Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-06-06


sea that ship owners are beginning to
consider whether 1t Is not cheaper to
lay their vessels up than to run them
at material loss y4
"A good deal has been made OF the
fact that our foreign business during
the month Of April shows a decrease
in the exports OF about thirty-sevep
millions of dollars and an increase In
the imports of about twenty-seven and
a half millions of dollars and the mer.
chandise transactions for that month
show an apparent balance against US
somewhat in excess of eleven millions
of dollars, and gleeful conclusions as
to the effects Of the tariff law arc
drawn by high speed thinkers from
rather meager data. Looking plainly
at the facts, we find them to be as
follows:
During April the increase OF Inn
ports. which we have seen amounted
to about twenty-seven and half mil.
lion dollars, is found to be in the fol-
lowing items:
Crude materials for use In our
manufactures, twelve and one.half mil.
lions
Crude foodstuffs, over four mil.
lions.
Partly manufactured foodstuffs.
nearly seven millions.
Here is an aggregate of twenty
three and one-half millions out OF to-
tai increase Of twenty-seven and half
millions, which Is entirely in foods and
materials which our manufacturers
use. The balance is made up of an
increase in finished manufactures Of
five millions, less decrease in partly
finished manufactures of Of two mil
lions, showing net Increase. in all
imported manufactures of three mil
lion dollars, or about per cent al
compared with the month OF April q
ss.4-year ago.
Turning now to the exports for the
month Of April, in which there is q de-
crease of thirty-seven millions for that
month, we find ten millions OF 1t In
crude materials for manufactures;
fourteen millions of it In foodstuffs:
: over five millions in partly finished
manufactures; making a total of TWEEN
ty-nine milliOns. Eight millions out Of
thirty-seven millions Is In fully finish.
ed manufactures, this last item show
ing the smallest ratio of decrease for
: the month of any Of the great groups
uduIGu. LII uLi+GI WOIuS, IL ~ III IH8
line Of fully finished manufactures
that we have held our proportion az
, business best. ~
"On the day when this was written
the secretary of labor read in the cab
met in my presence telegram from
the labor authorities of Missouri stat.
ing that 10000 men were needed in the
state to help harvest the crops. Ans
other telegram from the labor commiS.
sioner of the state of Kansas calling.
for 100000 men for that state for like
purpose was read, and at the previous
session he had read C. dispatch from
) the labor commissioner OF Oklahoma
stating that $4,000 men were needed
there
ut is true that psychological depres.
sion Is none the less depression be-
r therefore, fairly look into other condi-.
tons to see whether the mental state
, that exists has justification in solid
fact. Il
1T is true, is 1t not, as one looks
over the country that all the conditions
upon which sound business should
. rest exist in full force and vigor? Few
will contend that merchants are over.
stocked. Rather Is the reverse true.
, None are SO rash as to say over.specu-
| lation exists. Nay, on the contrary
the brokers complain Of lack OF COM
missions. Money Is not so scarce that
, banks refuse legitimate borrowers.
, The reverse is true. We have sent
large sums abroad Of late without
cramping our financial resources. II
| comes to me from more than one
' quarter of the country that men who
: are pessimistic in speech are prosper.
!, GUS in pocket. Things are not tied up
tight when New York registers more
automobiles than ever before and when
that great industry is pushed to the
full
I. IF you and get away from the
crowded centers of our middle and
eastern states where mental mourning
exists for conditions that can never rel
! turn since the day of mastery Is over
and commerce must hencetorth be q
!. servant--if say, we get away from
: these centers into which the light 10
!. breaking but which 1t has not yet fully
Illuminated, we shall find different
, atmosphere From far-off California
and from Florida; from the fields Of
oklahoma and Kansas. Missouri and
3 Nebraska comes the glad cry of a hars
vest all but ripe for the sickle. There
was no mourning in the orange groyes
of California when I saw them Ia
! March, and Florida utters no CRY 81
!. distress in sending $4,000 car loads Of
8 her fruit to market.
at is small and pitiful thing that
men should expect to reap political
I profit out Of magnifying evils. How.
] ever, the too willing bowls OF the
9 apostles of evil are so obvious as well
I as so previous as to be on the whole
. more humorous than harmful. They
e make the judicious grieve but they