Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-05-24
Our Foreign Trade.

Anticipating the needs and the immense i'm
portance of our foreign trade after the war, the
Government is planning as definitely as present
emergencies will allow to protect and develop
this vital field of national interests. To
speak of the Importance of foreign trade
after the war is not to imply that it is by
any manner of unimportant now. 1t
plays essential part both in helping to sustain
the nations credit and in providing military and
naval necessities. We are seasonably reminded in
this connection that Latin-America and Asia depend
upon the United States for merchandise to sustain
their productivity lust as the United States depends
upon them for war materials and certain foods:
Recognition of this mutual obligation and the least
possible deviation from it except that which mill
tary advantage iustifes is shown by the experience
OF other nations at to be sound war policy.
But it is principally the postbellum period of for
eign trade that engages the Governments interest;
and well may those problems be studied. for they
concern the entire structure and life of pros
perity.
Prosperous we cannot hope to remain unless
VIC provide safeguards against, sudden and general
contraction in the industrial energy which the
war has developed Factories must be kept run
ming; labor must be kept employed; work must be
afforded the hundreds of thousands OF men re-
leased from military service. How can this be done
when demand ceases for the immense quantities of
war products that now manufacturing? 1t
can be done only by converting into producers OF
peace products much of the labor and equipment
that now serves military needs. And this in turn
calls for markets to absorb those products In
some instances, notably in the production of steel
and its farreaChing circle of subsidiary industries,
the advent Of peace will make little difference,
because the demand for materials in repairing the
wastage and destruction of will be as great as
that for the war itself and will last for years But
there are many plants, roaring at full speed,
that will have to quit or greatly curtail operation
If they cannot adapt themselves to new lines of
production. The readjustment will be comparative
" simple save in one respect. that of assured
and profitable demand for the goods thus turned
out There will be a large demand within the
United States itself but not enough to take up all
the slack of transformed industries. The cessa-
ton of Government purchases, now amounting to
billions OF dollars. will OF itself compel numerous
industries to cast about for fresh fields of trade.
Whittier can they turn, after the limited domestic
demand has been supplied, to sustain themselves
and in so doing sustain the nations prosperity?
They must turn to foreign markets, and largely
to Latin-America and the Orient. Opportunities
almost unlimited await US in those regions if we
will but prepare the way for their development and
then 90 vigorously forward. One of the great
essentials for this purpose, and one which hereto
fore we have lacked, doubtless shall have after
the war; that is a merchant marine We shall
have also much of the cooperative commercial ma
chinery that needful the enactment of the Webb
Pomerene bill permits manufacturers and merchants
and producers of natural products to act through
organized means in protecting and developing their
foreign trade interests. Thus some of the larger
necessities of the situation assured of being
met The Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Com
merce il particularly interested just now in secur
ing what it aptly calls business diplomats" men
OF exceptional ability and experience to serve as
commercial attaches in foreign service. As The
Journal recently announced. the Bureau will con-
duct special preliminary examination for this pur
ssee on June the sixth. Work of this character viii
become continually promising as career for am
bilious and gifted young Americans. Colleges and
universities already offering special courses with
that end in view. Through the profound and far
reaching issues of this America is being drawn
into the worlds broad common life more closely
and more vitality than otherwise would
have been possible. Naturally, then, when peace
returns American interests and opportunities in the
trade of the world will be more than ever i'm
pOrtaat