Evening star., 1940-10-20
;G 5. Exports Show
|37 Per Cent Gain in
'Wdr's First Year
Imports Up % Per Cent
Over Corresponding
! 1889 Period

Il ONeI corresponding
; 1889 Period
Z During the first year of the
8 European war. United States ex-
a ports exceeded s4,000,000 900, 81
= per cent increase over shipments
= for the preceding II months, the
: Department of Commerce an
= nounced Yesterday. Imports were
: valued at 6OO,OOO,OOO, a gain of
Z % per cent over the figures for the
= corresponding period in 19381939.
j In the first year of the World War.
i our exports increased % per cent.
while imports declined appreciably.
Z In the II months ending August,
< 1910. war and war-related materials
= dominated the export picture. In
= July and August. for example. ship
z ments of iron and steel products. air
scraft and parts. Woodworking ma
nchinery, non-ferrous metals and eX-
- plosives. firearms and ammunition
e accounted for AZ per cent of the ag-
*eregate value of our exports. Dur
.s,ing the four years proceeding the
! outbreak of the European war. these
= four categories comprised only IS
ss per cent of our total exports
+. Exports to Empire Up.
: Exports to the United Kingdom
increased 56 per cent in value over
= the corresponding period in 1888
= 1889. During the first year of the
swar, the United States sold goods to
i. Britain valued at $4,000 900.
z There were marked gains in our ex-
sports to other parts of the British
E Empire. Shipments to Canada in
sscreased by more than so per cent.
sand to India by more than 80 per
Z cent. Despite severe restrictions.
sexports to Australia increased %
sper cent. Exports to the empire as
"a whole rose so per cent.
= In view of the impediments Gre
4 ated by the virtual elimination of
Continental European markets, the
= gains in our export trade with Latin
Z America were particularly striking,
2 the Department of Commerce point
ed out. Exports to all Latin Ameri-
ca increased 42 per cent. Ship
ments to Brazil gained 81 per cent,
= and those to Argentina and Chile
: advanced 80 per cent.
Z These extraordinary gains must
81 be attributed to a number of cir
q cumstances beside the basic fact
q that the United States was in posi-
8 Htion to supply large part of the
= $500 100000 of imports obtained an
: nually in European countries cut
q on by the war the Department of
: Commerce said in its review.
= Export Import Loans Factor.
>. Continued heavy shipments of
gold and silver to the United States
2 from Latin American countries
served to maintain their supplies of
dollar exchange, which were aug
mented also by an inflow of refugee
funds lodged in dollar accounts, and
ITO some extent, especially toward the
end of the period. by sizable loans
r through the Export-Impo1t Bank
= 1t should also be noted that export
, trade to Latin America was at
comparatively low level in the same
' year prior to the outbreak of the
!. war"
Exports to Asia. Oceania and
Africa Increased appreciably during
the war period. while shipments to
Japan advanced moderately. Since
the outbreak of the war. Japan has
become increasingly dependent on
the United States as source OF
essential imports There we're sub
stantial gains in shipments to China
f. and the Netherlands Indies.
: Exports to continental Europe de-
clined sharply. Shipments to con-
. tinental and Mediterranean coun-
) tries accounted for only 1000 900.
(. or per cent of the total United
& States export trade in July and Au-
gust. whereas in the same months
= in 1899 they amounted to sl28.000.-
000 or mere than 25 per cent of the
! total
Trade With Europe Down.
j Since the outbreak of the war.
Eimports from Europe have declined
: heavily, but imports from many
Dther areas have increased. Our
purchases from Canada have ad-
vanced by one-third, and there have
been large gains in imports from
several other British countries. from
China. and from Argentina, Mexico,
Venezuela, Chile and the Neither
lands Indies. The gains in imports
have been heavily concentrated in
crude and semi -manufa ctured prod
ucts. The United States has STEP
ped up its purchases of strategic
materials such as crude rubber.
During the first year Of the war
exports exceeded imports by nearly
S14O0 100000, an amount larger
than the export trade balance in any
previous year since 1921. These
heavy exports surpluses were prin-
.ipal factor =, the unprecedented
movement of gold to the United
States, which has aggregated s4,000,-
100000 from September, 1899. to
August, 1910
Raw cotton and corn were the
Aniy important agricultural COM
Atodities to register substantial gains
Ia exports during the first year Of
the war. Most of the gains in ex-
ports have been due to increased
shipments of semi-manufactured
and manufactured commodities.
During the first year of the World
War export gains we're largely con-
eentrated in increased shipments of
crude and manufactured foodstuffs.
Al ~ IL r.