The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-05-02
INCREASING SHARE OF WORLD.

Amer1can merchandise IS forming a greatly increased share in the imports Df-all the grand divisions of the world, Apd of most of the countries outside EA the Central powers of Europe. Not HsAay have our Allies in Europe trebled theiR purchases from the United States but the neutral sections of the world, whose chief imports are manu- lectures, have been compelled to call upon the United States to supply the merchandise which they were for merly accustomed to obtain from the factories of Europe. A compilation by the National City Bank of New York shows that merchandise from the United States now forms a much larger percentage of the imports of all the grand divisions than prior to the war, while in the case of South America onr share of the imports in 1917 was actually three times as great a.s in 1913 and four times as great as in 1910.
 Manufactures were formerly the chief exports of the new belligerent countries of Europe and manufactures are the chief imports of all the neu- tral countries of the world. When the manufacturing countries of Flu rope found it necessary to turn their factories into producers of war ma terial their power to supply manu- factures to the non-manufacturing world was greatly reduced. The banks figures show that manufactures nor maI1y form more than per cent. Of the imports of South America, Asia, Africa and Oceania, and that in all those sections of the world merchan- disc from the Un:.ed States is now forming a. larger percentage of inn ports than when they were able to draw their supplies of manufactures from the factories of Europe.
 The total value of domestic manu- factures exported from the United States in the calendar year 1914 was less than $1 900, 900, 900 and in the calendar year 1917 was over $4,OOO,- 100000. Exports of domestic manu- factures from the United States, in- cIuding in this figure the two groups 'tmanufactureS for manufacturing and manufactures ready for use" ag- gregated in the calendar year 1914, S973,994,000, and in 1917, $4,018, ,OOO,- 900 and while much of this increase went to Europe in the form of war munitions there were also large 1n- creases in other classes of manufac- lures exported.
 With the increasing demand of the non-manufacturing world for the product of our factories, South America, Asia, Africa and Ocean1a have given us a much larger per centage of their import trade than formerly, and with Europe's demand for our grains and meats and war mu- nitions. we are also supplying to that continent a largely increased percent age of it's imports. In the year prior +o the war the United States supplied about IS per cent. of the imports or Europe; 16 per cent of those of those of South America; per cent of those of Asia: Der cent. of those of Africa and 12 per cent. of those Of Oceanla' In 1917, as nearly as can be estlmated from the figures thus far recelVed' and a comparison of our own exports herewith, we supplied over 50 per cent. of the imports of Europe, prac- ticalfy 20 per cent of those Of Asla and Oceania; 10 per cent of those or Africa and nearly 50 per cent. of those of South America To our nelghoors of the North American continent we formerly supplied about 50 per cent of their imports, but in 1917 our share greatly increased, reaching approU- rnately so per cent. To India, China, EIonskong. Straits Settlements, Dutch Fast Indies and Siam the 1917 ex- norris were double those of 1915, and to Japan more than four times as much as in that year.
 The percentage which the United States iss applying of the imports or the various grand divisions shows a greater increase in the case of South America than in any other of the con- +inents. The official figures of Ar gentina show that merchandise from the United States formed prior to the war from 13 to 15 per cent. of her imports; Brazil Il to Is per cent Uruguay to il Der cent; Ch1H lV +o IA per cent, while with those countries lying nearer to the Unteo States, but having much smaller nm norts- the percentage from the United states was greater. Aggregadng tht irnport figures of all the countries O. South America it is found that bN their own official showing Soutf America took in 1910 but 12 per cent of it's total imports from the United States; in 1911, IA per cent; 19lZ 16 per cent; 1914, IS per cent; lSl5 s4 per cent, and in 1916, Se per cent while the large increase in our recen exports to that continent indicate tha our share of the imports of Soutl America was in 1917 nearly or quit
 30 per cent. of the grand total I' Argentina alone our total exports 1917 were $10T, ,642,00O against Szi'