The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-01-28
SAYS WAR WILL END
OLD TRADE ROUTES
CRY Bank Secs Opportunity for
America 10 Win Commanding
Position I'm international
Commission.
TEUrox TRADE RApLY UPSET
Different Disposition Of Worlds
Occan-Shipping Tonnage Tncyita-
ble After War.

The prospects for the United States
In world commerce ~ the close OF
the war ard Us chances OF winning
n commanding position al the ex-
pense fauropeap nations as re-
suit OF a widCspFeaG disruption Of
ola trade routes are eNhaustively
discussed in an article IN the cur
rent issue ri The Americas. the
monthly publication OF The National
city bank. witl particular reference
u the re-eXport organization Of
trade.
more than t4.ono.08o.g worth
a year OF all the commodities that
move arotind the world ia commerce
are handled at least tg1ce.' thN writ
rr says, going from the place of
production 20 some # the ErCat mer-
chandisin1 ports of another cuun-
try. to be resod there and exported
again to the country where Il is
consumed, In fact hundreds OF mill
lions worth Of goods and mater ais
arc handled ever and over again. ap-
peating in several different countries
commerce before tie ultimate cons
srfner buys IL. X ia a feature Of
"a s'T1ntional business that few per
sons know more than Il little about,
.- ~1eu who at engaged IN
the export business. but no corpora
s41f WIN su extensive trade abroad
car d. business without being affect
ed by change in re-exPprt metho ts
and connections.
The biggest thing In re-export
trade be- the merchant commerce that
focused ia the English chanuel and
the North sea before the war in
which London, HAMBURG Antw cry.
n 80.
ports were not only the Kateways for
foreign imports consumed inland and
exports 20 foreign countries OF ma
ufactures that were produced in the
country tributary TO them. but were
great merchant cities entrepot mar
kets where the products Of other
countries were gathered for redis-
trihution. But remerchandis.nE is
also carried on all oyer the world.
TN the twenty-five years just pre-
esding the war Europe built up an in
terlocking- internationally co-opera-
tive machine o. trade, industry and
transportation. and by. commercial d.
pionnacy made the necessary conees-
SONS and arrangements in tariffs 10
permit the machinery 10 work econo-
iEiean. The whole world, the United
States included, took part in certain
phases Of this arrangement. The ma.
NsVftS bRAt maintained bt @tfS bAiAA~
ing up THAR merchant shipping WELD
ed q strong influence On the CONNER
cial situation proportiouste to their
marine. and at the same time We can
ace that ali the nations used the ships
collectively ana in a Kind OF oo-opsra-
ton.
we are today obtaining from the
sources of supply Ia British colonies
and In countries that formerly sold
through London, much of ths raw ma
fsriais we formerly obtained IN Eng
land in In other markets Europe.
when this war ends there will almost
inevitably be q disposition n the
worlds ecan-s shipping tonnage vary
different from what II was IN 1918
or what IL is now, We VIII surely
establish n new system of ocean routes
focusing upon our own national h&r-
bors. II Ia proposed that New York
shall be made n free port. which VIII
be an encouragement for our own
re-export business. which has already
frown from S3T,S77,fsi In lara Ia sea-
o8e,Te5 in 1915. and IS taking on the
typical character Of "A merchant sin &
trade. We are building up typical
worldwide merchandising organiza.
lions of our own. and great London
houses are putting branches in New
York. Germany has lost her organize
ton. The British government, in it's
exercise OF war control over trade,
has done much to dlsorganize the
London and Liverpool machinery OF
mercantile commerce. The war has
now made a complete wreck OF the
machinery. commercial treaties. and
trade goodwill by which the nations
in Europe co-operated
what kind Of world oTFanixa
tion of commerce will be rebuilt out
of the pieces of the old nobody knows
but 1t looks wary much aE II the Unit cd
states would be In q position either
TO conduct a pretty apahie machine
Of our own or to cooperate with Eng
land and our other associate nations
in the building of a bigger interna-
tienal machinery than existed before