The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-02-24

need orders and Will naturally make every practicable commercial effort to obtain them. Yet it is the fact, and to my mind a, fact of great stimulus and sIgnificance.s that in this very pc riod of foreign depression the pro- duets of our industries have been sold abroad to greater extent than ever before.
 The trade balance in our favor on merchandise transactions betw cen ourselves and foreign nations grew from three hundred and fhirty-six millions for the last half of I9 II to three hundred and sixty-six millions for the last half of 191z and grew still further for the six months end- ing December 31 last to the great sum Of $404, ,5e0, GOO. This is an increase in the last six months of 1918 over the like period Of 1912 in excess of thirty-eight millions of dollars. orsOyer ten per cent If bslsine continues at this ratio throughout the balance Of the fiscal year the result in our fa- vor will far exceed anything hitherto known. For the six months which ended with the close of last year we exported manufactures as follows.
 Foodstuffs partly or wholly manu- factured, $158, ,525,220.
 Manufactures. for further use in manufacture, $190.099.294-
 Manufactures ready for consump- ton, $378, 8,647,929.
 Total of nanufactured goods in six months $727,27 72.443.
 DOMESTIC GOODS EXPORTED.
 Out of our total exports domestic
 manufactures form 5 per cent. and out of these exports of manufactures n1anufactur es. In other words. we are shipping the products of our mills and factories abroad at the approxi- mate rate of five million dollars daily, and out of this vast sum the largest part is composed of goods in which the percentage of labor is the greatest. namely, fully finished goods.
 In the month of December last the exports of fully finished manufactures were over seven millions larger than in November. and but one month out of the last six equaled them in total value.
 But you have all been told, and told repeatedly that with thea reductions of the tariff would come the flood of produc4sof the so-caIled spauper labor of Europe It is amusing to read in the foreign technical press the hu- fear They do not look at 1t that way. but the reverse. But let us see what the actual results are. now that the tariM has been in force over four months. The Imports for the six months ending December 3 last were
 
 six months of 9Iz. = An z you say, .sbut you have heard the imports for December are the largest in the his- tory of the country So they are. They amount to one hundred and eighty tour and a. half millions. an in- crease over the largest previous month, which was October, 191z. Of six and a half millions. or 3 per cent: but if one compares these two months of great imports the increase will be found wholly in foodstuns and raw materials and there is an absolute de crease in the amount of manufacture ed goods of every kind For exam pie, the largest item of increase, all most eight millions, is in crude ma teriaIs for use in manufacturing. All most as much. about seven and a half millions, is increase in foodstuffs in crude condition and food animals, while, as have said before, conpar- ing these two months. December, 19 13 and October. 1912. the two largest months of importations in the coun- tryss history, one under the new tariff and one under the old. there is an goods in December last as compared with October Of 1912
 FOOD SUPPLY INCREASED. The new tarim has not thus far re suited in any material increase of i'm portations of manufactured articles to compete with the products of our own factories, but rather its important ef- feet has been to add to our food SUD- ply This will appear again if. De cember, 1913, Is compared with De lcember, 1912. A Comparison between these two months shows an increase I of importations in last December o1 over thirty millions as compared with December the year before, but out os this thirty and a haIf millions increase about eighteen millions is in food o1 lcne kind or another: six millions more are in crude materials for use in olla factories. and less than seven millions lis an increase in manufactures ready for consumption.
 If we look more closely at these exports and imports they will not bear 1 out either the statements so common. Fly made that we can not compete with foreign makers or warrant the fears 1 that foreign makers will intrude dan l gerous1y upon us in our own markets l The Frankfurter zeitung said. con
 corning the German iron and stee l trade last June:
 "Orders have been very difficult tc Iobtain for some time and prices have been wea kening.''
 l The Birmingham, England, DaiIJ Post of July 12 said:
 l- For some time past manufactur- ers in almost every branch of trad (
 
 l mess is scarce. The mark ed falling off in iron and steeeI is on I of the most important features INCREASE OF EXPORTS. Tn the face Of these foreign condi tions the total exporks Of iron and steel and manufactures thereof from l this country Increased in last Octo
 Der over the totals for either July, Au gust. or September. Some will say l sFWI1af hapnered after inc new tariff
 went into effect.'' Just this: Tn. | imports of iron and steel in October 1913, the first month under the nev ltarfff, were $2,575.OoO less than the. ! were in October of the previous year i The experts were &2bslS ,0O0, nearI, 1 ten times greater than the imports November last showed a similar result 1.-The imports were less than two ant a half millions, smaller sum t11a1 1 in October and less than in the pre-