The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-01-22
NETHERLANDS fine
MARKET FOR GOODS
Exports from America One
Year is S73,0O0,000
DIAMONDS ARE BIG ITEM
During the Year the United States
Bought 100000 Worth of Dia-
monds From Netherlands.
Imports Are Luxuries.

Washington January 2l.-(special.)-
Netherlands and Belgium, although among
the smallest of the European countries,
rank next to the United Kingdom, Ger
many and France in their Importance as
markets for products of the United States
The United Kingdom is the largest Eu-
ropean purchaser of American oommodi-
ties, Germany next in rank, then France,
the Netherlands and then Belgium. The
total exports from the United States to
Netherlands amounted in the fiscal year
1905 to 70 million dollars, and our imports
from Netherlands to practically % mil
lions our exports to Belgium in the same
year were $50 millions and our total inn
ports therefrom practically 20 millions,
giving US a total Of 100 million dollars of
trade with these two small countries,
the state of Ohio and whose combined
population is but II millions.
The total exports from the United
States to these countries, as shown by the
reports of the department of commerce
and labor through it's bureau of statistics.
were. In 1905. 1111a million dollars. against
56 millions in 1S95.and 43 millions in 1885
Our imports from the two countries in
1905 were practically 4S million dollars,
against % millions In 1895, and IA millions
in 1885. The growth both in our exports
to and imports from these two countries
during the last decade has been larger
than that of the preceding decade.
Figures Are Misleading.
These figures of trade with Netherlands
and Belgium are the official statements
of our exports to and imports from those
countries as supplied to the bureau Of
statistics from the various custom houses
of the United States and are based by
those custom houses upon the statements
supplied to them by the exports and i'm
porters engaged in that commerce. Never
theless there is reason TO believe that in
some particulars, especially in the mat
ter of exports, the figures supplied by ex-
porters to the custom houses and thence
to the bureau of statistics are somewhat
misleading. Netherlands and Belgium are
great gateways through which large guam
titles of merchandise pass to counties
lying father east including Russia, Ger
many. Austria Hungary and parts of
France. While care is exercised by the
customs authorities and by the bureau
of statistics to obtain accurate state
ments of the final destination of goods
leaving the ports of the United States,
or of those entering the ports, 1t Is not
improbable that considerable quantities Of
eI,a., Il eIai 70 hn 0rfG nf
Netherlands and Belgium, and stated as
exports to those countries do, in fact,
pass through those countries and on into
those above named-Russia, Germany,
Austria Hungary, Switzerland and east
ern France-and that no inconsiderabe
quantities of goods from those countries
arriving at the ports of Netherlands and
Belgium and shipped thence to the United
States are accredited to the countries at
whose ports they are placed on shipboard.
Figures Are Phenomenal.
This conclusion seems to be justified by
the large and rapidly growing trade with
these small countries. 1t seems scarcely
probable that a country with a little more
than 100000 population, as Is the case
with Netherlands, should import $73, 000, 000
worth of merchandise from a single coun-
try for the use of Its own people exclu-
sively, especially in view of the fact that
Netherlands Is not to any great extent
a manufacturing country, and does not
require large quantities of raw material
for her own people, does the United
Kingdom, whose imports from the United
States are about as large In proportion to
population as are those of Netherlands.
The exports of the United States to Meth
erlands in the fiscal year 1906 were at the
rate of about A4 per capita OF Neither
lands population, and to the United King
i o "a fad
Kingdoms population; and as Netherlands
IL neither a considerable manufacturing
country nor so largely engaged In general
commerce as is the United Kingdom 1t
seems reasonable to assume that a por-
tion of the merchandise accredited to
Netherlands finds its way through Its
network of waterways to the countries be-
yond. Belgium Is greater manufacturing
country than Netherlands, and II is prob
able that a larger proportion of the mer-
chandise from the United States is re-
tanned for use in manufacturing than Is
the case with Netherlands.
Principal Items of Export.
Copper oeo OIL mineral oil lard, corn.
wheat flour, oil cake, leather, tobacco.
lumber and timber, fruits and nuts. and
raw cotton are the principal items In the
s73 900 worth of merchandise exported
to Netherlands In the fiscal year 1905. Cop
these articles, amounting in 1905 to over
500, 100000. as against $4,000 900 to Germany,
$4,000 900 to the United Kingdom and SILL,
900 to France. This fact that a larger
value of copper goes to Netherlands.
which Is not great manufacturing coun-
try than Is sent to any of the great man
ufacturng countries of the world. seems
to Justify the suggestion that consider
able part of certain classes of merchan-
disc sent to Netherlands is destined finally
for other markets. Next In order of mag
nitude in the exports to Netherlands Is
"oleo oil'' or oil produced from oleomar-
garine. and of this the value exported to
Netherlands in 1905 was six and one-half
million dollars. Mineral oil was next In
order, six and one-third millions In value;
corn, four millions; -four, two and one
third millions. oil cake and oil-cake meal.
three million; cotton seed oil, four mill
lions; lard practically five millions; to-
bacco, about one and one-half millions;
lumber and timber. about three and one
half millions; leather, a little over one
million; raw cotton, one and one-quarter
millions, and fruits and nuts about one
and one-half millions. These Items above
mentioned include nearly three-fourths OF
the total exports TO Netherlands. the re-
mainder being made up of smaller Items,
such as machinery fertilizers, hides ana
skins rosin. turpentine, bacon and hams
manufactures of wood. and sundry other
articles still less In value.
Diamonds Are Big Item.
or our imports from Netherlands. which
i'm 1905 amounted to about p million dol
lars. a very large proportion may be
strictly classed as luxuries. The largest
49,, - ,,,r i,nnorts from that country