
s considered TO be at least $3.50. .O0O, 200
IN excess Of the manufactured prod
acts OF the United Kingdom and Ger
many, the chief competitors Of the
United States. The United Kingdom
not many years ago held not only the
nscendancy In manufactured goods In
the world, but the supremacy. The
United States has encroached rapidly
upon that position until In many
great lines her products vastly ex.
cccd those of Great Britain. while in
the total they are much In excess.
IL took many years ~ the introduc-
tion Of most improved methods. the
application of highest skill. and all
the energy Of our iron manufacturers
20 bring the production Of pig iron
up to that Of our great competitor.
but for several years the amount of
production In the United States has
led that of England. The latest re-
turns for this country show n produc-
,ion of nearly i2,CO0,0oO long tons oi
| pig iron. while the production for
Great Britain for the same period was
| s.631,1j1 gross tons. The iron trade Is
basic in its nature. and, as u rule
when II flourishcs all other industries
flourish.
''In the great field Of agriculture,
ascendancy has long been accorded "a
this country. and the United States
has furnished the food products "a
sustain the work of her great com.
| pctitors in manufact ures. According
| To Mr.. Michael Mulhall. the United
States employs the largest number oi
| persons in agriculture Of all the grca,
countries except Austria. where l2,.
| 100000 persons are employed. Ger
many comes next TO the United
| States. and then France. The produc
iiyity Of the agricultural labor of tn,
| different countries varies greatly
| however. According TO the same au
thority, an ordinary farm hand in tn,
| United States raises as much grair
as three in England. four in France
five in Germany, and six in Austria
| which shows what nn enormous vast,
of labor occurs In Europe, largely he
cause the farmers are not possesset 90
of the mechanical appliances used IL
the United States. This Is seen whcr
we examine the production of graii
per capita of the persons employed
In the United States IL Is 50 bushels
in the United Kingdom l1o. in Franc,
9s. In Germany IS. in Austria 81. ant
in Italy 80.
| There Is not so much variation IN
the productivity in manufactures n,
In agriculture. but. still. in the use o
machinery II Is great enough to Civ,
ascendancy to this country. In tn,
United States IL is 1,9i0 foot-tons pc,
inhabitant. in Great Britain lao. il
Germany 0C2. in France 9lO. In Austr,
SEQ. and In Italy $50. In these state
ments we find the basis for the phe
nomenal commercial expansion Of tn,
last few years.
at is only nat '..al, when consider
ing this industrial ascendancy of I'll,
United States. that one should con
slider the question as 10 whether com
mercial ascendarcy has either beer
reached or Is in sight. To secur,
commercial asccndancy, the export,
Of country must be greater thar
those Of amy other country; for tn,
total exports of country indicat,
it's true position in commerce. as the,
usually consist of surplus products.
Taking the domestic exports frou
this country for the year ending
March n, the present year. we fin,
that they are Sl.300.lt2,2l7. British
statistics for the same date are not a
hand, but as British exports have no
been increasing of late very rapidly
II is safe to conclude that ut the pres
cnt time the exports of the Unite,
States exceed those of any othci
country in the world"