The Irish standard., 1914-12-12
American Foreign Trade

or great practical value to the Amer.
lean business man seeking information
regarding foreign markets for the
goods which he handles or the sources
OF imported raw materials and of goods
competing with domestic products are
two publications presenting details
with respect to every important arti-
Gle exported from, or imported into,
the United States, prepared by the bu-
reau of foreign and domestic com.
merce, department of commerce.
1t Is interesting to note, for exam
pie. that coffee is now supplied almost
exclusively by Brazil, Central America
and other tropical countries of the
western hemisphere; that sugar, for.
merly imported in large quantities
from Java and the sugar.beet coun.
tries of Europe, is now chiefly sup.
piled by Cuba, the Philippines, and
the domestic product, including Ha.
wall and Porto Rico; and that cham
payne shows constantly diminishing
importations as result of the rapidly
expanding home output. American fac
tories consume great quantities of i'm.
ported materials, last years imports
including $50,0OO,OOO worth of fibers.
$S0,000,000 worth of raw silk, and $780,
OOO,OOO worth each of india rubber
and hides. These are mere examples
of the more than 500 different classes
of articles whose sources are shown
In table of commerce and navigation
of the United States, and which in
clude such widely varied items az AZ.
bestos, beads, camphor, human hair.
ivory, kapok, rattans toys, mushrooms
and zinc.
OF even more interest to the Amer.
lean producer is table 6, exports of
merchandise from the United States to
each foreign country, from which may
be ascertained those parts of the world
In which our raw materials, foodstuffs
and manufactures are being success.
fully sold and those yet to be entered.
Thus, while the iron and steel indus.
try exports goods to every important
country, with sales over 100000, 900
dollars In value per annum, and the
automobile industry is making each
year new high record, the cotton
manufacturing industry exports less
than $60,000,O0O worth of it's products
each year, mostly to the non.manufac.
turing countries of Asia and America.
The distribution abroad of the less
conspicuous articles of commerce is
also indicated in table 6. Athletic and
sporting goods, breakfast foods, aero.
planes, motion picture films, cement,
chewing gum, confectionery and teeth
are typical items chosen at random
from the report, which also shows
that we export large quantities of dy-
namos to England, of telephones to
of optical instruments to Ger
many and France, of stoves and ranges
to Kongo and other tropical countries,
and of ice to Canada.
The aggregate value of articles i'm
ported is shown in table 3 to have
increased from $1,312OOO, 900 in 1909
to $1,S13,00O,0OO in 1913; while the
value of articles exported, as shown in
table 6, has increased from $1,63s, O0O,-
900 to $2,429, 100000 in the same pc.
Rod. Those desiring to learn the
sources of any one of the 500 classes
Of articles imported or the points of
destination of the 500 classes of arti-
cles exported may procure the same
upon application to the superintendent
of documents, government printing
office, Washington, d. c., who sells
tables and OF commerce and nav
lgation of the United States for 1913
at the nominal sum of 80 and IS cents
each, respectively.
standardization Of Annual Report of
Commerce and Navigation Of the
United States"
The annual report on the commerce
and navigation of the United States
in the fiscal year 1913, just published
by the bureau of foreign and domestic
commerce of the department of COM
merce. reveals conditions of trade and
industry in marked contrast with those
prevailing in earlier years. In a total
trade of $4,279. 900, 900 last year, ex-
ports exceeded imports by 1858. 0OO, 900
while at the middle of the last CEN
fury, as shown by earlier reports of
the series, imports were largely in ex.
cess of exports. Then imports of man.
ufactures were more than five times
the exports thereof, while in 1918 ex-
ports of manufacturers were more than
six times the imports of like classes.
Meanwhile manufactured articles have
largely replaced farm products and raw
materials Except cotton) as the lead.
ing articles contributing to the ex-
port trade. Only in the carrying trade
has the United States lost ground in
the last half century. In 1850, for
example, 70 per cent of the foreign
commerce was carried in American
bottoms, while last year 80 per cent
was carried in foreign bottoms.
Additional interest attaches to the