The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1915-10-21
Increased Exports Due to War Orders

the period September 1914 to August
1915 is the new record set by this
country, according to figures recently
made public by the department oI
commerce. The nearest approach to
this record, for this particular period,
was in 19l2-lol3, under a repub-
lican administration, when exports
amounted to two billion and a hall oI
dollars. This was the high tide Of our
exports under normal conditions. Il
came abont as a result Of our seli-sut-
ficiency at home and legitimate trade
competition for foreign markets. 1t
was made up Of products which added
to the enjoyment oi life, not largely ol
those ased for the destruction OF life.
It was normal trade, under wise laws,
ably administered, and not the result
Of a ieverish demand by war.mad ma
tions houndering in a saturnalia Of
slaughter.
The figures published by the depart
ment OF commerce cover twelve
months period when tkis country was
actively engaged in filling war orders
to the European belligerents, during
which time our export trade amounted
toS3,03s,033,2 $50. During this period
there was an increase over the period
September 1918 to August 1914 Of
fully one billion dollars in the value Of
those articles which properly come
under the head oi munitions Of war.
Our total export trade for a similar
period in lol2-1el3, under repub-
lican law, was 49S,053,72l. In
i9l3-l9l4, same period, eleven
months Of which was under the Under
wood tariff law, our export trade fell to
32,280, ,185,7ol, a decrease Of about
s2lS, 100000. Had there been a
normal export trade in munitions Of
war, cur export trade for 1915 would
no doubt have fallen below the two
billion mark.
For this same period in 19l4-l9lS
our import trade (articlss that COM.
pete with American manufactures and
American labor) amounted to 81, ,669,'
1884, compared with 81, ,9O6,657,-
SIS for the same period in l9l3.l9l4.
the first year Of the Underwood tariff,
a decrease Of $237,0O0, 900. showing
the extent to which the war performed
the Office Of protective tariff proxy,
so that it is not unreasonable 10 say
that the European war benefited this
county to the extent Of fully one
billion dollars in export trade and
S237 100000 import trade, ard this
does not take into consideration the
undoubted fact that our import trade
in 1915 would have been far greater
than in 1914, had hostilities not re-
suited in embargoes, decreased ton
mage, the foreign manufacture Of war
munitions instead Of competatory pro-
ducts, and the sending OF millions
Of foreign laborers to the firing line.
For the same period, 19l2-l9l3,
under the republican tariff law, our
imports amounted to $l,786, ,297, ,989,
or but sll6, 100000 greater than the
i914-l9l5 period under all the trade
demoralizations OF the war.
This Sl,7S6,00o, 900 Of imports in
i9l2-l9l3 produced a government
revenue Of s318,542,l12, or an aver.
age advalorem rate Of duty Of 1913 per
cent. The sl,906,O0O.O0O in 1914,
under the democratic tariff, produced
s27s,6S7.SlS, Of which $4,000, 900
should be credited to republican rates
which we're in effect for the first few
months Of the democratic law. The
average ad valorem for this period fell
to 1916 per cent. The 1862
100000 Of imports in l9l4-l9l5
produced s197,6l4,460 Of revenue,
OF an average ad valoren OF 1l.84 per
cent. For the last-named period, 90
per cent Of the imports entered the
American market without paying one
cent Of revenue 10 the government,
and for the month Of August, last,
the per centage went up to 10. II
the republican average ad valorem