New-York tribune., 1918-01-27

trade of the world grew from g. 5oo
1914, while that of the merchand;so
forming our own internal comn,erco n,,arco
grew from S9,0OO,O0O, 900 in 1880 N
$40 o,0O0, 100000 in 1914. Or to put il in
a single sentence, the value of the NOR.
chandisc forming the internationa
commerce Of the world increased IN
per cent from 1880 10 1914. while th,,
or the merchandise forming the inter.
nal commerce of the United States in.
creased 399 per cent in the same period
Inns more rapid gain of the internal
commerce Of the United States than N
Inc International commerce of the
"orlo IS accounted for in part by the
.act that Our population increased prac.
:lcally lc0 per cent during the period
IN question, 1oS0-1914, while that of the
world as whole increased but Is Der
cent In the same time.
Nhlle 1t IS not possible to measure
the interstate commerce of the coun-
lly, the actual movement of merchan.
dlse between the states, it is pract.
cable to obtain a general view of the
lnterchanges between the great sec.
tons of the country. Nature and man
IN conjunction have divided the United
states into four pretty distinct Sec
tlons: These four great sections are
90 The North Atlantic area usually
oeslgnated as the New England and
Middle States, (2) the Upper Missis-
slppl Valley, (3) tbs South, (4) the
mountain regions of the West. These
1our sections differ radically in their
Prooucts, and as a result the inter-
changes between them are very large
q 10 Il
commerce of the country. They are, in
fact. an application of that great eco
great groups of people and the inter-
cnange OF their respective products.
1T is the operation OF this great eco
nomlc law of a division of labor
among the people of the world
which has developed the interns-
tlonal trade of the globe, and it
mas become equally effective in pro-
ouclng the great interchanges of mer-
chandise between certain sections Of
our country.
Natural Subdivisions
In the North Atlantic area, which
occupies all of the New England and
Middle States, there is a long ocean
frontage, rivers furnishing power fo'
manufacturing purposes, compara-
a dense population. great industrial
and trade centres, plentiful supplies
OF fuel and plentiful transportation
facilities. These conditions have made
1T the great manufacturing section
of the United States The sec
ond mentioned area. the Upper Mis-
slsslppi Valley, stretching from the
eastern boundary of Ohio to the west
ern edge of Kansas, Nebraska and the
Dakotas, Is the great temperate zone
area of the UnlLeu states, with d rich
deep soil, producing most of the wheat
and corn and meats of the country
and while it has a population slightly
larger than the North Atlantic section
the density of population is much less
because its area is four times as grea"
The third section, the South, including
everything south of the Potomac and
ONO rivers and as far west as the
western boundaries of Oklahoma ana
eXas, mas sub-tropical climate anu
IT'S most important p -oducts are COT
ton and other sub-iropical growtns'
tlmoer, livestock, petroleum and Inn
leed quantities of cereals. The fourth
sectlon, the mountainous area stretch'
ing from the western borders OF Texas,
Nebraska, Kansas and the Dakotas 70
'ne waters of the Pacific, has larger
area and smaller population than 81!
OF the other sections mentioned ana an.
produces materials of radically dh-
1erent minerals, precious
metals, wool, lumber, sugar and fruiw.
=, 10 put it in single sentence. tns
North Atlantic area produces the bus
or the manufactures of the counut
the upper Mississippi area produces
most of the foodstuffs, the South msh'
ufacturing material. the West minerals.
wool. sugar and fruits, and these 10Y,
great areas freely interchange thsI
products. thus forming large part y
the internal commerce Of the conasS'