Republican farmer., 1918-11-15
FOREIGN COMMERCE OF THE UNITED STATES IN THE
 CALENDAR YEAR 1918

The foreign trade of the United States in the year which ends with next month the calendar year 1918 seems likely to make another high record" A compilation by the National City Bank of New York es- l timating the trade of the full year based upon the figures thus far avail
 able puts the total imports at approx
 tmately $3,100,000,00O and the total experts at approximately $6.200.000. : | 900, thus estimating the years total trade at approximately $9,3O0, 900, 900 against S9,1S5,000,0O0 in 1917 the former high record year. The excess
 of exports over imports will approx innate $3,OOO, 100000 and the aggre- gate excess of exports over imports for the 1 1-2 years of war will ex-
 ceed $11, O,O0O,000 or more than that of the forty years preceding the
 war.
 The trade with Europe shows a
 heavy fall in imports and a slight de- cline in exports, for Europe has now
 little to spare of the class of mer-
 chapdise which 1t formerly sent to
 the United States. The total of im- ports from Europe for the calendar year 1918 will approximate only
 $350,000000 against $550, ,000,00 in
 1917 and 900,000,000 in 191E Even
 exports to Europe will show slight
 decline when compared with last
 year, approximating $3,90O, 100000
 against $4,054, 100000 in 1917,
 though doubtless the 1918 total would
 exceed that of 1917 if it were possi-
 ble to include that larage unrecord-
 ed exeport passing to Europe upon
 government vessels, which are not
 required to "clear" at or report to the
 Custom Houses as to the quantity
 character or value of the merchan-
 disc which they carry, and the mer- chandise which they carry thus pass
 es out of the country without inclu-
 sion in the export figures.
 With all the other grand divisions
 the 1918 trade will probably show in-
 creases, though the lack of vessels in the trade with South America and
 Africa has materially reduced the
 trade with those continents and may
 bring the total for the full year slightly below that of 1917. From present indications, however it seems
 probable that the imports from
 South America will approximate
 S60O,000,000 or practically the same
 as last year and that the exports tc ; that continent may slightly exceed
 that of last year and perhaps show 3 total of $325, 5,000,000 as against $312
 100000 in that same year. In tht trade with North America which i!
 not dependent upon ocean shipping
 the totals show large gains. The i'm
 ports from all of our neighbors ot
 this continent and the West Indian ! Islands seem likely to total about ST.
 00O,000,000 against $872,000,000 il
 1917, and the exports to all America U approximately $1,30O, 100000 agains il $1,265, 100000 in 1917.
 y The largest proportion of gains il - the trade, both imports aand export 5 occur in the commerce with Asii n from which the imports seem likel 3 to aggregate about $900,00O,O ,OO J. against $758, 900 last year whil $ the exports to that grand divisio. e will approximate $45O, 100000 agains J. $43O, 100000 in 1917. Oceania als l. shows marked increases on both side Is of the ledger, the imports up to tn It present time suggesting a total fo the year of $165, 100000 against $1OO, " 000, 900 last year and exports abou n $15O, 100000 against $117,00O,O ,OOO las q year.
 z- The fall off in imports from Flu T rope occurs in the trade with prac Ie tically every one of the countries c that grand division. Imports fror Great Britain which aggregated $280,
 900, 900 in 1917 seem likely to fall be
 low the $150,O00,00O line in 1911 n From France which sent us $99,O00 0- 900 in 1917, we shall probably get 1 r. 1918 60,O00,000 worth. From Ital s. the imports of 1916 were $6O,OO0, O0( II in 1917 $36, ,0OO and in 1918 wi Id probably not exceed $30,O0O, OOt 10 From Netherlands which sent us $44 -a 0O0,000 worth of merchandise
 1916, the total seems likely to b ', less than $10,000,0OO in 1918.
 ,g From all of our North America ~ neighbors the imports of 1918 sho, - an increase. From Canada the tots T4 of 1917 was S414, 100000 and in 191 - seems likely to be about $450, ,O0O, 00t - From Cuba which sent us $249 ,0OO u 900 worth of imports in 1917, the tC le tai for the nine months for which fig ures are available exceeds by aboU IL $12,0OO,000 that of the correspond IL ing period of last year, this compara ys lively small growth being in part du
 to shortage of ships and in part du
 to the fact that much sugar for tn
 Allies is now being sent direct froI s. Cuba to Europe instead of going b
 way of the United States as hereto T. fore From Mexico which sent us
 1917 $130, 0,O00,000 worth of merchar II disc indications are that the preser al year will show a total of S145. 900 0O of while Argentinas figures for the min at months ending with September sho' e, an increase of $22,0O0,OO0 over tn nt same months of last year. suggestin ee a total of about S2O0,OOO,O0O for tn le full year against $117, ,000, 900 in 191' of and S116,0O0,O00 in 1916. Brazil, fc le the nine months ending with Ser m tember shows a marked fall o1 I'd amounting to but $79,000,000 again! d. s117.OOO,000 in the previous yea C. From Chile upon which we rely fc n- our nitrate and which also sends | n. large quantities of copper the figure Id for the first nine months of 1918 al I- $124,O0O,000 against S106, 6,0OO,000 as the same months of last year.
 i- On the export side, recorded shiI r. ments to Europe as already indica 7e ed show a slight fall when compal
 ed with 1917, the figures for the mir
 months en6.ng with September beir IT. s2,SS4,OOO,OO0 against $3,064, 900, 0C at in the same months of last year. I O. most of the North American codntri'
 the 1918 figures show slight gail
 over last year. ir United States Steel & Metals Go