Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-05

vital relation to prosperity and
e,nnlovnaent in the United
states that If it were cut OF IN
any important item thousands
If uersons would be thrown out OF
work while if it were stopped alto
Cpther millions would become idle.
Industrial leaders long have known
This and the wage-earning or saiarleQ
American is beginning to take more m
ferest in export and import statistics.
Cur S9.049, 1888 955 Of foreign trade IN
1927 can be shown to have direct
oearing upon nearly every worker, as
for instance;
The shoe clerks position on a re-
mote main street is largely dependent
upon imported hides and skins. for the
United states now has to buy abroad
more than 40 per cent Of the raw
product for its leather-WoTk!ng mouS-
tries
Anv housewife using soap is bene-
fling BY vegetable oils imported from
far countries by manufacturers and
without which the soap INDUSTRY Wou4o
be seriously curtailed.
The price of aU~SlnoblleS III the
r7rjfed States is made possible in some
degree bv the fact that We sold $4,000
or,r production and lowering costs,
Painters in town or country are using
naints and varnishes which are made
in part of wood oils imported from as
far away as China.
The list could be extended widely,
bur it is evident that every American
has a stake in foreign trade, the farmer
no less than the artisan, for the FARMER
is interested in selling to foreign ma
tons
II all imports were cut of about
2 500 900 American workers would be
directly thrown out of employment, or
25 uer cent of all wage earners, but
millions more would be made idle be-
cause to close down one industry. rub
bev tires for instance. would close down
the entire automobile industry. and
also affect steel mills and many other
lines. The time when the United
states was suf1ieient unto itself has
Frerv nation tries TO sell more goods
abroad than il buys. The United
states did this by a satisfactory margin
IN 1927. for our total foreign trade was
divided into exports and imports as
follows:
Exports .................S4 .864 So5,I73
Imports .............. 4,lo4,STo,loz
Balance .............s $3.50. APT ,5si
In other words. we sold $3.50. 427 ,5el
more goods than we bought IN the
wears transactions. That has much to
do with prosperity and employment.
By grand divisions the total OF our
trade was distributed in this way:
Europe .......... So. $50. 00e, 79l
North America .......... 2.2sI So %
Asia .......,...... l.6lo.34s,sUo
South America .....sa... s55-y44,u veg
Ccesnia ............s. z96-z4IyS3z
Africa .....+.-...a... 1Ovradu.sso
N four out Of six of these divisions
-'e had a favorable balance Of trade.
but in tao Of them, Asia and South
America. we bought more than we
sold. but largely because. IN ASIA. OF
our heavy purchases OF rubber ana
FsIk. and IN South America Of sugar
and other tropical products.
Il is evident that North America
(which includes Canada. Mexico and
che West Indies is pressing Europe
xornewhat as our best customer, al
though still more than billion dol
lars behind. Oceania includes
Australia, New Zealand and various
islands.
The big figures for South America.
Africa and Asia show the increasing
uart tropical and senai~tropical trade Is
Dlaying in our foreign commerce. Not
oniv are we buying in what may be
called the tropical belt Of the world
more than 81 500, 100000 worth Of
products every year. but the outlook Is
for q vast increase The tropics are
a great food reservoir. aside from such
products as rubber now SO extensively
used
Bv individual countries in the order
Of trade with the United States In
1927 the following standings are found