The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1909-07-21

and business rectitude in her COM
handing position.
1t is no far cry from consideration
Of this appointment of a manufac-
turer from our producing valley to
consideration of the source of supply
and means of transportation for our
oriental trade. II has been our mis-
fortune that we have not always
considered all these affairs of ours
in their relationship to one another.
It is not sufficient that we have a
business man at the court at Pekin.
We must manufacture what the
Chinese want. That information
must come from our minister and
from our consuls. 1t also behooves
our manufacturers to acquaint them
selves with China and China's needs
at first hand. Then the goods must
be sold as cheaply as the same quail
ity from other countries is sold.
Now what enters into the cost?
Cost of raw material. Cost of facili-
ties for transportation of raw ma
terial Cost of manufacture. Cost
of transportation again and the in
cidental expenses of making the sale.
The cost of the raw material must
depend somewhat on its availability
the relation of the supply to the
demand. If we waste our resources,
it stands in reason that they will in
crease in cost and eventually be ex-
hausted. Therefore the conserva-
ton of natural resource is essential
in holding our relative position in
the worlds trade.
As to the facility of transporta-
ton, the report of the commissioner
of corporations on our internal
waterways is significant. He says
river trade is falling on. because in
adequate Improvements prevent year
around through hauls, and lack of
cooperation between railroads and
steamboat lines prevent proper hand
ling of freight; ALTHOUGH in the
Mississippi valley, while the river is
not getting its proportion of the
business. railroads are utterly I'M
able to handle, the accumulation of
freight. So the improvement of our
waterways is necessary in order that
we may effectually compete with
foreign countries for the oriental
trade, and this will be to the ad-
vantage of railroads as we'll.
The cost of manufacture contem-
plates wages, and wages depend
somewhat on the cost of living. The
cost of living carries us back again
to the question of supply and de-
mand of food stuffs. Therefor, not
only must we carefully conserve our
natural resources. but we must i'm
prove our waste land and develop
our agricultural resources to their
highest capacity. Scientific farming
must take the place of the old-fash-
toned wasteful method, il we would
take and hold our place among the
nations of the earth.
Once more the means of transpor-
tation enters into the equation when
the manufactured articles are to be
assembled and shipped abroad. The
Panama canal will solve this to a
certain extent. The systematic,
rational canalization of the great
Mississippi system, beginning at the
mouths of streams and working up
ward, is absolutely essential. The de-
velopment of an American merchant
marine is also a necessity. Sub
sidizing under mail contracts and
favors extended to American craft
must become our policy, 80 that
American goods may be carried to
the orient in American bottoms
under the American flag.
We cannot separate our internal
and foreign policies. We must con-
slider them as one American policy.