The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1903-05-01
THE FOREIGN COMMERCE OF THE
UNITED STATES.
BY PROF. W. c. STEPHENSON.
Abstract of a Lecture Before the Com
mercial Department of the Jacob
Tome Institute, on April 23d.

Abstract of a Lecture Before the Com
mercial Department of the Jacob
Tome Institute, on April 23d.
For THE MIDLAND JOURNAL.
The story of the growth of American
Commerce from less than a hundred
million dollars at the beginning of the
nineteeth century to over 1000 millions
at its close was outlined in his address by
Hon. o. P. Austin, Chief of the United
States Bureau of Statistics. Mr.. Austin
said
"The people of this country have
always been commercial people. Their
commerce grew from a million dollars in
1900 to II millions in 1878, and after the
Revolution rapidly increased until it was
nearly 100 millions in the closing years
of the 18th century. The Napoleonic
wars threw large share of the carrying
trade between the European countries
! and their colonies into the hands of
American vessels, which landed it, con-
structively or otherwise, at American
ports so that it might be considered nom-
inally American commerce, and thus
evade the blockades of the European
countries; and hence our apparent com
MERGE in foreign goods during the open.
ing years of the century was abnormally
large. Taking the domestic exports only
aud the imports less the re exports. the
total of the year 1900 was 81 millions,
although the grand total of domestic and
foreign was about 1862 millions.
Taking this basis of 81 millions Mr..
Austin showed that the net imports 1.-THE
imports less the re exports) had grown
from So millions to over 600 millions dur
ing the century, and the exports from go
millions to 1850 millions in 1901. The
imports are Is times as much as in 1900,
the exports 46 times as much as in 1900
The pei capita imports have grown from
$9.S3 in 1900 to $40 So in $780, and the
exports from IS. 10 for each individual to
$500 per capita. Comparing the growth
in our exports with that OF England,
France and Russia, Mr.. Austin showed
that the United States had since 1895
moved from the third in rank to the head
of list, and comparing exports with those
of the United Kingdom. France and Ger
many, since 1870 the United States has
moved from the bottom to the head of
the list, the actual increase in exports of
these four countries. from 1870 TO 1901,
being: France, 263 millions; United
Kingdom, 1874 millions; Germany, SOL
millions; United States, 1854 millions;
the increase by the United States being
nearly as much as that of France,
Germany and the United Kingdom
combined"
This supremacy of the United States as
an exporting nation, Mr.. Austin said, was
likely to continue. The five great require
ments of man are food, clothing heat,
light and manufactures, and of all of these
the United States is the worlds greatest
producer. For food, the United States
produces more wheat and meats than any
other nation and three fourths of the corn
of the world. For clothing she produces
three fourths of the cotton of the world.
For heating, the United States is the
worlds greatest producer of coal; for
light she produces, of quality fit for use
in lighting, the largest production in
the world, and of manufactures her pro-
ductIon is not only larger than that of any
other nation but nearly double that of the
United Kingdom and about equal to the
combined production of Germany, France
and Russia. The fears that have been
expressed that some other country would
ontgrow the United States as producer
of the great staples which the world re-
quires have not been realized, but on the
contrary, our recent growth has been far
more rapid than that of any other coun-
try. The six countries of the world which
produee wheat in excess of their own re-
quirements are Australia, Argentina,
Canada, India, Russia and the United
States, and the growth i'll production by
the United States in 1901 over 1892 was
more than that of all the other countries
combined, the actual increase in produc-
ton in Australia, Argentina, Canada,
India and Russia in the ten-year period
being but 1870 million bushels for all these
countries combined, while the increase in
the United States alone in the same
period was aga millions. Regarding
other staples, the fact that the u. S. pro,
duces third of the meats which enter
into international commerce, and three.
fourths of the corn and cotton of the
world is equally reassuring. The fact
that the U. S. is now the worlds largest
producer of manufactures and that one
half of the exports of manufactures now
find market in Europe, the great man.
ufacturing center of the world, seems to
indicate that our supremacy as a manu-
featuring, as well as producing nation
may be considered assured.
Silver has advanced in price since No.
vember last. from AN cents per ounce to
81 cents per ounce-nearly IS per cent.
This rise in the price of silver, which