The Washington herald., 1921-09-12
TRADE CURRENT ON.
OCEANS RETURNING
TO PREWA BASIS
War Witnesse e. d Huge
Gain in Movement on
Peaceful Pacific.
REVERSE. is SHOWN
500 of Our Imports Enter
Atlantic Ports, as Against
1870 in 1914.


the world are apparently returning
to prewar conditions. During the
war, says the Trade Record issued
by the National City Bank Of New
York, the dangers to navigation on
the Atlantic resulted in a consider
able increase of movement of GER
tain classe of merchandise across
the more peaceful Pacific. and the
share of our imports entering by
the Pacific ports greatly increased
while that entering by the Atlantic
frontage decreased. ..-.
In the year before the war. says
the banks statement, So per cent Of
the merchandise imported into the
United States entered through the
port of New York, and 72 per cent
of the imports entered through the
Atlantic ports as a whole. In the
fiscal year 1918, with the dangers
to navigation on the Atlantic, the
share of the imports entering
through New York had fallen to
AZ per cent as against So per cent
in 1914, and that entering through
all the entire Atlantic frontage was
but 5S per cent as against ~ per
cent in 1914. Meantime, the share
of the import trade crossing the
more peaceful Pacific and entering
by way Of the Pacific ports had In
creased from per cent. in 1914 to
81 per cent in 1913, while on the
purchases Of Canadian products re-
suited in an increase from 10 per
cent in 1914 to l6 per cent in 1921
in the imports handled by the
| Northern border ports.
|, Il Now 60 Per Cent.
With the termination of the war,
however. and the reduction OF dam
| gers on the Atlantic the share of our
imports. entering at the port Of
New York slowly returned to nor
NAL, having increased from ~ per
cent in 1918 to So per cent in 1921
as against 55 per cent in 1914. while
the share entering by way Of the
Atlantic ports. as a whole advanced
from So per cent in 1918 to 50 per
cent in 1921 as against 73 per cent
in 1914. Meantime. the share enter
81 per cent in 1918 to per cent in
1921 as against Z per cent in 1914.
| Thus, so far as the imports
are concerned. the share entering
through the Atlantic, Gulf and Pa
| cific ports is again back to prac-
tically prewar proportions OF the
total imports, while in the case of
the Northern ports the big growth
of our purchases from Canada has
permanently increased the share
entering through the Northern
ports from about 10 per cent in the
opening year OF the war to Is per
cent in 1921.
! Export Routes.
/ On the export side, adds the
banks statement. the percentage
now handled by the various ports
also indicates a return to prewar
conditions Of shipping routes.
| Owing to the demands OF Europe
for our products and manufactures
during the war. the exports which
passed out of the port of New York
| Increased from 81 per cent of the
total in the fiscal year 1914 to 4s
per cent in 1917. while the share by
the Atlantic frontage as a whole
Increased from So per cent in 1914
to 70 per cent in 1917. With the
congestion OF merchandise for ex-
portation at the Atlantic ports and
improved facilities at the South,
the share of the Gulf ports in the
exports increased from IL per cent
in 1915 and 1917 to 22ia per cent
in 1921. With the reduction, how
ever, in European demand for our
merchandise. New York's per cent
age in the export trade, which had
advanced from 81 per cent in 1913
to 40 per cent in 1917, fell to AZ per
cent in 1920 and 80 per cent in
1921, while that of the Atlantic
ports as a whole, which had ad-
vanced from 55 per cent in 1914 to
10 per cent in 1916, dropped to 81
per cent in 1921.
The return OF the Atlantic ports
to their prewar share of the trade
of the country as a whole, adds the
banks statement, is the more
striking when we consider that the
presen trade with Europe, most OF
which passes through the Atlantic
ports, shows in 1891 an increase
over 1914 of only SO per cent over
1914. while that with North and
South America shows a gain of ls5
per cent, and that with Asia and
Oceania an increase Of 2ss per cent
when comparing the fiscal year
1921 with the fiscal year 1914.