Evening star., 1936-07-27
PACE OF EXPORTS
OF j. S. MOUNTING
Rise of Imports Under Trade
Agreements, However,
SIackenS.


fstrntton, haze become an issue in
the present campaign, the Repub-
licdn platform taUortng repeal OF
the ldU under Which they tDere
concluded. This series OF articles
attempts to present the results OF
the treaties as indicated by dUdil-
able figures on foreign commerce.
The series is not presented as an
argument for or against the
treaties.
The article Dhich folIotUs is the
second of the series.
BY CRESTON B. MULLINS.
Americas foreign customers give
promise of again taking more than
five billion dollars worth Of American
goods annually as the reciprocity
program of Secretary of State Hull
gathers momentum in opening foreign
markets to the product Of American
labor and agriculture.
With prospects for two and half
billion dollar business this year-the
largest since 1881, the second year of
the depression, with its total Of
S3,781, 172, ,O00-l4 countries with
which the United States has recipro-
cal trade agreements in force or
obtained promises Of minimum pur-
chases are already responding to re-
duced tariffs and are taking the pro-
ducts of American farms and fac
tories in ever-increasing volume.
Regarded as unit, countries from
which the United States has obtained
tariff reductions, quota increases, or
specific undertakings to buy Ameri-
can goods have accounted for
greater proportion Of the gain in
American sales abroad than countries
with which no such agreements exist.
Figures Show Contrast
The nine nations with which re-
ciprocal agreements were in effect all
or part of the first four months of
1886 together with Russia took 158
per cent more American goods than
in the same months of 1885. How
ever, countries without agreements
took Only 10 per cent more. OF the
eighty million dollar increase between
the two four-month periods thirt"
millions were accounted for by The
agreement countries.
During 1885, with only Cuban. Bel
gian. Haitian and Swedish agree
ments in force all or part of the year.
the rate of export increase was oni"
per cent, but with the coming into
force of the Canadian, Brazilian,
Netherlands, Swiss and Honduran
agreements during the first four
months of this year, the rate of gain
leaped to IS per cent.
simultaneously a slackening of
growth in imports occurred, although
they were still advancing more rapidly
than exports. With four agreements
in operation all or part Of last year
imports scared "a per cent over the
1884 total-due in large part to the
drought-but the rate of rise fell TO
II per cent during the first four
months of 1886. This followed the
virtual elimination of all imports in
certain farm products, such as the
grains. which were brought in heavily
last year as the result of the 1884
drought. Other foodstuffs, such as
cattle ard cheese, as well as wide
range of raw materials and semi
manufactures continue to enter the
United States in large quantities.
Export Gains Shown.
Stimulation of exports is seen not
only in comparison of agreement
countries, but in comparison Of groups
of commodities on which we have
been granted tariff reductions or quota
increases with those on which we have
not. The principal classes of COM
modities which account for the S80,-
100000 gain in sales from January
through April this year were the fol-
lowing, with their approximate values
of increase:
Cotton, manufactured S6,500, 900
Petroleum and products 100000
Tinplate and tagger's tin 100000
Electrical machinery and
apparatus --------- 3,5OO,OOO
Power-driven metalwork-
ing machinery------ l,500,000
Mining, well and pumping
machinery -- 100000
Textile. sewing and shoe
machinery -------- 2,5oo,oOo
Agricultural machinery and
implements -------- 4,5oo, 900
Automobiles and other We
hicles -------- 5000 900
Fertilizers and fertilizer
materials ----- 1000 900
With tho aYnnrnfinrn Of coffnrn rrlninln