The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-02-23
new OPPORTUNITY
FOR development.
OF TROP|C WORLD.
Commerce With Countries
ISL Of the South Not What
It Should Be.

@ OF Cu0 0OuGu NOG WudC
It Should Be.
@ The industrial and commercial de-
Nelopment OF the tropical half Of the
world may be one Of the most impor-
tant results Of the present war, was
the suggestion OF o. p. Austin. sta
tistician or the National City bank of
New York in an address on "GeOgra-
ply and Commerce before the New
York Chapter OF the American Insti-
tnte Of Banking. at its meeting Feb.
21st.
The tropical sections Of the world,
said Mr.. Austin, now supply but one
sixth of the worlds international COM
merce, although they have one-half
. OF its area and one-half of its popu-
1ation. The area lying between the
10th parallels OF north and south lat
itude, all Of which is tropical or sub
tropical, has 10000, 900 people on its
rs, 900, 900 square miles of land sur
face. while the temperate areas have
$50. OO0, 600 people on 25.000,0 900 So.
miles OF land surface. Yet the inter-
Rational commerce Of the tropical half
Eof the eartI,s surface is but. 6 1-2 bill
Hon dollars per annum, while that Of
TIE temperate zone, with an equal
population and land surface, is 3S IL
billion dollars, these figures repre-
sentins international trade In 1913, the
year immediately preceding the war.
The international commerce of the
tropical half OF the worlds area eek
elusive OF the polar regions) averaged
$3.50 per square mile, and that of the
temperate area 81 800 per square mile
THE commerce Of the tropical section
averaged $500 per capita for its en-
Hire population. and that Of the tempe
rate section $4,000 per capita
This failure Of the tropical sections
of the globe with greater producing
power per acre or square mile than
Niiat OF the temperate zones is due, he
Eaid. primarily to lack Of facilities Tor
transporting products from their place
apf production to the common carrier.
Whether railway or steamship. This
Service OF transporting products to the
common carriAE~wass rend in the
development Of, the temperate zones
by the faithful horse, whose place is
now being taken by the commercial
automobile and in the roadless areas
by the caterpillar tractor, but this
service OF the horse which developed
the temperate zone could not be rem
dEred In the tropics by reason Of the
inability of animal power to cope. with
4cIimatic conditions. Hence the COM
taratively slow progress of develop
bent OF production and commerce in
4 Che tropics during the last century. in
which world development OF Industrial
11o~
~ international trade from ! liz bill
pn doIaars In 1916 to As billion dol
RS In 1916; most Of this great growth
living occurred in the temperate zone
klf of the world.
II Capital, which is already sending
eamships to the ports Of the tropical
&eat the world over. stands ready to
gpnstruct railways to develop the in
rior Of that half OF. that area just
4 ~ it has done In the temperate zone
BALI, but railways are useless unless
the natural products can be. moved
s4Fom the place Of production to them,
And this has thus far been tfmpracti-
fable in the tropics because Of the ina
that climate the service which il gave
.bility of animal power to render in,
kn the development of the temperate
ZONES. As result Of this condition in
The past. the railways Of the tropical
1or sub-tropical half OF the inhabited
world total but $4,000 miles, while
those of the temperate half are $685.
900 miles. The world has, outside
the polar regions 750. 900 miles of rail-
sway. and 50,000.o0o square miles Of
land surface, or an average Of Is miles
sof railway to each 1000 square miles
OF land area, but the railways are so
unevenly divided between the tempe
rate and tropical sections that the
tropical half has but 4 1-2> miles Of
railway for each 1000 square miles OF
land surface, while the temperate zone
half has Is LIZ miles Of railway for
each 1000 square miles of land sur
face. That the growth of commerce
is dependent upon the presence of
railways for land transportation goes
without saying, and that railways can
Rot perform their service without the
Eo-operation OF animal or mechanical
En1ver in transporting products from
he farm, or forest, or mine, or fac
fbry, to the railway, il equally appa-
Hent, and with animal power unable
IS perfoxm this service in the tropics
mat half OF the world has had to
await the development by man of
system by which mechanical power
can perform that service.
This factor, necessary for transpor-
tation in the tropics between the place
of production and the common car
rier, has apparently been brought in
to practical operation by the necessi-
ties OF the war. Necessity, 1t is said,
&Afhe mother OF invention. and while
man had invented the automobile and
the flying machine before the begin
ing Of the war. he had only begun
10 realize their practical value, and es-
]pecially the practicability OF operating
The horseless vehicle over undeveloped
lhnd roadlees areas. But the neces-
stiles OF the war have sharpened his
wits. and to-day millions of men and
Euntold quantities of merchandise are
3being transported by American and
6other horseless vehicles over sections
4of Europe in which however good
Bthetr roads may once have been, they
1can no longer be relied upon as high
9ways for this necessary transportation
(which goes on day and hight and with
Ian activity heretofore undreamed Of
1 - -