The star-independent. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1904-1917, 1914-10-23
The netherlands Ranks
HIGH IN ITS COMMERCE
Little Kingdom S Large Foreign Trade
Attributed In Part to Favorable
Location Of Country For Transship-
ment of Goods

Washington, D. c., Oct. 23.-The
Netherlands, with a population of g.
144,OO0 and an area of 1871 square
miles, has a foreign trade OF nearly
three billion dollars. According to re-
vised figures for 1912, published in
Commercial Relations of the United
States imports were valued at ST.
452s s45S, l6S, a gain of SIP, 2,491,200
over 1911. while exports were 1,251,-
472,027, an increase of $153,052, 446
over the preceding year, Though the
Netherlands is very small country,
slightly larger than the State of Mary
land, it ranks among the leading com
mercial nations of the world. lUs i'm
ports are so per cent. as much as those
of France with a population six times
as great, and its exports are about 60
per cent. as much as those of Germany
with population ten times as great.
This unusually large commerce of
the Netherlands is explained by the
Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Com
merce, Department of Commerce, as be-
ing due ID To the favorable location
of that country for the transshi pment
of goods destined for, or originating in,
European countries and sections dis
tant from the seaboard. (2) To the fact
that in the Dutch statistics foreign
goods destined ultimately to some other
country are not vigorously excluded
from special trade statements: hence it
frequently happens that the same goods
appear both in the import and export
accounts, unduly swelling each in com
pars0n with the commercial returns
of most other European countries. (3)
To the peculiar system of valuations
for trade statistics in practice in the
Netherlands. Except in cases where i'm
ported merchandise is dutable and a
statement of declared values is neces-
sary for the ascertainment of revenues
(amounting to about 10 per cent. of
the total imports) all values in its
trade accounts are - official" that is,
fixed by a commission and frequently
varying from actual values. As many
articles are given the same unit valu-
alton as that fixed half century ago,
they do not reflect the lower price
levels which have meantime been es.
tablished TO this extent the trade
figures of the Netherlands are abnor.
NAL and not comparable with those of
other leading nations.
Ten per cent. of the imports into the
Netherlands are stated as being from
the United States, compared with %
per cent. from Germany, IA per cent.
from the Dutch East Indies, about 10
per cent each from Belgium and the
United Kingdom, 8 per cent from Rus
sia, and nearly 3 per cent. from Argen-
tina. The Netherlands sends direct to
this country only "A per cent. of its
exports, compared with per cent to
the Dutch East Indies, u per cent. TO
Belgium, 20 per cent. to the United
Kingdom, and so per cent. to Germany.
Present conditions in Europe have, of
course, greatly modified the extent and
distribution of Dutch trade as well as
that of other countries. Thus exports
to the Netherlands from the United
States dropped from $13,714,345 in
August, 1913, to 81, ,4SS in August
last; while our imports therefrom in
the same period increased from ST.
605,396 to $3,446,04Z.
Four great groups of articles supply
one-half the total value of Dutch i'm
ports. These are breadstuffs (chefy