The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-03-12
RUSSIAN TRADE
 POSSIBILITIES
United States May. Get Chance to Secure More
 Trade Than in Past.

If Russia comes back into the trade world, what will she have to sell and what will she want to buy?
 Of course nobody can answer this in view of the lack of information re- garding the present producing and purchasing power of Russia. But we can at least. says statement by The National City Bank of New York. de- termine what Russia produced for ex- portation in normal times and what she took in exchange, also the coun- tries to which she sold and from which she bought, and especially the trade of the United States with that country in the years immediately pre- ceding the war.
 The year 1913 was a fairly repre- sentative trade year with Russia. Her exports, which amounted to S3S9,- 100000 in 1890, and $369, 100000 in 1900, had crossed the $500,000,000 line in 1907 and averaged a little over that sum down to 1909, when they jumped to $71O, 900, 900, and averaged nearly $S0O,o00,000 a year in the three years 1911, 1912, and 1913, her official figures of exports for 1913 be- ing 1,520.000,000 rubIes, equal to $783, 100000 CUnited States currency at the pre-war value of the ruble). Her imports in that year were 1,374,- 00O,O00 rubles, equal to $706, 1000, the largest in her history. She had all ways lived within her income" her imports being almost invariably slightly less than her exports.
 What did she export in this latest normal year 1913? Chiefly wheat, barley, wood in various forms, flax, eggs, butter. and petroleum, stated in the relative order of their value. These seven articles formed consider ably more than one-haIf of her total Wheat exported amounted to about 12O, 100000 bushels. though in 1910 it exceeded 200. 100000 bushels.
 What were her chief imports in 1913, the year of her high est pur- chases abroad? Raw cotton, coal, manufactures of iron and steel, wool, rubber, agricultural machinery, and miscellaneous manufactures. Cotton amounted to over $5O,000,000; coal about $40.O0O,00o; iron and steel manufactures about $35, 100000; and agricultural machinery $25, 100000
 Where did she buy and where did she sell? Forty-seven per cent. of her imports were from Germany; 13 per cent. from the United Kingdom; and per cent. from the United States. Where did she sell her products? Thirty per cent. to Germany; IT per cent. to the United Kingdom; Il per cent to the Netherlands; T per cent. to France, and per cent. to the United States.
 Russian official figures on her com merce with the United States differ radically from United States official figures on her trade with Russia. Russian figures of imports in 1913 show a total of $40, 0,000.000 from the United States, while our figures of ex- ports to that country in the same year are but $27,000,000. Her figures of exports to the United States in 1913 are but $7,00O,00O, while our own fig ures show SPA, 100000 worth of mer- chandise imported from Russia This radical difference in the trade figures of the two countries regarding the value of the merchandise passing be- tween them in the year in question is due, says the banks statement, to the fact that Russia bought from her European neighbors certain articles, notably cotton. known to be of United States origin, and accredited such inn pOTIdI1OuS IO liIlS COuHlIy HI 41SI HI port figures, while we bought from certain European countries, notably Germany, the United Kingdom. and the Netherlands, certain articles known to be of Russian origin and accredited them to Russia.
 What were the articles forming the trade of the United States with Rus sia prior to the war? Our own fig ures show for the fiscal year 1913 the chief imports from Russia; hides and skins, $19,00O,000; wool, $3,519 1000; flax and hemp, $1,225.000; manganese oxide and ore, $694,OoO, and India rubber scrap or refuse, s62O,OO0. Our chief exports to Russia in the fiscal year 1913 were agricultural imple- ments, s9,20o,OOO; raw cotton, $4,524,- 900; binder twine, $1,S4O,OO0; metal working machinery, $1,O89,O0O; cop per, $954.000; typewriters, $S71,O0Oi upper leather. sS22.0OO; rosin, s784,- 900; sewing machines, $766,000; auto mobiles, s519, ,0O0; builders hardware and tools, $483,OOO, and cash regis ters, $246,O00.