Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-05-07
s'The Once Over y
Of Names Products
And Foreign Trade


that will be held in Boston on June
4, 5 and 6. Last year the Pine Tree
State produced $94,000,000 worth of
paper and pulp, $50,000,000 worth Of
boots and shoes, ST., 100000 worth of
canned and cured fish and clans, S.
O00,U worth of canned vegetables
and fruits and $2,000,000 worth OF
furs, a considerable portion OF which
products were shipped to- foreign
lands. If there is a way to boom
this trade still more the entire sat
will benefit. The coming convention,
it is believed, is destined to mark Il
revival in the traditional position OF
all New England in foreign trade
where it formerly was a pioneer.
Last year the foreign trade of
the entire country. totalled $780,
SS4, 1894.
Perhaps because of the Yankee in
geauity OF her sons, Maine always
has had some industries which We're
unique and whose products always
were salable in the four corners OF
the earth. Deservedly she has
great summer resort business but
still it is not sufficient to MAINTAIN
her population, steadily growing,
without manufactures. While conf
mercial shipbuilding has declined to
a mere reminder OF what it was half
a century ago along the coas- of
Maine, there still are turned out an
nually hundreds of pleasure craft OF
various types. This is an industry
that is growing. Several concerns
have built up a wonderful reputation
and considerable foreign business by
producing birchbark canes Of the
Indian type, almost impossible TO
alS and nthar rlnnPS
of canvass, pleasure yachts and mo-
torbcats. South America already
buys many Maine canoes. and ex-
porters say that the field has hardly
been scratched.
Rowboats are another product that
| is widely sold, and moccasins once
again remind one of the Maine In
! dians. The naoccasins of Maine
manufacture have proved their popu-
| larity not only in this country but in
| Carada and overseas. With the
gradual return of stable business
/ conditions, say the manufacturers,
. moccasins may yet be shown in every
shoe store the world around because
! of their peculiar adaptability to GER
| tain uses. Maine also exports snow
shoes, skis and various other SINH
| lar products. Perhaps the most uni
versally known product of the Pine
! Tree State is Poland water. 1t is
claimed that the sun never sets on
| Poland water" because it is sold on
every continent and probably hardly
a passenger ship leaves an American
| port without a supply on board.
Maine also ships abroad marine en-
gines, shoes, textiles, blocks mace
from her hardwoods and which s.
all over the world, pill-boxes, made
of her soft woods and tongue de-
| pressers," the little strip of wood
! that the doctor uses to keep your
! tongue in place while he surveys the
inner regions of your mouth and
throat to see if there is a spot" to
be found. 1t is a great Improvement
lover the teaspoon of oldeD days.
| Names soft woods also furnish a
goodly portion of the worlds supply
of newsprint.
! One interesting problem that VIII
i lie taken up at the convention will be
that of apple exports. England al
ways used to take very large per-
! centage of Names winter apples,
most of them being shipped out OF
| Portland direct to Liverpool. More
recently. however, the increase in
freight rates has exerted a depressing
effect en- this trade, and the conven-
| ton will consider ways and means
to overcome the handicap and re-
store the apple market of Britain to
the growers of Maine fruit.
| The Maine Gamers Association,
which comprises 80 large companies,
is one of the States leading factors
in the production of canned fruits
and vegetables for the home and for
eign markets. Maine was the larg-
est single producer in the total'ou
put last year of $2,712.6S7 worth OF
canned sardines, many of which were
sent to outside countries.
Auburn. as probably few Maine
people realize. is the greatest centre
in the world for the manufacture of
\ canvas shoes. Thousands of its
shoes for babies go to Cuba, leaving
enough at home to take care of every
infant in the Pine Tree State. Au-
burn made canvas shoes for adults
find ready sale not only through the
United States but in Mexico, Cuba,
Columbia, Australia. South Africa,
Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
| If Maine has n more unique pro-
| duct than sucker sticks" made for
the candy suckers, it is hard tc re-
call. The State also sends out many
tons of spruce gum, both as it is
| dug from the tree trunks and as
melted into sticks. Cattle salve, steel
tape and leatherboard are other un-
unsual products.
The three thousand Industrial es-
Establishments of Maine employ more
than 10000 workers and send their
products everywhere. These pro-
ducts are valued at $450,000,000 and
the annual payroll amounts to nearly
| $100,000,000. The manufacturers
buy yearly s250000,000 worth Of raw
materials and it is interesting to note
that some of the tin, copper and raw
wool used had to be secured from
countries thousands OF miles distant.
This brings up one of the import
ant subjects to be considered at the
| Boston convention-the effect on
American industry of the constantly
growing importation of raw and
semi finished materials from over =
seas. James A. Farrell. president OF
the United States Steel Corporation
and chairman of the National For
eign Trade Council who will preside
at the convention, believes that this
subject is one of the creates. irr-
portance. Mr.. Farrell is New
Englander by birth and worked his
way up from laborer to export man
ager, then to president. He knows
| foreign trade rs we'll as anyone IN
] America and is, perhaps as enthus-
iastic over its benefits as anyone in
| this country.
II, in making Of Portland an import
ant export and import port. large
| ly through State help, Maine has
| expressed it's determination to
encourage foreign trade. The
new State pier, 1000 feet long. fur
nishes the best of facilities for
| handling export or import cargoes.
| There also are other Maine ports
| that easily could be developed for
similar purposes, although they
! would be farther removed from this