The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1914-12-12

and Ameri IAN engineering was
never questioned,
In any estimate of American
ability to make the most of the
present opportunities for indus.
trial expans ion, DO better measure
Of the inventive genius of this
country can perhaps be found
| than in moments review Of
what is making the European war
so terrible. Strictly neutral may
we he, yet from the heights above
to the depths below we find Amer
lean invention "at the front" the
aereplane, the magazine rifle and
machine gun, the barbed wire,
and the submarine and it's tOrpe-
do. Gan not our nation lead az
we'll III fashioning the tools of
peace rs in designing the ma
chimes Of war;
Of course optimism is apt to go
to extremes. Already We are
hearing such expressions as
"trade boom;' or opportunity
unparalleled III history" and "ava
launched Of prosperity" aud even
hardheaded business men are
quoted az thus cbaracteriAing the
present situation. All this kind
Of talk indicates that a period OF
overstimulatlon may threaten us,
a condition that is somewhat sym.
tomato Of the American tempera-
ment. The four months RECORD,
however, can be summarized thus:
While European countries have
been mobilizing their armies aud
calling to the field Of battle their
reserves of soldiers, America has
mobillxed it's credit and begun to
send forward to the market place
its vast resel yes of food stuffs and
mineral products.
Secretary Redfield recognizes
three periods of business copdi-
lion as naturally following the de
claration Of war on August 1 last
those of shock, stimulation aud
readjustm. mt. These three must
be expected to affect in the same
order all branches of American
business, though the transition
from one period to the next may
not be simultaneous in all
branches Thus for several weeks
after war was declared, the expor
tatiOn Of wbea: felt the shock aud
thousands OF carloads accumulat
ed at Eastern ports. With cotton
the period of shock has been
longer, but stimulation of export
has now begun. With copper the
resumption Of sales to Europe
seems slow in coming, but come it
must, for In the modern world,
whether ut war or at peace, the
red metal is q necessary OF life.
As We look toward the south we
tind that our commerce with
South America for the last four
years haa been one sided to the
extent OF I'll unfavOrable annual
trade balance averaging more
than 80 millions Of dollars. The
fact that the balance of trade Is
sgalnst the United States in two
Of the three IA B G." countries
should be taken only as an invita-.
ton to export more, and that 80
millions suggests the chance for
further development Of trade rela.
tons. We need meat and hides
from Argentina, TIN ore from Boil.
via, rubber and coffee from Brazil
aud Venezuela, nitrate from Chile,
platinum from Colombia, cacao
from Ecuador, wool from Peru,
and Uruguay. What can We ex
port in exchanged
To increase Industrial prosperl-
ty this country needs TO export
flushed rather than crude pro.
ducts and to import raw materials
rather than manufactures. Bet.
terment of industrial conditions
can come best through expansion
Of manufacturing. The increase
Of the element OF labor in the pro.
duct exported will mean that We
are not bartering away our heri.
tage of natural resources but
rather that We are using these re-
sources ~ . basis simply for the
Expenditure Of labor, which re.
news itself.
Coming down to bottom facts,
the United States will profit by
the European war only 80 the ma.
ton makes larger and wiser use of
Iits mineral resources Foreign
markets In the main can be won
and held only 80 the quantity or
quality Of the made in America"
product rivals that Of the. goods
offered By the other producing
nations. The buyer, whether he
be IN the Far East or In South
America, wants the most and the
best for his money. Yet It would
seem . cafe rule of national con
duct that industry should begin
at home, aud therefore every In
dustrlal opportunity in America
shOuld bo improved. lie these Op-