The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-05-24
Our Commerce, Past and to Come.

| pieuiStlOIlS as 10 ltS 1utuTe.
! The rapid expansion of the foreign
commerce of the United States, Mr..
| Austin said. is the natural consequence
| of the rapid expansion of production
| which followed the great development
| in railway construction in the closing
| quarter of the nineteenth century. Fol-
| lowing the construction OF the trans
continental line which was completed
| in 1869, came the extension of other
lines through the great Mississippi
| valley and the South. and this resulted
| in the opening of the great agricul-
tural. forest and mineral areas whose
natural supplies have made this the
greatest producing country of the
world: while the multiplication of rail-
ways facilitated the assembling of
these natural products for use in man
ufacturing. AS result, agricultural
production has doubled. and in many
| cases more than doubled, and the value
of farm products increased from less
than two and Il half billions of dollars
in 1870 to about Ak billions in 1900.
In products of manufacture the in
crease has been even more rapid. The
production of coal, a prime necessity
in manufacturing, grew from 33 million
tons in 1870 to 300 million tons in 1901
pig iron, from $ than million tons
to over 13 millions; and steel, from less
than 10000 tons to over 10 million tons
Meantime the railways had grown
from $1,000 miles in 1870 to practically
100000 miles at the present time, and
rates for rail transportation have
fallen to about one-third the rates of
1870. The result Of all this is that the
United States has become the greatest
exporting nation in the .world, having
risen from fourth place in 1870 to first
place in 1901. The value of our exports
during that time has practically quad
rupled. the figures having been, in
1870. 1893 millions; in 1901, 1.4S7 million
dollars. Meantime imports have scarce
ly doubled, the import figures being, in
1870, 436 millions; in 1901, S23 millions,
the per capita of imports having fallen
from $11.06 to $10.5S while those of en-
ports increased from s9.77 to $1sSl.
The causes of this wonderful develop
ment in exports, in Mr.. Austin's opin-
ion. are to be found in the fact that the
United States is the worlds largest
producer of the great articles required
by man for his daily life The chief
requirements of man are food. clothing,
heat, light, and manufactures: and of
all these the United States is the
worlds largest producer The .prin-
cipal articles of food are bread
stuffs and meats, and of wheat
the United States produces more
than any other country, and of corn
more than all other countries COM
bined; while of meats the United States
is also the worlds largest producer
For clothing the article of largest re-
quirement is cotton; and of Ills the ]
United States produces more than
three-fourths of the worlds supply.
For heat. coal is the greatest require |
ment, and of this the United States Is |
now the worlds largest producer and |
our supply exceeds that of any other
country; while for light our production |
of petroleum furnishes larger guam
tity of refined illuminating oil than that |
of any other nation. In manufactures
the United States is also the worlds
largest producer, the value of our man.
ufactures being nearly double that of |
the United Kingdom. and nearly
equal to that of France, Germany,
and Russia combined.
This commanding position in the
worlds commerce is, in Mr.. Austin's
opinion, likely to be retained by the
United States. The power of produc-
tion shows no signs of abatement,
while we may reasonably expect that
the development of science and inven-
tion and the application of American
energy will still further reduce the cost
of production and transportation. This
high standing of the United States as
an exporting nation will, MIR. Austin
said, be welcomed by the commercial
world rather than antagonized, as has
been intmated and feared in certain
quarters. The commercial world buys
the products of our fields and factories
because 1t requires them for daily use
and because 1t can obtain them more
readily and cheaply from the United
states than from any other part of the
world. Suggestions of the exclusion OF
American products of the field or fac
tory seem scarcely likely, in Mr.. Aus
Iins opinion, to be realized. The effect
of the refusal OF Europe to>purchase
rom. the United States any of the
great articles of which we furnish SO
arge proportion Of the worlds sup
ply would be to cause an advance in
he price of those articles In other
parts OF the world. The United States
supplies one-fifth Of the wheat enter