The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-06-08

I NAOAA- hElG nave U6GH some Tn nlRn dQ- | thority who have thought that Germany i was never nearer complete triumph than in the spring of this year, although that view was based in large measure upon conditions in Russia.
 NOT MAXIMUM REPORT
 In the F months which ended on April 30 the exports from the United States were approximately at the rate of half billion dollars a month. Of course. much of this is due to the orders that have come to the United States from our allies who have been buying supplies in enormous amounts here. But part of it is due to expanding peaceful commerce, and jusufies the belief that after the war is over, if wise measures are taken by legislatures, the United States can maintain a fair share of the enormous world trade which will begin immediately after the war
 Some analysis of such detailed figures as can be obtained of exports indicates that S6,000,000 for F months is not the maximum, but that in the next F months, Or in the fiscal year which begins July 1, the United States will be found to have exported commodities of the money value of perhaps as much as $7,0Oo0Oo,O00.
 Meanwhile, the government is begin- ming to spend millions upon millions for supplies of all kinds needed by the army and navy The single contract for shoes is an illustration of the magnitude of the demand the government is making upon industry. Shoes are to be furnished by the millions, and it is understood that the contract price is $492 per pair. This is almost 100 per cent more than the price for similar shoes before the high cost of leather and of all other commodi- ties began.
 There is no part of the country which will not receive many millions from the federal treasury for commodities Of which the government stands in need. The lumbermen who until recently were in despair, are now to be fully occu- pied both in the south, where yellow pine timber is being bought by the govern ment in enormous amounts, and also upon the Pacific coast.
 CALIFORNIA LUMBER
 The Wall Street Journal published few days ago paragraph which called attention to the magnitude of the lumber industry in California. The annual out put of California lumber is now of the money value of $4S 0OO,0oO, and the Iargest number of employees engaged in any industry in California is occupied with the cutting and manufacture Of lumber. One interesting feature asso- ciated with this report is the fact that before the discovery or Solu III CdllloiliAd' and for sometime after that the lumber industry stood first although for time it was almost matched by the farmers who raised California wheat. Before the United States acquired California, the lumber industry upon the Pacific coast supplemented the fur industry and was almost the exclusive industrial and eX- port product of that section. Now, not withstanding the enormous development of the citrus fruit industry in Califor- mia, and other agriculture, lumber has again attained supremacy among the in- dustries of that state.
 Those expert forecasters who were per- suaded that the early reports of a heavy failing off in the wheat harvest this year would not be justified by the event, now have the satisfaction of knowing that their forecasts were better than those of the government and that the chances are that We shall have 175,000,0O0 bushels of wheat for export, instead of none at all.