The Washington herald., 1921-03-27
PAST YEARS TRADE
WTTHRUSSIASPCT.
BELOW l9l3REP0RT
Much Interest Attached
To Her Disposition
To Trade.
BRITISH GAIN LESS
Exports Form Principal Fac.
tor i'm Our Creditable
Showing.

The apparent disposition Of Rus
sia to renew trade with the outside
world. and the fact that at least one
Of the principal trading countries
Of Europe has opened its doors 10
such trade, lends interest to some
figures compiled by the National
City Bank of New York as to Rus
sia's trade, past, present and pro-
spective. While no ofhcIaI trade
figures of the Soviet government
are available, it is possible. says a
statement by the bank. to at least
get a glimpse as to what has been
happening in this line down to the
end Of 1920. Oficial trade figures
Of few of the principal CONNER
cial nations show their respective,
records of trade with Russia down
to a very late date. curiously their
total is not SO much below that of
the year preceding the war as might
be expected, and shows an aggre-
gate of their trade with Russia in
1920 only about Is per cent below
that OF 1919. Trade Of the United
States with Russia in 1920. accord
ing to our own ofiicisl figures, ag-
gregated approximately $4,000. .oeO.
against $50. 900. 900 in 1919; that OF
Great Britain with Russia s247.Ooo.-
600 in 1920. as compared with $780,
100000 in 1913; Japan nearly slO.-
10000 in 1920. against $4,000. 900 in
1913, and Switzerland in 1919. the
latest year available. s2l .OOO. 900.
against $4,000. 900 in 1913. The ag-
sregate Of these four countries
would show. for the latest year
available, $3.50. 900. 900 Of trade with
Russia. as compared with $40, ,Ooo.-
Geo in 1913, though the fact that
prices of many articles are still ma
terially higher than in 1919 suggests
that the relation Of the 1890 trade
to that of the prewar year is not as
great when measured in quantity as
indicated by the mere figures OF
value.
Exports Main Factor.
Exports form the princ<baI factor
ia our own trade with Russia. and
specially European Russia. in lssO.
the total having been. according TO
the official reports Of the Department
Of Commerce, SI5.447. .00O. as against
Russia the exports in 1890 were
sl3.2Sl.OOO. against slightly less
than Sl.oOO.0OO in 1918. making the
total exports to Russia. European
and Asiatic, S2S.5Oo, goo. against
S2s.oOO.00O in the year before the
" ar. On the import side. the 1890
figures contrast much more strong
lN with those OF the preWar period,
the total imports from European
Russia having been Sl.S25. 900 in
1890. against S22-S25.OOO in 1913. and
from Asiatic Russia slO.S55, 600,
against S2.O54. 900 in 1913.
The articles forming our own
trade with Russia in 1890 cannot
be stated in any considerable de-
tail. The reports OF the Depart
ment Of Commerce show imports II
fax from European Russia in 1879
s3SS.0oo: furs from Asiatic Russia
sL555.OOO. and from Russia in Eu-
rope S2ll 900. and carpet woods from
Asiatic Russia S67S.OOO and from
Russia in Europe S24S.OOO. On the
export side the number of artiCls -
named as forming the exports -
that country, aEGregatinE nearly
$50. 100000. is extremely limited. the
more important being sole leather.
TO Asiatic Russia s7O2.O 600. and to
Russia in Europe S2Os.OOO. mems
boots to Asiatic Russia Sl.343.O0o.
and 90 Russia in Europe s3O4OOO.
British Figures.
British official figures show totals
OF 1890 trade with Russia far in eN-
cess of those Of the United States.
her total imports from Russia. ac-
cording to her own official figures.
having been in 1920 f34.lS3.Ooc
against f4O.27l.o 600 in 1918. while
her exports to Russia were. domes-
tic fll.Se3 600 in 1920 against u.s.
100000 in 1918, and OF foreign mer-
chandise re-eNported TO Russia "a
$4,000 in 1920 against 1851 900 in
1918. Japans total trade with Rus
sia in 1920 is approximately $4,000
900 yen as against 100000 in 1915.
and Switzerland's trade in 1919. sir
latest year for which her hGI.ss
are available. l23.0oO.oOO francs
eainst 100000 900 in 1913. though
il is proper to again suggest thA
the articles forming the 1929 ;rads
of all countries with Russia are
measured in prices per unit nf
quantity materially higher than
those of 1913.
Commercial Possibilities.
Russia's commercial possibilities
upon a return 20 normal condIlions
c:,r hest he measured by a s;u3y
of ha" trade hgipes OF the year
preceding the war. Her 1913 eT
l,..rts amounted to S7S3. .0OO. .Ooo and
her imports s7O6. 100000. Her prii-
.-i"s. ,.Srorts iE 1918 were wheat.
bar:cy, wood, fax. eggs. butter, ii.d
nsr'r;h gT. stated ia the relative uT
der OF their value: her chief i'm
ports included raw cotIon. coal
manufactures OF iron and steel.
manufactures of wool and rubber.
agricultural machinery. and mis-
cellaneous manufactures.
Germany was. prior to the war,
Russia's chief market for her. sur
plus food and raw materials and
also tho chief market in which she