Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-30


Theodore Marburg. former minister
of the United States to Belgium. was
expected to preside at the afternoon
session, when the effect on America 8
international trade will be taken up.
Secretary Redfeld's Address.
Great commercial expansion for the
United States as result of the Euro
pean war was forecast by Secretary
Redfield. Both Germany and Great
Britain, the Secretary of Commerce
said. were in danger of losing their
supremacy in the foreign trade if the
war continued.
NO one, ! think" he said would be
surprised to find the United States
second in the worlds competition, nor
tonished to find her first
Secretary Redfield. whose subject was
Americas International Trade as Af-
fected by the European War" re-
viewed commercial conditions in the
world trade prior to the outbreak of
the war. showing that Great Britain
Germany and the United States ranked
IN the order named Nm competition for
foreign business. He said that the
United States, when hostilities began
found itself unprepared to meet the
situation either financially or in com
mercial way
1t is not necessary he said. ito re-
view the history of the critical mont hs
Of August and September last I never
think of that period without thank full
ness to the men in private business and
hnance who with great courage and
wise resource pulled us through those
trying weeks. j hope they will ac-
knowledge as freely that the govern
nent did what II was able then to do to
the same end.
"A floating debt of perhaps 100000.
900 has been paid in goods and not in
gold. Some of the gold W. had ex-
ported to pay what We owed before the
war has come back to us in paw 70,
debts due us. 1t amounts since the
first of December to over $500, ,90O, 900.
VIZ are saving money as a nation at an
astonishing rate. The nations of the
world turn to US for cash The ma
tions turn to US. both bellieerent and
neutral, not only to furnish them
goods. but to loan them the money with
which to pay for the foods they buy
from us. We are lending the world
money and we are selling the world
goods. and both to such an extent that
our foreign financial outlook and the
condition of our export trade has ia en-
on within ten months an entirely new
significance.
Two Factors Affect America.
Two factors will affect America ia
vorably in the coming days. one is
he loss OF good will by her compfti- i
tors through enforced absence from
business. The other is the injury to
her competitors through broken or sus-
pended organization. This is not all.
The organization in many cases has
been not only broken or suspended. but
the units which composed ii have been
sla in Bad as are the loss of the good
will and disruption of business. far
worse is the loss Of the skilled hand
and the trained mind.
1T seems clear to me that if we do
our part we shall change our place
among the great competitors. The
| world is never the economic gamer in
! the last analysis by war. The losses
must be absorbed and we must do our
share Of the absorbing. but i'll the pro-
cess Of absorption places relative to
one another may be exchanged. Nc
7 one, l. think would be surprised to find
the United States second III the world S
| competition, nor if the war shall long
| continue be astonished to find her first
! If we are willing to lay aside passion
| and prejudice, to lool. at things with
. an international, instead of paro-
J chial viewpoint. to realize that ineff
! cheney is unpatriofic. if we are ready
| to give up inertia and take . step for
ward out of ourselves to help others
| if these things can be done, 7 see nc
| reason why We may not become the
| first among the worlds great trading
nations.
DR.. Warne's Remarks.
| Let the government ascertain what
! immigration America will need to work
| the countrys mills and shops and
| mines when the great industrial re-
Nival starts al the close of the Eu-
ropean war. and having ascertained
! the countrys needs. restrict immigra
! tion to fit them-such was the plan
outlined by DR.. Frank Warne, expert
on foreign born population for the last
| United States census, author and au-
| thority on immigration
1 DIR. Warnes plan provides for the
creator, BY federal legislation. of the
governmental machinery necessary to
make a measurement of American i'm
migration needs for the revival of in
| dustrialism, which. he said, lis just
| around the corner" The body--board
! or commission or otherWise-thus Gre
/ ated by the federal government should
| cooperate with nov existing state and
! private employment bureaus. And the
| needed immigrants should be employed
( at standard American wages.
Labor Supply Can Be Regulated.
The demand being thus ascertained.'
| DR.. Warne said, the supply can be
4 regulated to this measurement through
| already existing administrative machn-
! CONTINUED on Tenth Page.)