Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1903-03-09
JOUR- LAND AMAZED HIM.
CoLDB.RGER'S OBSERVATIONS ON
AMERICAN ECONOMIC LIFE.

"The Land Of Unbounded Possibil-
tiles" is the title Of series of articles
| on conditions in the United States,
prepared by the Hon. Ludwig Max
Gol0berger of Berlin, royal privy
councillor of commerce and member of
the Imperial German consultative
beard for commercial measures. 1t is
republished by the treasury bureau of
| statistics in its 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, COM
mercial and economic conditions. His
detailed reports upon these subjects
were made direct to the emperor and
the minister of commerce and have not
yet been officially published. Mean
| time, however, he has published in a
leading weekly journal of Berlin, Die
! Woche, a series of signed articles un-
der the title, THE Land of Unbounded
Possibilities; Observations on the
| lHSolIOIiAt iSilc VI llAO obittu 'SNS@SNSt
from which the following are extracts:
The United States, like an enchant-
ed garden, has brought forth from
marvellously productive soil splendid
results of human ingenuity. Yet the
thing that causes most wonder is that
the concentrated intelligence, which,
| intending to replace human factors by
machinery, has, in working toward its
aim, been giving to constantly growing
numbers Of workmen an opportunity to
! support themselves and become pro-
ductive factors. The Joy at the size of
their own land encourages each indi-
vidual. 1t makes him communicative
and friendly to foreigners who are
seeking information. 1t seems as
though every one were 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
| everywhere l found open DOORS invit-
| ing me to enter, and nowhere did l
find the slightest attempt at secretive-
ness. Everywhere l observed an un-
common, but steady hustle of men who
enjoy their work and are consciously
working for great results. 1T is a
| great country" This is the verbatim
designation 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 SS,0o0,0 0,000-that is, barely 5
percent of the worlds total inhabi-
tants, according to its highest esti-
mate. This 5 percent has at present
taken possession of 25 percent of all
| the cultivated area of the earth, viz:
| 40T, 400, 600 acres out of 1,629, 300, 900
acres. A land of marvellous fertility
offered itself for tillage and the hus-
bandman had but to gather in the
produce. The virgin soil made his
work easier, and it's extensiveness rem
dered the application of artificial fer
tilizers practically unnecessary, al
though the agricultural offices of the
States and the Union have constantly,
by excellent advice and practical ex-
pert assistance, been furnishing the
ways and means toward more intense
cultivation.
Let us examine the corn crops for
the six years, 1S95-19O0. The worlds
total product fiuctuated between &c
and 3 billion bushels per annum, a
total Of 16.6 billions for the period,
with an annual average of 2.77 billions.
OF this amount the United States
alone produced 12.4 billions, an aver
| age of 2.07 billion bushels per annum,
or rs percent of the worlds crop.
Toward the worlds wheat crop the
I United States contributed in the five
years, 1S96-1900 20.7 percent, while
for the year 1901 it's contribution to
the worlds production of wheat
amounted to 25 percent. During the
years 1S96-1900 there were grown 14.7
billion bushels of oats in the world,
and Of this 3.74 billion bushels, or 25. 8
percent, were produced by the United
States.
In the production of iron ore the
United States proved itself to be a
veritable land of unbounded possibil-
tiles. 1t produced very nearly 80 per-
cent Of the total iron produced, and
that of the very best quality. In the
past year the United States produced
1913 percent of the worlds product of
| pig iron. In 1900 it produced, rough
| ly 10.1 million tons of steel. or AZ
| percent of the worlds product, and
in the year 1901 the United States
output was increased to 1876 million
| tons.
The United States produces nearly
55 percent of all the worlds copper
The development of the American cop
per industry was perhaps more rapid
than typical for even American
changes. From modest beginnings this
industry grew by leaps and bounds in
remarkably short time to the most
important factor In the worlds produc-
tion. In 1870 the copper production
of the United States amounted to 12,-
600 TONS. in 1890 its production had in