The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-03-23
Shows Growth of Our Com
merce Is Real.
Organized Effort Must Be Made
to Sell Goods.
AGRICULTURE TRADE SAFE
Europe Depends on Us for
FOOdstuff Supply.
st. Paul to Spend Million for
improvements.

New York, March 23.-Quite as i'm
portant any other development of
the present week is the estimate which
comes from Washington that the Visl-
BILE trade balance in favor of the Uni
ted States for the fiscal year which ends
on June 80 next will be in excess OF
600 million collars. If this forecast be
justified by the event. then our for
eign commerce for the calendar year
of 1911 will, instead of showing the
high water mark, stand second to- the
record made in the governmental year
which is the II months from July 1,
1911. Should our visible favorable trale
balance be found for the fiscal year ID
be in excess of 600 millions, then it
may reasonably be assumed that the
great international commerce which
the United States began to gain about
two years ago was not ephemeral or
due to exceptional reasons, but is to be
permanent. Unless political agita-
tionS, unwise legislation very UNI
favorable conditions in other parts of
the world have sway in the immedia e
future, the exports of American prod
ucts should increase so rapidly that
within five years there can be no ques-
ton about the pre-eminence of the
United States so far as world markets
are concerned. The total export from
the United States in the year 1911 was
2 billions, ii millions, in round num-
bers, and of these exports manufac-
tured commodities were in money value
only little under one-half of the total
amount Our exports of cotton in the
year 1911 made up more than one-half
of the total exports of agricultural
products.
While our manufacturers are perfect
ing highly skilled and expert depart
ments occupied exclusively with the
sale of our manufactured commodities
in the markets of the world, there are
no indications that anything of this
kind is under way so far as exports
of agricultural products are concerned.
Europe and the rest of the world are
buying the products of American fields,
chiefly cotton, yellow corn and wheat,
because these foreign countries are i'll
great measure dependent upon us for
these products. 1t is not necessary
that there be thoroughly organized ana
skilfully directed foreign selling de-
partments for American agricultural
products.
1t has been recognized in this city
for some time that if we are to main
tain and increase our exports of man
ufactured products it is vital that
there be great selling agencies directed
with mastery ability. For We are
brought into severe competition with
manufacturing nations across the sea.
especially Great Britain and Germany.
The department of commerce at Wash
ingtOn is now in possession of authori-
tative figures which tend to show
that not with Great Britain, but with
Germany, must the United States wasa
her chief competitive battle for the
markets of the world so far as AmerI-
can manufactured commodities are
concerned.
What They Base 1t On.
The estimate of a favorable visible !
trade balance in excess of 800 millions
in the international commerce of the
United States for the fiscal year which
ends June 80 is in part based upon
the record made by our commerce IN
the month of February. We sold 10
other nations in that month agricui
tural commodities nearly s per cent
greater than the exports of like connie
dities in the month of February. 1911
This. of itself is decided improve
ment as compared with the exports of
agricultural products in the early
months of the current fiscal year.
1t caused some concern in the fan