The sun., 1919-09-25
Warning OF Our Huge Imports
Against SIackers and Reds.


Against Slackers and Reis.
The surprising thing about our
August foreign trade is not that the
exports were at the gigantic figures
of $646,000.OOO. 1t is not that they
largely surpassed many previous
months-forty millions more, for ex-
ample, than in May or March. 1t is
not that they were twenty-four mill
ions more than In January, eighty
millions more than In December and
$124, 100000 more than In the arms.
tice month Of November, 1918. 1t Is
not even that they were SILT 100000
more than In the war month of August,
1918; $15S,000,J00 more than in Au-
gust, 1917, and $136. 100000 more than
in August, 1916.
While we are helping to feed the
Old World in the measure we were
unable to achieve when Europe was
a battlefield and the Atlantic sea of
peril to every Powers sadly depleted
shipping we shall sell prodigy Of
provisions abroad. While, in addl-
ton, we are stocking up groups of ma
lions and multitudes of peoples with
raw material and machinery and i'm
plements to set them on their indus
trial feet again we may score even
heavier export records than, ever we
did when our fleets and the fleets of
the Allies were freighted with NUM-
lions outward bound from every Amer
lean port that could despatch such
war cargoes. Not until the completion
Of that task will our exports smash.
The surprising thing, the astound-
ing thing about our August foreign
trade Is the volume of our imports
before the Old World has emerged
from the weller Of war. With the
bulk of the population Of the rest of
the world. the bulk Of Its productive
capacity, the bulk of its industrial
power, the bulk of its commercial
magnitude not even fairly started to
ship us goods, as they must be shipped
to us in argosies counted by the tens
Of thousands merely to pay interest
on the twenty billions of dollars of
debt now OWED to us, we are already
the Incompatible selling mart of in
ternational traders.
Our last August imports, with Eu-
rope, as we say, not yet started, were
sos, 100000. Five years after the
opening Of the war-all that time ex-
cept the last ten months occupied
with colossal destruction of wealth.
our last August imports were SILL
100000 more than they were in Au-
gust, 1913, one year before the open
ing gun of the long conflict sounded
Three years before the blaze burst
forth our August imports were nc
more than $126,O00,O0O
For the first eight months of this
year our imports were $2263, 900, 600
For the first eight months of 1914
the war beginning In August Of
that year-they were lower in round
numbers by a billion dollars. For the
corresponding period Of 1911-three
years before the war-they were less
by billion and quarter.
Five years before the war our i'm
ports for the whole fiscal year did not
come within a billion dollars of the
eight months of this year of 1919. In
this August our imports were full
third of what they were In the whole
fiscal year little more than a decade
before the war. Exactly twenty years
ago our imports for a whole year were
only twice what they we're in the
single month of last August.
To-day German exports come into
the United States trlckling. Into the
United Kingdom they are streaming
1t will not be many months, It may
not be many weeks, before we cry out
at them in amazement as Great Brit.
ain does thus soon. British export
figures now show gain Of more than
hundred million dollars a month
over last year. Our share IL on the
way In growing volume; shortly |,
win come IN foods. France in III
turn will Join the world invas sion OF
the greatest and richest selling mar.
ket on earth. Hard pressed Italy
even pillaged and distracted Russia
Will follow along. Then our struggle
VIII be not merely to absorb the i'm,
ports. that roll down upon us; II viii
be to save our industries ana oui
businesses, our labor and It's bread
and butter. from being swamped.
II the American people see saIva.
lion against this coming trade attach