Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1936-10-29

able treatment accorded imports of
American cotton. Two countries have
reduced duties on cottonseed oil; two
others have granted concessions on
cottonseed cake. AS foreign purchas-
ing power for American cotton and
other products increases as a result
of the reciprocal reduction of trade
barriers, the cotton growers of North
Carolina should share in the benefits.
Cotton and Other Textiles: The
manufacture of cotton and other tex
tiles constitutes the States principal
manufacturing industry.
North Carolina Is the principal pro-
Queer of cotton goods, the value add
ed to the products by manufacture
being $50, 5000 in 1888. Approx
mately 10000 people in the State were
engaged in the manufacture of cot
ton goods alone in that year.
North Carolina is also an import
ant manufacturing area for knit
goods, including hosiery, underwear,
outwear and knitted cloth, for silk
and rayon goods, for mems work
clothing and for wooden and worsted
goods. Approximately $4,000 work
ers were engaged in the manufacture
of textiles in North Carolina in 1888.
The textile industry of North Caro-
lima should gain substantially from
the ii trade agreements thus far en-
tered into. Concessions, including
duty reductions increased margins of
preference for American products Gin
the special trade agreement with
NIB -;
ings of duties against increase, have
been obtained on numerous cotton,
wooden, silk, and rayon manufactures
and Semi-manufactureS
Fruits and vegetables: North Caro-
lima has abundant fruit crops and ex-
tensive truck farming. While little
of the States production may enter
foreign markets directly, the status
of United States exports has consid-
cradle effect upon the well being of
growers and shippers within the
State. When foreign markets for
American produce are restricted, and
the unexportable supplies are in con-
sequence thrown upon the domestic
market, prices react quickly to the
detriment of all growers within the
country.
Concessions of direct benefit to do
meStlc growers and professors of
fresh, canned and dried fruits, includ-
ing apples, peaches, pears and grapes,
have been secured in each one of the
IA reciprocal trade agreements.
Vegetable producers gain through
provisions made in 13 of the agree
ments for duty reductions and bind
ings of duties against increase. In
the agreement with Canada, adjust
ments of from so to 100 per cent were
made in the tariff on fresh vegetables
to facilitate importation into Canada
during the "off-season" for vegetables
grown in that country. Encouraging
increases are being noted as the re-
suit of concessions obtained Exports
to Canada of fresh vegetables, to give
one illustration, were valued at ST.
O15,OO0 for the first quarter of 1886
compared with value of $892,OOO for
the same period in 1885
The reopening of lost Foreign mar
kets must of necessity be a gradual
process and must involve many fac
tors. However. the results already
achieved have demonstrated the eff
fectiveness of the trade agreements
program as an instrumnt for restor-
ing to American farmers and manu-
facturers necessary outlets abroad
for their surplus production. Fur
thermOre, the agreements have con-
tributed to an improvement of our re-
lations with other nations and to the
maintenance of world peace.
Our total exports to Cuba were al
most two and half times in 1895
($60,00O,000O what they were in 1888
($25, 1000, O0O). Our exports to Belgium
increased by $11,0OO,OOO during the
first year of the Belgian agreement,
and our relative position in the Bel
gian market has improved. Belgian
imports from all countries, during the
first year of our trade agreement
with that country, increased by per-
cent; imports from the United States
increased by 5 per cent; imports from
the United States increased by %
per cent. Moreover, imports from the
United States on which Belgium
granted tariff reductions increased by
81 per cent. Canadian imports from
the United States increased go per
cent during the first three months of
the agreement compared with the
same months of last year, but the
items on which we received conces-
sions increased by PAL percent. Our
exports to Canada increased to $685.
100000 during the first months of
1886, and our imports from Canada
amounted to $160,OO0,O0O for the
same period.
The Administrations reciprocal
trade agreements program represents
a reasonable, careful, and increasing
ly successful effort to restore the in
ternational trade of the United States
and thus to bring back more pros
porous conditions and higher stand
ards of living for the people of North
Carolina and every other state in the
Union.