The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-13

utation. said that he thought he detected symptoms which if his diagnosis were commerce and industry in the United States.
 At the time of the strike of the anthra- cite coal miners the late Abram s. Hewitt ventured to say that with a happy settle ment of these difficulties in the anthracite region the country would be prepared to enter fully upon the new era which. he was certain, began about the beginning of the present century, but was checked partly by the strike and partly by the overpromotion of corporation combina tions.
 Washington has officially reported, within a few days. in detail some of these changes. For instance, commodities which at the beginning of the present century. and for many years prior were bought in foreign countries and imported to the United States are no longer purchased in great amounts. The most astonishing of these changes are those which relate to our foreign commerce in foodstuffs Up to the beginning of the present century Great Britain and Europe looked upon the United States chiefly as an exporter of
 
 of cotton. For it was assumed that we were producing of foodstuffs not only in amount sufficient for the needs of the American people, but also surplus great enough to feed in part other nations.
 A Strange Forecast
 In 1895 the prediction was made that within 10 or l5 years the United States would raise at least of wheat not much more than enough to feed our own people. When il was discovered that we were falling short in our production of food. then there would be a change in the cen ter of political and commercial gravity. That prediction was laughed at. but the official report from Washington a day or two ago apparently fully iustifies it.
 We are now importing food commodities in amounts which few years ago would have been deemed impossible In the year 1 1913 our importations of food in one form or another were considerable propor- ton of the total imports which in money value were approximately 1.S00, COG, GOO Since 1903 we have imported greater and greater amounts of hides, of chemicals, of raw silk rubber. cotton manufactures lumber and copper manufactures. Rubber is easily explained owing to the enormous demand for rubber by the automobile in- dustry. Lumber is also easily explained by reason of the high prices asked for the American product and the increasing scarcity of it.
 Washington reports that in 1903 the United States imported foodstuffs valued at about $60Oo.0o0 This small figure makes il clear how little we were de pendent on other parts of the world as recently as 10 years ago for food. For in the year just ended the United States i'm ported food. exclusive of meat, of the money value of S260O0,OOO
 The official record which tells the story of the change in our foreign trade so far as meat is concerned shows that 10 years ago We paid only S. 900 00o for our meat lmportations. whereas in the year 1913 we paid S20,0o0.000. If there should be included in these figures the statistics which tell or the Importation of fruits and nuts it would show that the increase was almost exactly 100 Der cent and that. too, not Withstanding the development of fruit culture in California and in the south. If we take breadstuffs and meats together the figures show that in 1913 the money value of these commodities was S46. 900 GOO as compared with sl1 000, 600 in the year 1903. and. including fruit and nuts, s96, o00.- GOO, as compared with sS6, 100000 in 1908.
 A Momentous Change In banking and business circles these figures are now spoken of as absolute proof that the United States has entered
 
 rely on other parts of the world for food and meat and today it looks though we must wholly rely. for several years at least. upon South America or perha ps Australia for beef and veal
 But there is another chapter in this his tory which serves still more strongly to demonstrate the extent of the change. At the beginning of the prese.t century, no business man of great experience and ability would have ventured to predict that within 10 years the United States would be recognized one of the chief exporters of manufactured products or that the International trade would so shift that instead of being pre-eminent as an exporter of food and among the lead ing nations of the world in import of manufactures. the commodities produced by American manufacturers would take the lead in our foreign trade so far as exports were concerned.
 Yet this is exactly what the record of 10 years. as officially reported from Washington, shows to be the case. Our importations of iron and steel manufac- tured commodities. which in 1903 were of the money value of S4l O01. 600. decrea ased in 1913 by s7,O00.O0o. We imported s1 000.o0o less in money value of silk goods in 1913 than we did in 190S and wool manufac- | lures of the money value of sl70o0.0o0. As our eXpoftaton of food products decreased so proportionately in great measure our importa Ion of these prod ucts increased while. on the other hand as our imuortation of manufactured com modities decreased in the 1o-year period greatly our eXportation in manufactured products has been in it's increase one of the most striking of international trade phenomena