The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-08-08
OUR TRADE GROWING
WITH |CELhNDERS
Close Acquaintance With the PEG.
pies OF the North.

The taste of the 1celander for
American products has evidently de-
veloped with a closer acquaintance
! The 10000 people of Iceland were
importing. prior to the war. about
$780, 900 worth of merchandise,
chiefly from the mother country
Denmsrk--and Great Britain, and of
the s40o0,000 worth of merchandise
which they exported the bulk also
went to Denmark and Great Britain.
With the opening of the war 1t be-
came apparent that neither Denmark
nor Great Britain would have the
Kind OF materials which the Icelanders
neeGed-namely. foodstuffs and man
ufactures--and as a consequence they
turned TO the nearest country likely
to have supplies of those materials.
the United States. and so Increased
their demands upon us that. accord
ing TO a compilation by the National
City Bank of New York, our exports
TO the island have grown from 1000
in 1913 to s25l.000 in 1916, sl.404,ooo
in 1917. and approximately $2.ooO.Ooo
in 1913, all these figures being Tor
fiscal years.
Imports from Iceland. according to
the banks figures. do not show as
rapid growth as the exports thereto.
chiefly by reason OF the fact that most
OF the merchandise which Iceland has
to export is wool. meats. hides, fsh
and Ash products. and for all of these
tho demand in Europe. always large,
is at present abnormally great AS
consequence, most Of the S4,o00,000
worth Of merchandise exported from
the island sull goes to the mother
country Denmark--or to G
Britain. while more than half of the
$500 eco worth OF imports are now
drawn from the United States.
Al examination of the list of arti-
cles exported from the United States,
shown by the detailed list prepared
by the bank. indicates that the aver
age ICelander has very much the same
habits as his neighbors further south.
The articles exported from the United
States TO the island in the fiscal year
just ended include automobiles, plate
glass. enameled bathtubs. phono-
graphs. silverware, jewelry, laces, corr
sets, perfumeries, furs. art works and
motion picture iilms. The auto habit"
is evidently developing with the lee
lander as elsewhere, for the value OF
automobiles and parts thereof export
ed from the United States to the
island has grown from $1,000 in 1913
10 approximately $4,000 in 1917, and
If we include the requirements of the
utomobile-rubber tires, gasoline,
etc.-the total for 1917 would exceed
$4,000, as against $1,000 In 1913.
It is. however. in the more sub
stantial OF the requirements of daily
life that the bulk of the growth in
our exports to the Icelanders has oc-
Cured. Their taste for our oatmeal
has developed with surprising rapidly,
the total quantity of oatmeal exported
TO the island having grown from
297. 900 pounds in 1915, the first year
in which shipments of this article to
the island are shown in the official
publications OF the government, to
2.se4.325 pounds In 1917, the quantity
for 1917 having been Just ten times
as much as in 1915. Cornmeal also
showed somewhat similar advance,
the value OF the cornmeal sent to the
island having grown from 14,447 In
1915 TO s42,37s in 1917. and of -four
growth from s427 in 1914 to s294,00O
in 1917.
American fruits are also evidently
in great demand among the Iceland
ers, the shipments to the island in
GLIDING apples. apricots, oranges,
peaches, pears, prunes and raisins,
the quantity of prunes having grom
from 1850 pounds in 1915 to 43,6oo
pounds in 1917, and of raisins from
90 pounds in 1915 to 104,6o0 in 1917.
Our meat and dairy products also
found a market in the island. despite
the fact that Its so, 900 people have
about 10000 head of cattle. $4,000
horses and approximately 100000
sheep. and our 1917 exports to the
island included all classes OF beef and
pork, tallow. lard and lard compound,
and oieomargarine, aggregating $685.
900 pounds, and over 100000 pounds
Of condensed milk.
The modification of the climate by
the proximity OF the Gulf Stream
apparently tustihes large use OF cot
tons for clothing. as is indicated by
the fact that our exports of cotton
goods TO Iceland in 1877 were over
$4,000 IN value, and OF wooden goods,
but about s2.5oo. the cottons includ-
| ing about 10000 yards of various
classes Of cloths. chiefly for domestic
use Shoes sent to the island in 1917
! included 1000 pairs for children,
l0.s00 pairs for women and l4,3oo
! for men, while other shipments In
! cluded $4,000 gallons of illuminating
/ oil, $500 of iubricating oil and
| %, 800 gallons OF gasoline.
| Imports into the United States from
| Iceland have grown from 100000 In
! 1918 to approximately ss55,0o0 in
| 1913. and include wool, hides, fish,
! whaIebone and fish oils. Most OF the
! trade between the United States and
the island is carried in Danish and
| British ships.