New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-06-04
OUR VARIED EXPORTS.

Our exports to the United Kingdom, as we
have seen, are increasing slowly in comparison
with those TO other countries In proportion
to the whole mass of our exports they are de-
creasing. The reasons Of this will be apparent
if we notice the character of our chief exports
10 the United Kingdom and the character and
quantities of our exports to the world at large
Our three great classes of exports to the United
Kingdom are raw cotton. breadstutfs ana
meats and dairy products. the three together
forming about 80 per cent Of our total exports
to that country. Twenty years ago those were
not only our chief exports. but they greatly over
Swallowed ali other exports from this country
In 1850, for example. they formed about IS per
cent of our entire export trade. In 1900 bread
stufs showed actual decline from the hg-
ures Of 1880 while the other two classes showed
& moderate increase. But each showed a
marked loss in percentage Of the whole. Thus
7 raw cotton, which was more than % per cent
of all our exports in 1880 was less than IS per
cent in 1900: breadstuffs similarly fell from "a
per cent to IS per cent. and provisions declined
from more than 10 Per cent to little more than
13 per cent The three together fell from about
rs per cent in 1880 to less than 30 per cent in
1900
That decline in the relative amounts of these
three classes was due to the great growth Of our
steel, which in 1880 formed less than per cent
Of our exports. rose in 1900 to more than
per cent Copper in 1880 less than one
onehundredth of per cent but in 1900 it was
more than 4 per cent And so on through
long catalogue. Stated in terms OF millions
of dollars our exports of mineral oils rose in the
twenty years from 50 to 10; wood and wooden
ware from Is to 50: animals from Is TO 49,
leather goods from to 81; ra W tobacco from 10
to 20; coal from 2 to 10; vegetable oils from
TO Is; oilcake from to 49, chemicals from to
13: agricultural implements from TO 16; cars
and vehicles from / to 8. and fruits and nuts
from = TO II. 1t is not that our cotton planta-
tons wheat fields and cattle ranges have be-
come less productive but that dozens of other
branches of industry have become more so. We
are becoming nation of more varied industries
and commerce. and therefore much more Sc
cure against the ills Of bad seasons and what
not. Our eggs are in not one nor three, but more
thin q score OF baskets. and if one of them,
even the biggest. comes to smash. the others
will remain secure and our prosperity be little
impaired.
Now our commerce with the United Kingdom
is as we have shown, chiefly in those three
classes of gools which are SO losing their former
vast predominance while our exports to the
rest of the world are largely those products OF
which our output is so enormously increasing.
How long these same tendencies will continue
is of course. matter of mere speculation. But
this at least seems certain that there is no
present indication Of their cessation. On the
contrary, the steady and uniform growth of
these varied industries strongly suggests their
permanent character and the likelihood that our
exports of such things viii continue to grow in
actual and relative amount for many years to
come. 1t is self-evident that, no matter how
great our productive power might be- we could
not indefinitely increase our sales of bread and
meat to the United Kingdom. since her demand
would be measured by the consuming capacity
of her people. When she got enough to feed
them all. she would want no more But the de-
m~nd Of the world ut large for these other
things has and can have no such limit These
are the circumstances which most clearly indi-
cate the direction to be taken by our further
expansion OF commencement toward the linn
tied, but toward the unlimited markets