The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-10

T I
 retary of Commerce, Shows
 FaIlacy of Attributing Great
 Increase to War Business.
 U. S. Will Retain Hold on
 Most of It.AfteF War, He Says
 HI
 American foreign trade has in- creased about 75 per cent during the wilson Administration. There is no longer any disposition tu question that fact or to under rate it's significance.
 For the hscal year 1s16 our total foreign trade was valued at six and ons4half billion dollars-an unprece- dented trade for ug. It is amazing to think that our exports Alone amount cd to four and one-third billion dol- lars. That is half a billion dollars more than our total trade in 1912. im- ports and exports combined. What an impetus this has given to our indus trial development What a lasting eff feet 1t will have on our manufacturing efficiency. Ar
 :. Through this expansion of our trade 1t may be possible even to reduce prices through greater production.
 In some quarters there is a disposi- ton to attribute our increased ex- sports entirely to war demands. That ifs very unfair. It is unfair to the fore sighted men who have pushed our trade into new markets. It is unfair to the Administratisn which has fur nished so many needed facilities for building up our trade in foreign couif- tries. -. i.- <
 We are of course doing . big busi- ness in war supplies, but the import ance of that business has been over rated. TO make 1t assume the great est possible proportions, unwarranted liberties have been taken with our classifications of merchandise. Grain. flour, meat, shpes and many other ev- ery-day necessities have been includ- ed under the term war supplies. Of course soldiers consume these articles, but they would consume them if they were civilians and not soldiers. We have always furnished, Europe with such articles. In fact the war has cut us off from some of our best mar kets for such goods. .5lfr
 But our business with markets far removed from the war zone has great ly increased. This is the best kind of it can be retained after the war. How much will depend entirely on the way our manufacturers and exporters conduct themselves in the meantime. Our exports to South America during i the fiscal year 1916 showed an in crease, of approximately S6 per cent A1 %1,o
 with Africa. we did about 50 per cent more business. To Japan and Asiatic Russia We sold 20 per cent more goods, although this includes some munitions. Other Asiatic countries , bought 17 per cent more merchandise than in 1914. A.z0 per cent increase is recorded for Australia and other Oceanic countries. Our Canadian ex- ports show gain of 31 per cent. and l, to Mexico, the West Indies, and Gen. 1 tral America we sold A per cent more goods. The neutral countries increas- ] ed their purchases from us to the ex- !, tent of 88 per cent-a most remark able gain, and one that can not be said to be wholly temporary. These neutral countries have been shut off !; to some extent from the Central Pow CTS, and they have been unable to pur- chase some classes of manufactured foods from the Allied countries, yet 1t is safe to say that once accustomed to buy from us, they will not sudden ly go back to their former sources o1 supply. What we do lose there will < be made up by sales to the Central Powers and to Russia. To the belli-
 gerent countries themselves our ex- ports increased 93 per cent. and it is
 probably true that our sales will fall off to some extent there when nor nal conditions return.
 On the whole, the prospects of re-
 tainingNa large share of our newly
 gained trade are much brighter now
 than they were a year ago, and they . will continue to brighten the longer the war lasts. The chances of sud-
 den collapse are more remote now than ever. Whatever changes are to take place will be gradual I think that is the opinion generally held now by most practical business men who
 have watched developments carefully
 Even our munitions manufacturers are
 now confident of adapting their plants
 to meet changed conditions at the de-
 claration of peace. H.
 Our imports have been increasing
 too. and this fact has occasioned some
 alarm. It need not, for practically all of the increase has been in raw ma ! terials. Before the war Europe did altogether too much of our manufac- 1 turing for us. Rubber, silk, wool, fi- 1 bers, tin, and so on were taken from s,l parts of the world to European fac i tories and much of the finished pro.
 duct was finally shipped to us We | paid for European labor, we paid df. vidends on> European capital. and we
 paid for a great deal of unnecessary : shipping. The war has obliged us te
 hnpoyt the raw materials and finish them in our own factories and mills
 American labor and American capita arc the gainers-and they will con
 tinue to benefit after the war. Int
 extent of this benefit will depend up I on their combined efficiency. In191; snly/84 per cent~of our imports wer' raw materials. In 1916 the propor ton had increased to 43 Der cent I
 vlIl increase still further We have become the greatest com
 meucialnation in the world. We hav'
 stopped borrowing money, and ar,
 lending now instead. We have pait
 off over . billion of our foreign debt
 ThA stability of our prosperity is be Bnn4zCsqmTs- assured with the pass