New-York tribune., 1901-02-26
THE RATIO OF EXPORT INCREASE.


The United States is now the greatest export
ing nation in the world That fact established
by statistics of last year, is impressive and
gratifying in n high degree 1t is. however,
| quite natural and void of ground for extraor-
binary vaunting. We export S35,00O-OOO more
| than the United Kingdom. but then our popula-
| ton is the greater by 36,OO0OOO. We export
| S4O0. 600. 900 more than Germany, but our popu-
! lation is 24.O00.000 greater than hers we eX-
| port nearly twice as much as France, and our
popula ton is just about twice as great as hers.
Other things being equal, the biggest nation
ought TO be the biggest merchant. Both these
conditions, possessed by the United States, give
cause for profound satisfaction, but not Tor
Dragging.
Much more significant, and more to the pur-
pose of legitimate exultatiOn, are the figures
which represent the ratio of increase These
are TO be taken for the last quarter of CEN
tury partly because such n period is needed to
show the general tendencies of trade apart
from ephemeral fluctuations, and partly because
it so happens that the year 1915 fairly marks
the beginning Of the present era in the affairs
of these four nations-the United States having
then practically emerged from the disturbed
era of civil war and reconstruction, the French
Republic and the German Empire having got
fairly 10 work after the Cataclysm of the Ter
rible Year and Great Britain having been
started in her present course by the puissant
impulse of Mr. Gladstones famous first admins
tration In 1879 then, Great Britain was by
far the greatest exporter, France was good
second. Germany came third, and the United
States was a rather bad fourth To-day as
already indicated. the United States stands
first, Great Britain close second, Germany
third and France fourth-each one having
changed its place
The increase of French exports in the twenty
five years has been only per cent. That is
painfully small. But what better could be ex
pected, seeing that there has at the time
been n less increase of population?
country that does not grow in men and women
cannot grow much in merchandise The British
increase has been "a per cent That is con-
siderable ratio, much larger than the ratio of
increase of population, and II indicates healthy
and substantial though by no means phenome-
nal growth of industry and commerce. The
German increase has been 73 per cent, which
may be regarded as little short of phenomenal
and as presaging a close rivalry between Ger
many and Great Britain for the primacy in
European commerce. 1t is, of course. TO be ex
planned by Germany's rapid increase in pOpula-
ton. the benefcent effects of the imperial
union and the aggressive colonial and CONNER
sistently pursued
But, finally, the United States has made an in
of no less than 192 per cent. Those figures
make our rate of increase of population great
rs that has been. seem petty by contrast They
indicate creative potency, development of re-
sources and enterprise in both industry and
commerce incomparably exceeding those Of all
possible rivals. They indicate not only that
this country has caught up with and passed all
the others. but also that II is so far outstrppng
them that there Is reasonable prospect Of
any of them Oyertaking ii. If the same ratios
should he maintained by these four nations for
the next quarter of n century their order would
in 1925 be the same that il Is today though
Germany would almost have caught up with
Great Britain But the United States would
then have an export trade much greater than
those OF Great Britain and Germany put to-
gether, and almost equal 10 theirs and that OF
France combined. 1t might be rash to predict
that such will be the case. But the calculation.
speculative though il may be. impressively indi-
Gates the phenomenal rate OF progress which
this country IS making In its export trade.