The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-05-21
GROWTH TRADE
Is Attributed to Great Development
in Railroad Construction.


Commerce. delivered before the Manu-
facturers' club of Philadelphia, 0. p
Austin. chief of the bureau of statistics.
said:
The rapid expansion of the foreign
commerce of the United states IS the
natural consequence OF the rapid eX-
pansiOn OF production which followed
the great DEVELOPMENT in railway con-
structiOn in the closing quarter OF the
nineteenth century. Following the con
which was completed in 1863 came the
extension of other lines through the
great Mississippi valley and the SOUTH
ard this resulted in the opening OF the
great agricultural, forest and mineral
al cas- whose natural supplies have made
this the grea test producing country OF
the world; while the multiplication OF
railways facilitated the assembling OF
these natural products for use in man
uIacturing- AS a result, agricultural
pl UductiOn has doubled, and in many
cases more than doubled, and the value
OF farm products increased from less
than two and a half billions of dollars
ir 1870 to about AZ billions in 1900. In
products of manufacture the increase
has been even more rapid. The produc-
ton OF coal, prime necessity IN manu-
featuring, grew from 80 million tons in
1916 to 29O million tons in 1901; pig iron,
from less than million tons to over
u millions; and steel, from less than 49,
OU9 tons to over 10 million tons. Mean
time the railways had grown from 81
600 miles in 1870 to practically 100000
miles at the present time, and rates Tor
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 ma
ton 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 quadrupled, the
figures having been in 1870, 1893 millions;
in 1901, 1,487 million dollars. Meantime
fn1nnTfC a al Il
port figures being, in 1870 436 millions;
in 1901, S23 millions; the per capita of
imports having fallen from $1106 to
$1O.5S, While those of exports increased
from 1917 to 1881.
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 re-
Qulrenents of man are food, clothing,
heat, light, and manufactures; and of
all these the United States is the WORLDS
largest producer The principal articles
of food are breadstuffs and meats, and
i 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 require
ment is cotton, and of this the United
States produces more than three-fOurthS
of the worlds supply. For heat, coal is
the greatest requirement, 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 a
| larger quantity 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 manufactures being nearly dOu-
! BILE that of the United Kingdom, and
/ nearly equal to that of France, Ger
many 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 production
/ shows no signs of abatement, while we
may reasonably expect that the de-
4 velopment Of science and invention and
1 the application of American energy viii
4 still further reduce the cost of produe-
ton and transportation. This high
i standing Of the United States as an ex-
/ porting nation will, Mr.. Austin said, be
welcomed by the commercial world
rather than antagOnized. as has been in
timated and feared in certain quarters.
The commercial world buys the products
4 Of our fields and factories because it re-
/ quires 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. Sug-
I gestiOnS of the exclusion of American
products Of the field or factory seem
/ scarcely likely, in Mr.. Austin'S opinion,
! to be realized. The effect Of the refusal
j of Europe to purchase from the United
/ States any of the great articles of which
we furnish SO large a proportion of the
worlds supply would be to cause an adj
vance in the price of those articles in
other parts of the world. The United
+ States supplies one-fifth of the wheat
entering into international commerce,
/ three-fourths of the cotton, and prac-
tically all of the corn; while our proper
ton in the meat supplies OF Europe is
also large To this eliminate our pro-
great articles Of daily requirement
would be to cause an advance in the
/ prices of the limited supplies which
could be obtained from other parts of
/ the world. Hence, in these natural pro-
ducts. it may be expected that the de-
! mand will ortinue indefinitely while
! the fact that the United States in 1901
! sold to Europe alone more manufac-
| lures than she had ever sold to the en-
tire world in any year prior to 1895.
! shows the progress that American man
/ ufacturers are making in Europe, the
great manufacturing center of the world.
Turning to the ifnNOrt size. Mr.. Austin
said that it must be eXrecte1 that our
imports will continue to grow In the
present fiscal year they viii exceed thOse
of any earlier year in our history, and
the reasons for continuous growth are
/ lures. While the United States is the
/ worlds greatest producer in the chief
/ elements required in manufacturing, it
does not produce certain articles OF trop1-
cal and subtr0pical growth of which the
manufacturers are requiring constantly
increasing quantities such as raw silk
fibers, Egyptian cotton. India rubber and
many other articles of this character.
Add to this the tropical requirements for
food. such as coffee. cocoa, tea and such
other portions of the sugar and tropical
fruits as are not produced at home, and
it is apparent that the importations must
1 increase, and especially those from the
tropics The value of tropical and sub
tropical products imported has grown
from SAB 100000 in 1879 to over 800 100000 in
1901. and the share which they form in
our imports has grown from 81 per cent
in 1870 to nearly 30 per cent in 1901, and
this proportion seems likely to increase.
This fact of our growing dependence upon
the tropics indicates. in Mr. Austins opin-
ion, not only that our imports must con-
tinue to grow but that the events of the
past four years have been of incalcuIable
/ advantage to US in the fact that they