New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-19

fetal statistics, covering considerably
more than one-half of the years in
ternational trade, furnish a reason
able basis upon which TO estimate the
world commerce Of the full year and
its meaning, present and prospective.
1916 Record Year in
International Trade
The total international trade of
1916 will probably exceed in stated
value that Of any earlier year. Our
own trade is double that of 1914,
while in most Of the other countries
the trade figures now available are
materially larger than those of 1918,
an absolutely normal year, in which
world commerce aggregated more
than $4O,0O0,000,00O. True, there
are certain countries, notably Ger
many. Austria Hungary and Turkey,
for which no figures are now availa-
bic, but we must not assume that
their trade is entirely out Of exist
ence by reason Of the difficulties
which il encounters on the oceans,
for the exchanges between those
countries and with the countries bor-
dering upon them are undoubtedly
very great-much larger than nor
NAL, in fact.
Still another class of international
9 commerce for which we have at
present no official record, and per-
haps may never have, is the war ma
! terials and other merchandise i'm
ported or exported by certain gov
ernments which do not include gov
eminent merchandise in their trade
statistics. The British governments
( imports in 1915 not shown in her
/ trade figures were estimated by
"The London Statist" at fully $780,
( 100000, and it is probable that the
value of the merchandise sent out Of
the country to its own troops or for
/ the Allied forces is much greater
/ than that, but the bulk of this great
movement is unrecorded, and there
{ fore not included in the official trade
records Of that country. We are
thus, in my opinion, fully justified
I in estimating s40,000,0O0,000 as the
value of the international trade Of
the world in 1916.
This large increase in the value of
world trade does not necessarily,
however, mean so large an increase
in quantity moved as the figures sug-
gest. Higher prices in 1916 account
for a considerable proportion of the
advance in stated values, both in our
own country and in other parts Of
: the world. In many important arti-
cles entering international trade the
prices per unit Of quantity are now
much higher than in 1914. Pig iron
imports into the United States, for
example, which averaged $34 ton
/ in July, 1914, were Sl0l ton in
( May. 1916; bar iron advanced from
I S23 a ton in 1914 to STOP in 1916;
/ ingots and blooms imported in July,
1 1914. at 3 cents a pound, were i'm
ported in August, 1916, at s cents a
pound; tin plates in 1914. 3 cents o
mound, and in 1916 IL cents; raw
silk which a year ago was exported
10 us from the Orient at 1913 a
pound, is now sent US at S4.67 a
pound, whilh in our own export
statement prices Of wheat. cotton,
+ copper and many other articles show
also very large increases in values
per unit Of quantity. So great is the
average increased value of many
articles Of commerce that the United
/ States Consul General at Paris, In a
recent communication 10 the State
Department, reported that the i'm
ports of France average 30 per cent
higher in values per unit of guam
tity than in 1914, and the exports an
average advance Of 30 per cent over
1914
/ What Other
Countries Are Doing
World trade conditions in 1916, as
shown by latest official returns, are