Evening star., 1923-11-04
BY BEN McKELWAY.

IN HREE investigations instituted
by Secretary Hoover and now
under way. to determine how
the United States may be
made independent OF foreign monop-
clies controlling the production Of
rubber, steel and nitrates. add in
terest to the results Of 4 survey re-
rently undertaken by the National
Foreign Trade Council concerning i'm
PORTS and the part they play In main
tanning the United States as the
greatest workshop in the world.
This investigation brings home the
fact that while the United States con-
tinues to maintain q favorable ball
ance Of trade, and while 1t possesses
the largest and most varied assort-
tnent Of raw materials in the world, 1t
Is necessary to import a steadily In
creasing quantity of supplies of every
tature from every corner Of the globe,
II factory wheels are to be kept In
motion and millions OF Industrial
workers are to be kept in employ
tnent. From this fact the National
Foreign Trade Council concludes there
Is no better indication of Americas
future in the world of trade, and an
increasing import trade Is d cause for
npttmism to capital, labor and In
SeStor.
Imports Exceed Billion.
In 1922 this country combed the
worlds fields Of production for raw
materials to be used in manufacture
ing valued at approximately s1.161,-
:37.e67. or 1898 per cent of the total
imports for that year. In the same
Year this country purchased abroad
manufactured products. for use in
rurther manufacturing, valued at
&550.245.930. or 17.6S per cent Of all
merchandise imported. Together
These two classes of imports. totaled
s1.01 per cent Of trade coming into
-tmerica- The outstanding fact about
these figures. the foreign trade coun-
ell concluded. is that America, with
increased productive capacity Of ap-
proxinately one-third over the pre-
war year of 1913. is buying and will
rontinue to buy an ever-increasing
olume Of the worlds crude and
1ougher materials to be worked up
into finished goods for consumption
and export. In 1922 the nations
foreign business gained nearly ss;-
n00.000.000 over that of 1913, while
Great Britain's increase was but ST.
.tb0.00o.00o.
A late summary OF reports to the
census bureau by United States MAN.
ufacturing establishme shows the
value of their products aggregated
s43,672,7s5.000 in 1921. and that
these plants employed. on an aver
age. more than 100000 men. with
their wages running into hundreds
year this country's agricultural pro-
duction was valued at $12.402, 900, 200,
and required the services of over
10000 900 people. Without necessary
imports. the United States could not
hold Its position as the leading man
0facturing nation of the world. while
secretary Hoovers investigation into
The nitrate and fertilizer problem
shows that agriculture la this coun-
Try Is. to g. large exterrt. dependent
upon imports from one CT tntry alone.
Products Absolute Need.
With a view to getting at the facts
rom basic source regarding the sig
niflcance Of imports in their relation
70 American industries. the National
Foreign Trade Council asked large
number Of domestic manufacturing
concerns to list the materials of for
eign origin which are essential and
helpful In the manufacture Of their
many American industries could not
exist without imports; that while
many of the basic materials were OBJ
tained in the United States. certain
foreign products were necessary to
round out the production. Some
manufacturers stat.d' they were using
,!othing from abroad. An analysis
"f this last class Of replies revealed
that the materials used by these man
nfacturers and regarded by them as
raw materials depended in their
original process of manufacture on
various foreign materials, without
which they could not have been made.
The advantage of a large import
1rade Is illustrated by the National
Foreign Trade Council, which points
out that in f922, for instance, foreign
count Of their sales to this country,
received money or goods IN return
amounting to 3.112,54S,000 American
dollars. This not only enabled the
5oreiSn, Prodaeer or manulactnrer 1 TO 70
business. with a reasonable profit