Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-12
World Role for America
Continued From First Page


trary tendency, the complementary as
pect of this same development. In
1927 exports of manufactured articles
amounted to 4l.6 per cent, as against
only 1874 per cent during the period
from 1886 to 1890.
Every one knows of the enormous ex-
ports of automobiles and machines,
which for some years have formed the
bulk of American industry. One dis
Germs here, in opposition to the remarks
suggested above, the economic straits
toward industrialization. Many really
essential aspects of the foreign policy
of the United States would be mex
plicable today II one lost sight of GER
tain bare figures which are most en-
tightening.
e is necessary to draw attention to
TIT fl71c:stIhle way In which the United
SAates is being drawn toward indus
trialization and toward industrial ex-
pansion. But we would have an en-
tirely false idea of America II at the
time we did not notice the very aston
ishing persistence of her economic au-
tonomy. Even today America continues
to be a country-we should say a CONT
nent-which is self-sufhcient for nine
tenths of its needs. On its own soil
this continent produces practically all
it consumes. With 6 per cent OF the
population of the world and ST per cent
of the land of this planet, the United
States produces 70 per cent Of the oil
Of the world, AZ per cent of the iron
ore. As per cent of the steel, 81 per
cent Of the copper, 81 per cent of the
cotton, "a per cent of the corn, 81 per
cent of the coal, 20 per cent OF the
wheat. SO per cent of the automobiles.
Tat hof che horcnlf
the greater part of this formidable
array. The conclusion to remember is
that even today exports play a relatively
secondary role in the economic balance
OF the country.
Paints New Picture.
Remembering these facts. which in a
way are contradictory, let us retain the
following picture. which ref1ects-at
least SO is my belief-the actual condi-
tons at this moment.
America continues to be. even today,
an enormous exporter of raw materials,
and in this respect she preserves the
tradition of the nineteenth century. In
contrast some of the big industries-the
majority of them. without doubt-con-
tinue to count on home markets for
their chief outlet. There are only spe-
cial industries which are beginning to
depend on foreign marketS-manufac-
ture of typewriters and farm imple-
mentS, of motor cycles and sewing ma
chimes and automobiles. which are in a
class by themselves. We can therefore
assume that on the whole expectation
Is not essential to the industrial pros
perity of this country, but at the same
time We must not ignore the fact that
some of the most important industries,
the most conspicuous ones. are growing
more and more dependent on foreign
markets
Due to this transformation a growing
regard for foreign countries Is emerging,
not among the masses of the people of
the United States. but among those who
are SO placed as to visualize the whole
situation. 1t is very evident that
America must depend on the world
markets for raw materials more than
she formerly did. She will not be able
to do without them. What would she
do, for example, without the rubber Of
Malay or the raw silk from Japan and
China? At the same time the neces-
sity Of watching her export markets be-
comes daily more evident. AS an Amer
lean said to me recently, Formerly Eu-
rope bought our cotton: now we must
sell our automobiles and our farm ma
chinery." The shade of difference is
SuDIle DuI True. Anu, dDONt hi, DIS SOOLl
as the selling of manufactured goods
becomes difficult the vulnerability grows.
We have emphasized above the practical
impossibility of making reprisals against
raw cotton, but every one knows it Is
not so difficult to hamper the sale Of
automobiles.
notable change is therefore being
produced in the nature of the interna-
tional economic relationships of the
United States. Until quite recently
America enjoyed an almost complete
autonomy; Today. even though she
holds on to approximately the old pro-
portion between exports and imports
and we have taken pains to emphasize
to what degree America remains self
sufflcient-she is learning some of the
preoccupations of the old industrial
countries-the worries over the impor-
tation Of raw materials, the fear of see
Ing the foreign markets closed to man
ufactued articles.
Balance Tending.
A sort Of balance between continents
Is thus tending to be established. AS
compared to Europe, the United States
Is country which is still growing eco
nomically. while Europe Is economically
developed-we can say older. America
exports raw products, or partially raw
products. These make up IA per cent
of her exports to the old continent
Next come manufactured articles of a
standardized type, principally machines
But she buys from Europe manufactured
articles Of more refined workmanship
AS regards countries outside of Eu-
rope. the position of America is quite
different. To them the United States
is the "old country"-the seller of man
11fnatIirad orfi olo nd t1a h,,r oF
materials and food products. Manufac-
tured goods make up II per cent of her
exports to South America, whereas, on
the other hand, raw materials and farm
products form 10 per cent of the VOL
ume Of goods coming to the United
States from that continent.
Finally. there Is a third group of
countries with which the United States
entertains kind of special relationship
These are the countries of the white
race belonging to the dominion" type
Canada, Australia, New Zealand and
South Africa, for example The needs
of this group are so similar to those of
America that they quite naturally buy
her automobiles, her bathtubs. her
farm implements and her radios-await-
ing the moment, which is not far off,
when they will also absorb her ideas
and her opinions. Due to this powerful
and in some cases irresistible attrac-
ton, many of these countries gravitate
toward America Therefore new eco
nomic constellaSls4,S might we'll be born
which would result in serious perturba-
tons to the economic equilibrium of the
world which up to the present has had
its foundation in Europa fact which
We have wrongly considered permanent.
The conclusion which these observa-
tionS indicate is that the United Stl.es
is on the track of becoming a nation
which overprod,pres and which dupli-
Gates in the twentieth century the same
kind Of expansion seen in England and
Germany during the nineteenth century
And it is therefore quite natural that
we should ask ourselves If there will
not be a change in the political attitude
of ho TInjfad CfotaS p0Yoconfpnca