River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1909-09-30
MZRE C077OY 7HREAD COf1ES EQON-
~ THE GDE1T CON7[S Mil s o9rO71 AND


If turn aside for moment
from the paradox irony or spinners in Lancashire
ST. Gall or Chemnitz 5000 miles from cotton
field, turning out finished cotton garments for many
peoples, including the Americans who grew the
raw material, admire value of cotton goods
massed in the great world movements of trade From
the factories Of Europe and Japan countless ships
garry increasing of cotton fabrics every civil
zed port Goods woven of this staple constitute vast
proportion of the merchandise hauled by train across ALL
continents and where modern of TRANSFORMATION
pause primitive and picturesque carriers up the bur
den OF the worlds cotton output and trudge these
goods 10 eager customers along the fronties
Cotton cloth the for Christianity in the ungles
Of the Dark Continent savages of the Congo cotton
cloth is precious ivory or gold Under the midi
night arctic dogs drag laden with cotton goods
The condor and the eagle look wondernglv unon
pack trains carrying the product of European cotton mills
across the Andes. The yak goes burdened with cotton
goods into Tibet GodoWns along Chinese streams are
stored with cotton goods awatne shipment and to the
upper reaches of the Yangse and Hoangho native
chinese trader on his junk carries cotton cloths gar
ments to interior tribes Burros with cotton goods
from England and Germany pick their way across the
mountains of Mexico The elephants of India and the
camels of the LeVant and Egypt carry cotton goods
And the unique and almost unbelievable fact is that
this incredible volume of traffic in cotton goods engi-
by countries that raise the raw
supply. The energy and ambition Of Europe Japan
pledged to transporting cotton goods remotest
door, but America which furnishes the manufactured
product and makes possible the commercial invasion of
the world has little share in the profit conquest
The contest among the powers to-day is for
in is the chief commodity carried AS
before in history the ships and recross
the ARE weaving the warp and the wool of the
worlds civilization" The ships of western Europe go
with cotton goods England leads in the
mighty world traffic. That kingdom has had the far
seeing wisdom to provide cheap transportation
the factories of England and the consuming countries
And Germanys wonderful rivalry due to the
clear vision that the future of its empire the
The successes of Japan founded upon the
multiplying exports from its cotton mills. The
Kingdom is actually selling abroad cotton goods
than silk. and hitherto silk has been commercially
in the far east In fact cotton goods constitute
the most important factor in the of every
great country except America.
There is portent great revolutionary changes
worlds trade in cotton goods 1t is inconcevable
that other nations at the of America
winning trade triumphs with commodity which they
do not naturally which they cannot obtain in
sufficient quantities outside of the United States, and
they could not manufacture at profit but for the
fact sell the product and at times,
below raising it. There is logical
why United States should sell Europe only 100000
worth of finished cotton goods while that part
of the world exports to more than $50OO0OOO worth
And there is logical why it should continue
possible and profitable for little halffrozen
try of Europe reach to America pur-
hundreds of thousands of bales of cotton and,
after carrying them the Atlantic ship them back
United States in finished form and in quantities
amounting in value to $15,O00,000 in year
We unjustifably jubilant regarding
foreign trade. We do enormous quantities
of goods materials, but in respect cotton it is
largely the raw product on which little profit.
Alone all the industrial nations the United States is
important factor in the sale of cotton goods to
mankind For instance of the international demand for
cotton yarns we supply less than onehlrd OF one per
cent. II
Here the record, to the date of writing discos-
ing Americas international trader in
cotton goods:
IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF COTTON GOODS FOR
THE TEN MONTHS ENDING OCTOBER, 1908.
Imports of Cotton Cloths Dyed unbleached Painted ETC.
From
England ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 705 453
France ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 517O47
Germany ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 329S19
Switzerland OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 297 800
other Europe ............................ 22SS1S
Japan Observation-Disclosures. S0526
Other countries Observation-Disclosures. 1897
Total ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. .S716O32O