The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-05-30
Prof De Lnroque of Opinion the Re-
public VIII Be Able TO Export
Over One Million Tons.
CONSUL SKINNER'S REPORT
INTERESTING REVIEW OF TRADE
AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS.
Acquisition of the Philippines May
Enable This country to Control
the WORLDS sOap Trade.

WASHINGTON, May 29.-Trade and eco
nomic conditions in France is the subject
of the next chapter to be made public OF
Commercia Relations Of the United states
tcr 1900" which is now in course of prep
aration under the direction of Frederic
Emory, chief of the bureau of foreign COM.
merce Of the State Department. This chap
ter consists of the following resume 10y
Consul Skinner at Marseilles:
"Of all the great powers of Europe
France alone could stand isolation without
q severe shock. the colonial empire -
developing. not rapidly enough TO satisfy,
hut stlll Developing. The protective ta"-
ff system, Notwithstanding its defects Of
DETAIL, obtains credit and Is nXed in popu-
lar esteem. Spurred into activity by COM
petition from without. and especially by the
commercial renaissance OF Germany. work
shops good enough twenty-five years ago
are undergoing a revolution IN materlal
and organization. The corporation, inch by
inch, IS supplanting the family In the con-
troll OF producing institutions Great trusts
are rare, because France Is essentially Il
country exploiting specialtes In variety,
Tor which limited demand exists. Neverthe-
less. large corporations are absorbing the
smaller ones. Groups OF factories have
row enc head. each of which but a few
years ago was a law unto itself. The peo-
Pie. encouraged 70 take shares IN these en-
terprises. are beginning to do so, and stat
utory law protects these small investors
from INSCRIPTIONS Vaccination OF their
properties by spectators.
Very interesting is this unfolding of the
French democracy in business. politics and
society. in a land OF presidents and ira
Gitions. The growth has been slow, bus
sure. and in the process there of rainbow
visions of equality and fraternity, merely
written into law, are no longer confused
with the vital facts of progress. Thus good
sense has been seen to triumph over APP
parently insuperable political difficulties in
the past year and the existing order obtains
another proof of its security.
The French republic is preparing to join
a. - -
and TO resume a position abandoned in 1850.
A no less able authority than Prof. De
laroque informs me that ten years hence
France will have from 100000 to 100000
tons to spare annually for export. This
situation. eminently satisfactory from an
economical point OF view. is not without
cold during the last year at S.47 TO S3.6S per
20 pounds net to the farmer. Imported
wheat sold for A53. duty added. Thus, the
frenchman saw the foreigner obtain more
than himself for the same article. and nat
urally he revOlted. The fact that foreign
wheat can be imported during years of
French plenty and sold for more than the
domestic crop. arises largely from the APP
plicatiOn of a law, renting the duty on
wheat made into flour for export. BY i'm
posing a duty on wheat imported for con-
sumption and renting the duty when II
was made into flour and exported. the home
market was protected and the export mar
ket preserved. when the domestic crop was
short. In seasons OF plenty, however.
French miIlers continued TO fmport wheat
&AA@ 1N&AA RAO
posed to abandon this system. and to sub
Etitute bounties on exports of French wheat
and flour.
considerable importations of wheat are
assured I'm France. whatever the domestic
conditions may be. because OF the necsssi-
ties of the great and growing macaroni
trade. which requires a hard wheat not
grown i'm Franc at all. The domestic
wheat is also deficient i'm gluten. and 20
produce a -four satisfactory in this climate
It must be mixed with imported grain. the
best OF which thus far has come from
Texas.
with the acquisition OF the Philippines
the United States has within herself the
elements necessary TO control the soap
trade OF the world-a trade in which Mar
settles has been supreme for many years.
Experience has proved that the best soap
IS the product of either cOacoanut and cot
ton or peanut oil in about equal quantities..
We are now exporting cotton oil TO the
European soap trade. and at Marseilles the
coacoanut crushing industry is at present
centralized. over l,2J0.00 pounds of dried
cocoanut kernels were received here from
foreign countries during the first half of
1900. most Of which was from the Philip
pines. There is no apparent reason why
American capital should not crush these
nuts in the Philippines and ship the oil to