New-York tribune., 1920-10-21
Great Expansion
Shown i'm Trade
With the Orient
This Country's Far Eastern
commerce Now Six Times
Greater Than i'm Period
Just Preceding the War

nile the international commerce of
the Far East doubled in value during
the period 1914-'20, it's trade with the
| d States sextupled in the same
penod, says review of Orient trade
by Oscar P. Austin, issued hy the Ma
tional City Bank.
The Far East, it is pointed out,
bought from the United States s125.-
100000 worth of our products in the
year before the war and $3.50. 900 900
worth in the fiscal year 1920. In turn
we bought from it s25o,0oo,oO0 worth
in 1914 and $3.50, 100000 worth in
1920.
The purchasing power of the Far
East mas enormously increased in very
recent years, says Mir Austin "Prac-
tlcally all of is exportable products
advanced In price following the open
ing OF 1he war. The total value of ex-
ports from the dozen principal coun-
tries included in the Far East proun
was in 1913 little over So 900 900 O0d
and IN 1919 over s4OOO.OOO 600. while
their imports grew from 5000.
in 1920
Not only did the trade of the Far
East double during the war period. but
our own share IN that trade was greatly
enlarged. CHINA, for example, whose
imports in 1913 were S427. COO 900 took
. per cent Of that total from the United
states, while in 1918 her imports were
Sbo2 100000 and she took from us 1912
per cent of that greatly enlarged total
hrItlSh india, which took snlv 2.6 Dcr
cent OF her imports from the United
States IN 1914, took per cent Of her
1913 imports from US; the Dutch East
Indies doubled the percentage of their
imports which were drawn from the
United States, and Japan, which took
l6.S per cent of her imports from the
United States in 1918. took 37.8 per
cent of the greatly enlarged total of
1918
"A study of our own trade figures
with the countries in question gives a
further evidence that the share which
we have Of their trade has greatly in
creased during and since the war
period. While the imports Of the dozen
countries and islands which we here
class as the Far East doubled during
the war period, our own exports to
them grew from $125.OOO, 900 in 1913
to SS50,000, 600 in the year ended June
30, 1920. To no part OF the world have
our exports shown so large percent
age of gain as those to the Far East
Our own exports to the dozen countries
in question equaled about per cent
of their aggregate imports in 1918, and
approximately 15 per cent in the fiscal
year 1919.
The Far East produces and offers
for sale many articles which we of the
Occident, and especially We of the
United States, must buy. The princi-
pal articles which the Orient supplies
to the Occident, practically all of thSm
produced in or marketed by the Far
East, are:
For manufacturing purposes - Raw
silk, wool, cotton in limited quantities,
kapok, hemp, jute india rubber, furs,
tin. copper, platinum, hides and skins
and gums.
For food purposes Vegetable oils,
copra, from which Good oil is pro-
ducedD, tea, coffee, cocoa, sugar spices,
rice. sago, tapioca, fruits nuts.
Manufactures Jute bagging, mat
ting, silk textiles, laces, embroidery
and many other articles Of this char
acter.
In exchange for these natural prod
ucts exported by the Far East it takes
manufactures, foodstufs and limited
quantity of manufacturing maternal
chiefly cotton.
"All of the articles heretofore emu
merated, which form the bulk Of the
exports Of the Far East, are greatly IN