The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-06-05
SECRETARY OF COMMERCE SAYS MIDDLE WEST AND SOUTH IN FINE CONDITION. NORTHEAST RESPONDENT

Raleigh, N C.. June 4.-Secretary of Commerce Redfield, In a speech here to-
 day before the Chamber of Commerce,
 discussed business conditions throughout
 the country. In part, he said:
 If we would place the business atmos-
 phere of the country on a sort of com
 mercial weather map such as is used by
 the weather service we should find a
 curious condition. In the extreme south
 east and southwest would be areas where
 the business barometer Is high All
 through the great central part of the
 country, where the bulk of our wheat is
 grown, would be another great area of
 fair weather and high pressure Over
 the great cotton areas of the south would
 be no depression, not even unsettled con-
 ditions, but normal looking for great agricultural favors expected to come High barometer also prevails where auto- mobiles are made in and about the lake area. Over the northeastern states would be found section of low barometer and | marked depression. If the state of mind
 of the different parts of our country l could be shaded in colors, the great body | VI thC WoSt Woulu Do Wllltt, Wflue ar | area of dull gray would represent our northea stern states.
 One does not mean to deride a de- | pressed state of mind In speaking of il as psychological condition. The people l that feel that way feel just as badly about it as if the condition were physical rather than psychological. The hope lies l in the fact that the realities of the phys | ical condition may so assert themselves
 ere long that tHe mental state will ad- just itself to them and be relieved After citing reports of depression in various foreign countries, MT. Redfield continued:
 Few men would be so bold as to deny the world wide, conditions which have been suggested. This Is not an age in which the nations are separated. Their commercial and industrial alliances or the one hand and competitions on the other are close That which affects one adversely is reflected upon the others It Is the merest childishness to select one of them out from the others and dea' with. 1t as if its own internal procedure were the sole cause of the conditions found in 1t. - '.In like manner any argument to ths effect that the alleged attitude of oiir government toward 'btg b1siness is the cause of such depression as exists here is met by the fact that in Germany, where trusts and cartels are legalized, and the government assists both. the de- pression ia even more severe than it has been here.
 Any worldwide view, therefore, of the great intricate mass of fnterlocke 1 business.' finds 1t in | state of depres- sion almost everywhere, with ocea p l freights so low because of the short | age of international traffic on the sea that shipowners are beginning to con | sider whether It Is not cheaper to lay
 their vessels up than to run them at ] material loss.
 Decrease Causes Comment "A good deal has been made of tue | month of April shows decrease in the
 exports of about s37, 900. and an in. crease in the imports of about $27. 500, coo and that the merchandise transactions for | that month show an apparent balance | against us somewhat in excess of $11 ,O00 '
 Ooo. and gleeful conclusions as to the eff | fects of thestarih law are drawn by high
 speed thinkers from rather meagre data. Looking plainly at the facts. we find them
 to be as follows:
 | During April the increase of imports which we have seen amounted to about s27. 500. 600. Is found to be in the follow ing items:
 Crude materials for use in our manu- factures. 31250o,000.
 Crude foodstuffs, over $40o0.0o0.
 Partly manufactured foodstuffs, nearly
 $.0OO0o0.
 Here is an aggregate of $23.600.000 out
 of total increase of s27, ,5O0.000, which Is
 entirely in foods and materials which our manufacturers use. The balance Is made