The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-07-25
THE WORLDS MARKETS
How the United States May
Retain the Leadership.
PROUD POSITION RECENTLY WOE

In All the Main industries of Life We
Produce and Export More Than
Any Other Nation and In Several
Instances More Than All Others Put
Together-Our Export Trade Com
pared With That of the United
Kingdom, Germany, France and
Russia.
Mr. o. P. Austin, chief of the bureau
of statistics at Washington, has writ
ten an article for the New York Trib-
une on how the United States may re
tain their recently gained position as
leader in the worlds markets. The ar
ticIe in part is as follows:
How may the United States retain
her lead in the worlds markets? This
question has been suggested to me. but
it seems that it might more properly
take this form: How could the United
States, except by gross neglect, fail tc
retain the lead in the worlds markets!
cles absolutely required for daily life
is sure of having customers a. if he
deals fairly, 2) if he has not too many
rivals and co if the class Of goods
which he has to sell is as good as tat
which is offered by other people.
National statistics of the production
Of great classes of articles accumulate
Il ,11 hut =
practicable to compare our own Stats
tics with those Of other countries for
1898 and 1890. Our wheat crop of 1S0S
exceeded that of any other country. be
iEg G15,O0O,O00 bushels, while Russia.
which came next in rank. had 405 5000
900 bushels, our own being % per cent
of the worlds wheat supply. Our prod
net of corn, which is rapidly gaining
in popularity throughout the world.
was in 1898 moro than ten times that
of the next largest producer, Austria
Hungary, being in that year 1.924.0H0.-
900 bushels against lG1 100000 bush
els in Austria Hungary, which took
second rank as the producer Of this
important article of food for man and
animals, and our total production of
corn formed IS per cent of the world 5
total of that important food product.
Our expectations Of provisions tby
which term is meant meats and dairy
products) amounted in 1899 to STD
100000 against $52,OO0.OO0 for the
Netherlands, which occupied second
rank as an exporter of provisions. Our
cotton crop of 1893 was J..I33o. CGH.cGO
pounds against 1,10O,GOO,O0O pounds
produced by British Irdia. which oc-
cupied second rank as a producer of
that article, and we supplied over 10
per cent of the cotton of the world.
Our coal product in 1899 was 217.OO0,-
900 tons (of 2,24O Pounds against 2O2.-
100000 tons by the United Kingdom,
which occupied second rank as a
worlds producer, and our total formed
81 per cent Of the worlds production of
that important article, which has be-
come an absolute requirement in ey-
cry part of the world. Our production
of pig iron in 1899 was 13,4SG,OOO tons
against 100000 tons by the United
Kingdom, and we produced in that
year "a per cent of the worlds produc-
ton of this article, which is becom'
ing more and more a requirement in
the Industries and its relation to the
cOnvenicnces and necessities of daily
life. Our copper production of 1898
was four times rs great as that of any
other country and formed "a per cent
Of the worlds supply. Our petroleum
production in that year was greater
than that of any other nation, being
2,544, 100000 gallons against 2,495, Goo,
600 gallons by Russia. and our tota
amounted to 40 per cent of the worlds
product of crude petroleum, while the
percentage of refined petroleum which
it supplies is very much greater than
that of our chief rival in the produc
ton of crude petroleum, Russia.
Our railways aggregate in mileage
six times those of the second greatest
nation in railway mileage, Germany
and form In fact 40 per cent Of the en-
tire railway system of the world, while
our telegraphs are two and a half
times those of the second greatest ma
ton in telegraph mileage, Russia, ant
form % per cent of the worlds tele
graph system.
Another means of estimating ou
prospective growth in commerce a.
compared with other nations is to eX
anime our growth of recent years il
comparison with that of the other srea
countries. If we find that the United
States has in those years gained per
ceptibly upon other countries ant
through that gain has assumed an i'm
portant standing among the great cX
porting nations Of the world. we ma,
assume that it is likely in view of the
natural advantages above outlined t
retain that rank and even to continue
in part at least the relative speed il
its race with other nations for thu
worlds prize Of international com
merce. In ascertainng this we mus
look to the figures which measure TIL
commerce of the great nations of TIN
world. In this stcCy We may proper,
include the record Of the last quarte
century just closed. If we find i'y com
pairing our exports during thar tim
have made greater progress than 9th
ers and in dom" so have taken hic.
rank as an exporter. w" may ASSUME
that the growth is likely to continue il
view Of the fact that our supply Of th
worlds requirements is greater thai
that Of the other nations with whicI
we have been in friendly rivalry durin
the period in question.
Taking the four great producing an
exporting nations OF Europe. the Crit
ed Kingdom. Germany. France ar
Russia. it is easy to measure tn
growth Of their export trade during th
last quarter century and to compare
with that of the United States. TIL
United Kingdom in 1870 exported dc
nestle merchandise 10 the value OF 81
'GSI, 0OO,00o. and in 1900 her exports O
domestic merchandise amounted in va
ue to S1,41S, 100000. She has thus ii
creased her exports in the quarter o
the century So 600 GOO. or so per cen