Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-12-18
is a Garden of Possibili-
ties.
Asa CEM4N VIEWS THIS COUNTRY
Max GoIdberger Describes the United
States for Germans-After Eight
Months Study in This Country He
Publishes His Impressions.

"The Land of Unbounded Possibili-
ties" is the title of series Of arti-.
Giles on conditions in the United
States, prepared by Hon. Ludwig Max
Goldberger of Berlin, royal privy coun-
cilor of commerce and member of the
imperial consultative board for COM
mercial measures, to be republished
by the treasury bureau of statistics
in its forthcoming issue of the
Monthly Summary of Commerce and
Finance.
These statements are the result of
an eight months official tour of the
United States by Mr.. Goldberger, in
which he made personal observations
and investigations into industrial,
commercial and economic conditions.
His detailed report upon these SUBJ
jects were made direct to the emper-
or and the minister of commerce and
have not yet been officially published.
Meantime, however, he has published
in a leading weekly journal of Berlin,
Die Woche,' series of signed arti-
cles under the above title, 1.-THE Land
of Unbounded Possibilities; Observa-
lions on the Economic Life of the
United States" from which the follow
ing are extracts:
THE United States, like an
enchanted garden, has brought forth
from marvelously productive soil
splendid results of human ingenuity.
Yet the thing that causes most
wonder is that the concentrated
intelligence which, intending to re-
place human factors by machinery,
has, in working towards its aim, been
giving constantly growing numbers of
workmen, an opportunity to support
themselves and become productive
factors. The joy at the size of their
own land encourages each individual.
1t makes him communicative and
friendly to foreigners who are seeking
information. 1t seems as though ev-
eryone was filled with the idea: The
stranger shall see how great and
strong America is My eight months
trip of observation and study took
me through the states, and every
where l found open doors inviting me
to enter and nowhere did l find the
slightest attempt at secretiveness.
Everywhere l observed an uncommon
but steady hustle of men who enjoy
their work and are conscientiously
working for great results. 1t is great
country This is the verbatim desig-
nation of reverential admiration
which the citizen Of the United States
has found for his country.
The inhabitants of the United
| States, including Porto Rico, Hawaii
and the Philippine Islands, number
about $4,000, 000--that is, barely 5 per
cent of the worlds total inhabitants,
according to it's highest estimate. This
| 5 per cent has at present taken pos
session of 25 per cent of all the cult
waited area of the earth, viz: 407.4
million acres out of 1928 million
acres. A land of marvellous fertility
offered itself for the tillage and the
husbandman had but to gather in the
produce. The virgin soil made his
work easier and its extensveness rem
dared the application of artificial fer
| tilizers practically unnecessary, al
though the agricultural offices of the
states and union have constantly by
excellent advice and practical expert
assistance been furnishing the ways
1 and means towards more intense cult
] walton.
Let us examine the corn crops for
4 the six years, 1s95-1900. The worlds
4 total product fluctuated between &c
I and 3 billion bushels per annum
1 total of 1876 bushels for the pc
Rod with an annual average of 277
billions. OF this amount the United
States alone produced 1874 billions, ar
average of 2.O7 billion bushels per an
mum, or rs per cent of the worlds
crop.
Towards the worlds wheat croI
the United States contributed in the
five years, 1S96-19OO, 2O.7 per cen
while for the year 1901 it's contribu
amounted to 25 per cent. During thu
years 1S96-1900 there were grown IA
billion bushels of oats in the world
and of this 374 billion bushels or 25.
per cent were produced by the United
States.
or the production of iron ore tn,
United States proved itself to be ;
veritable land of unbounded possibili
! ties. 1t produced very nearly SO pc
cent of the total iron produced and tina
of the very best quality. In the pas
year the United Staes produced &c.
!, per cent of the worlds product of phi
iron. In 1900 it produced, roughly, 10.
million tons of steel, or AZ per cent o
the worlds product, and in the yea
1901 the United States output was in
creased to 1875 million tons.
"The United States produces nearl
SIS per cent of all the worlds copper
| The development of the American COZ
? per industry was perhaps more rapi
than typical for even America
! changes From modest beginning
i this industry grew by leaps an
/ bounds in remarkably short time t
the most important factor in tn
worlds production. In 1870 the col
per production of the United State
!. amounted to12,000 tons; in 1880 it
production had increased to 27,00
tons out of total world productio
: of $4,000 tons; in 1890 the Unite
States produced 116.315 tons of tn
worlds product of 269,455 tons Du
! ing 1895 it controlled more than on
: half of the worlds production and {
the end of the century the Unite
States produced 100000 tons, or MOI
) than the worlds entire product ha
t amounted to ten years before.
J, "The output of lead in the Unite
g States since 1895 has increased |