Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-09
English Experts Views
on American Trade
Special Correspondence of The Star.
LONDON. Novembe

LONDON, November 30. 1906.
England as is ''s great s'@ aissppoIn s-
ment." Such is the opinion of l..
G. Chiozza Money, who is member of par
Lament for Paddington and recognized as
the greatest trade statistician and financial
figure expert in Britain.
Commenting on the official trade returns
for the first nine months of this year issued
by the Department of Commerce and Labor
at Washington, Mr.. Chozza Money finds
them mot as up to date as the British,
owing to protection
THE figures show" he adds, that Amer
ica's imports are only about % per cent
less than her exports. We are getting with
in measurable reach of a time when Amer
lea will have an excess OF exports, for
America will not forever consent TO pay
British shipowners to carry her goods, ana
her investments abroad are increasing even
while she is repaying her old-time indebted
ness to British capitalists.
Many people, no doubt, will be surprised
to learn how largely America draws food
and crude materials from abroad. lhese
account for 55 per cent of her imports this
year. This is partly due to the fact that,
large as her area is, America does not pro-
duce every raw product known to man,
and ii is also due to American productivity.
Take lumber. for instance American for
ests have been ruthlessly despoiled to make
a few people rich quickly. Now the United
States has to import lumber largely from
Canada. This year America imported lum-
Der valued at S23. 000, 900 and paid duty on
ii. This proves, as l have already argued,
that the Mckinley tariff is an insane enc
I'm addition much wood pulp was i'm
ported from Germany, Norway and Cam
ada. America, IL she had properly man.
aged her forests, instead of allowing pri-
vate gain to wantonly destroy them, would
not now be importing wood from played
out Europe
1.-THE American trade returns destroy the
cherished illusions of lifetime, for the
average tariff reformer is usually welded
to the idea that protectionist country i'm
ports few or no manufactures and exports
a great many.
Although Britain's output is smaller than
that of America, we have to import far
more raw material. But the most striking
fact is that while we have absolutely open
ports and America has the Dingley tariff.
our imports of manufactures are not larger
than those of America, when freight and
insurance are added to the latter.
LAS to exports, the disparity is not near
so great as it was, for a few years ago It
was to 1 in favor of the United States.
Still 1t Is very great. The United States
has yet a long distance to travel before she
is so keen competitor of Great Britain
Germany.
Indeed, America as a competitor is
great disappointment. AS in the past, she
does not SO much compete with us per-
form the kindly office of fairy godmother.
She is almost ready ever to supply us
with the cream of her natural resources
at ridiculously low prices. But for her
materials we should be in extremely I'M
happy plight Oil, cotton, copper. zinc.
skins, leather-these and other things too
numerous to mention go largely to make
up the American export figures. Should
these exports ever cease or become dear,
some of them have already promised
to do. then Great Britain will realize fully
how much she owes to America.
And time must come when America
will cease either to play havoc with her
resources or to have a great surplus of
them to export. A stupendous American
population will, indeed, md ii necessary
to import the very articles now so freely
rendered. In that Gay America will be
competitor, for she VIII pay for her imports
in the only possible way-by exporting mani
ufactures."