The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-06-12
OUR FOREIGN TRADE.
Compiled for the Tribune by Walter :
R.alla I'd

Compiled for the Tribune by Walter J.
Ballard)
~ UR EXPORTS for the ten months
ending April 30 were $l,l9O, ,O0O, ,0NO
and our imports $7ji0OO.000. lcav-
ing us $i36.O0O,0O0 to the good in
spite of the corn crop failure, the
drop in the price of cotton, the plle-
nomenally heavy demand for iron and
steel and other lines of our usual export.
While our home trade is gigantic, over
SIC, 900 100000 last year, We cannot live on
ourselves all the time. We must have
more foreign trade, and to get 1t as Pres
ident Mckinley so wisely said just before
his martyrdom: I'VE must have more
ships The responsibility rests on Con-
grcss to give us more ocean ships by
passing the ship subsidy bill.
New York trade with the island of Mar
Unique amounts TO about $i5O0OO annual
ly and is of course temporarily suspended
in consequence of the volcanic cruptions
of Mont Pclce, but no financial failures
are likely to follow this violent interrupt
tion of business relations.
On May three vessels cleared from
Philadelphia with cargoes of coal. The
British steamer Avonmore left for Ha-
vana with $500 tons of bituminous coal.
valued at $l2650 and tho British steamer
California started for Genoa with 5000
tons. valued at $500 The Anchor line
steamship Karamania. which plies reg
ularly between New York and Mcditer-
ranean ports, has been chartered to load
coal at Philadelphia for the west coast
of Italy. at a freight rate of 81 a ton.
Last Weeks oil shipments from Phila-
dclphia to foreign ports amounted to 49,.
6O9.7o1 gallons. making the total since Jan
uary l,l35.77l.99l gallons, an increase of
"l,40o0C0 gallons over the shipments dur
ing the same periods last year.
The BOLIVIAN Rubber company. Ltd. has
been organized by American bankers at
Para. Brazil, and has secured large con-
cessions on the River Acre, in return for
which the company obligates itself to cs-
tablish regular line of steamers between
the River Acre and the United States.
In spite of the reduction In our cereal
exports the United States still stands to
the head of the list of nations which find
profitable foreign markets for their pro-
duets, During the nine months ending
with March, our sales of merchandise
abroad were sl,O62, 432.15s. This is about
sixty millions more than the exports of
Great Britain for the same period. and
II Is far above the record made by any
other country. Net long ago an export
trade of a billion annually was consid-
cred remarkable by the American people.
Now we are we'll toward the billion and a
half figure, and 1t would not be sur
prising II yearly sales of two billions
should be witnessed before tho twentieth
century passes its second decade.
Only one steel vessel one of ITO tons
was built in the United States In 1870, for
our foreign trade. Yet some object to
ship subsidies, Two hundred and six
thousand seven hundred and seventy-one
tons of ships for foreign trade were
built in the United States during the past
decade. During the same period L.. 1853
tons OF steel steamships were built In the
worlds shipyards. of which great Britain
built 9,793,426 tons or Sl.l per cent.
Consul Tourgee, of Bordeaux, notes
that, although there Is a steady increase
in the number of implements of Ameri-
can make imported. II Is almost impos-
sible to get the ordinary French laborer
to operate them with the skill and eff
cheney of the American farmer. One
American workmen he says will do as
much as four French laborers. and It IS
because Of this fact that American pro-
1ducers can turn out work at less expense
than their French competitors, although
wages are far higher. American brooms
and rubber shoes, the Consul says. have
made their appearance In Bordeaux in
such numbers during the last two years
as to seem familiar. American shoe mach
inery is used In the largest shoe factory
In France situated In Limoges, and $780,
600 worth of American dressed kidskins
were imported into that region in 1900 for
the manufacture Of shoes. There Is de-
mand In France. says Mr.. Thackaray, for
American oil-burning stoves for heating
purposes
The expectation Of fruits from Mar
settles to the United States. Consul Cen