The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-07-19
TRADE RESUMPTION WITH CENTRAL POWERS REPRESENTS ANNUAL PRE-
 WAR TRADE OF THREE BILLIONS

The active preparation for re
 sumption of trade between the coun-
 tries recently at war is not a matter
 of surprise" said . lecturer ID the
 Educational Department Of The Ma
 tional City Bank of New York, com
 menting on the steps now being
 taken in that direction. The pre-war
 trade between the Central Powers
 and the Allies and their associates"
 he added. amounted to S3,oO0,o00,-
 900 year, which of itself would sug-
 gest a reasonably prompt return to
 former relations, while the history
 of all wars of the commercial period -1S50-1919-shows in every instance
 not only 9 prompt return to trading
 relations but an increase of trade
 between countries only a moment
 earlier at war"
 Trade between France and Ger
 many following their war of 1s70-71
 was not only promptly resumed but
 promptly increased. The imports of
 France from Germany in the year
 before that war, 1869, were s50,OOO,-
 GOO and in 1872, the year following
 the war, were approximately s70,-
 100000 and aggregated S66, 100000
 a year during the five years follow
 ing the war. Gearnang imported from
 France in 1869 s6o,O0O,o00 worth of
 merchandise and in the five years fol-
 lowing the war her imports from
 France averaged ss3,0oo,OOO a year.
 Another striking example of trade
 resumption closely following war re-
 lations is found in the figures of our
 own trade with Spain prior to and
 following our war with that country.
 The imports of the United States
 from Spain in 1897, the year prior to that war, were in round terms s4,- O,O0O, and in the five years follow ing that war averaged s8,000,0O0 per annum, while our exports to that country which were s1i 100000 a year preceding the war advanced to an average of S14,OO0, 900 a year i,i l the five years which followed It. In the case of the Russo-Japanese War, the exports of Japan to Russia in the | five years following that struggle | avera ged twice as much per annum as in the year preceding that war. The volume of the pre-war com | merce between the Central Powers and the Allies and their associates was very large, larger perhaps than | Is usually realized and aggregated | nearly S3.00O. 100000 a year. Our | own trade with Germany, Austria 1 Hungary and Turkey aggregated | nearly s6OO.O0O,0O in our fiscal year | 1914. all of which preceded the war and more than S5OO,OOO,O0O of this ! was with Germany alone, about $5O,- l O0O,o00 with Austro =, Hungary, and | S25, 100000 with Turkey. Our exports | to Germany in the year preceding the | war amounted to sS30. 0.0OO.OOO, to Austria = Hungary s23. 100000. and tc | Turkey about s5,00O,00O, while from | Germany our imports were $780, 100000, Austria-Hungary s20,00O,- | 900. and Turkey over s20,o00,0oo.
 Great Britain sold to the Central | Powers in the year prior to the wal 1 about s40O,000,OOO worth of mer- l chandise and bought from them an
 other st00,000,000 5 worth; France sold ! to Germany, Austria H Hungary and | Turkey about 00,0O0,00O worth of | merchandise per annum prior to the ] war. and took from them about 1 s25o, 100000 worth. Italy's sales to ! the Central Powers aggregated about | S125. 100000 a year and her purchas-