The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-08-12
They Handled 1914 Per Cent
Of All Exports During
Past Year
Il ORIGINATED
NEARLY HALF OF TOTAL
OF Two Billions Worth of
Exports South Raised
or Manufactured
1914, 900. 900

BALTIMORE. MD. Aug 1.-THE,
Manufacturers Record this week
says;
OF the s2.o4s.19s worth Of mer-
chandise exported from the United
states in the last fiscal year. s74T,~
448.47s. or 35.4 per cent. passed
through Southern ports. Nearly Al
per cent. of the total. or s944,00o, 600
worth Of the exports, originated d.
rectly' or indirectly in the South. This
Southern production was represented
IN the export by $5A5.519.o 900 worth
Of raw cotton, $4Q.S52,o80 Of cotton
goods, s2T.49l,Q goo OF cotton SEED,
cotton seed cake. meal n OIL, a
total OF sB63,662. 900 raced to the
cotton plant: s25,023. 600 naval stores
and 5000 600 phosphate rock. a to-
tai or sss7,T54.o4 Of products dis-
ttncLyely Southern in their origin.
To that sum-, constituting 1915 per
cent. OF tho total value of exports.
should be added as the South's share
in merchandise exports In which the
South has hardly Il monopoly, ST5,-
0eo. 900 Of lumber and its products,
E|s37, oQo. 900 .pf tobacco. $56.0Vo, 600
Of mineral oil. s2s. 100000 Of coal.
and at least $50, 0Q0. 600 nf foo6stuffs.
iron and steel products. etc. totalltng
s256. 699, zoe and bringing the aeEre-
cato of merchandise exports Of
southern origin TO s944, GOO, 600.
1t IS II remarkable fact. az shown
ny these figures. that nearly one-haIf.
or. TO To exact. II per cent. Of the
total value of the foreign exports Of
the United States was made up of
/ products Of the South. This section.
Though having less than one-thlrd Of
the ~counuy's population. produced
exports TO the value Of nearly 80
per cent. Of tho total. a fact Of vital
interest to the financial and CONNER
clal affairs Of the nation.
There are some other acts Of al
mos. equal Importance. One Is that
Galveston. which ranked second in
the country next 10 New York. with
a value of foreign exports Of s229.-
I 5o4.911. shipped abroad twice az
much AZ the total value Of the com
htned exports from all the ports ~
tho entire Pacific Coast Of the United
States, and s22,541.722 more than
: the combined vai1srz- uf exports and
I imports on the Pacific coast.
Another fact Of significance is tina
New Orleans had foreign exports to
the value Of SIT1.s25.293. or s31,3A4.-
e31 more than the combined export
values o: Boston and Philadelphia,
and s7S.5T4,l6l more than tire total
/ fAAG8 VIZ tAANiA$ AGtiit aAl K A&A&AS HGElS-
Baltimore ranked fourth in foreign
exports with sS5.i2o. s43. which was
more than twice the vasue eff exports
Of san Francisco. and Savannah
came nth with ss2.0T6.o45. or nearly
twice as much as the total Waite Of
the foreign exports from Portland.
ora, .a s,Haa. .eae,e s@t
If conditions had been reversed. and
the Pacific Coast ports had shown any
such difference in their favor as COM
pared with the exports from Southern
ports. the facts would bs heraided
from one end of the United States
to the other. and not only throughout
every portion Of the United States,
but throughout foreign lands, Let
the South do likewise.
These facts are significant OF the
southwark irene Of American COM
merce. They are Indicative OF what
would take place even without the
construction OF the Panama Canal.
now that the foreign commerce OF the
country is seeking an outlet through
Southern ports, and now that the
South Is producing nearly one-haif of
the entire foreign export trade OF tho
country. But when the Panama Ca
nal is taken into account. with tho
change already under way, It Is read
lily seen why the great railroads OF
the country are striving for strategic
positions in relation to trade through
South Atlantic and Gulf ports, and
why tho financial powers Of Ameri-
ca are beginning to recognize the
coming supremacy OF the South in
commerce, as well as in other things
The total merchandise exports of