JUNE 1, 1914.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



469 



American Exports and Exporting Methods. 



UNLESS attention is specifically drawn \o it from time to As to distribution, Europe has taken about 60 per cent, of 



time, the average person fails to comi>rehen(l the enormous the total exports, those in 1913 amounting to $1,500,000,000, and 



business e.xpansion this country has undergone in recent those to other parts of the world, something less than $1,- 



years, and. in particular, what a gigantic development has taken 0(X),000,000. To the countries of North America the exports for 



place in our exports to foreign countries. The Department of 1913 were $601,000,000, two-thirds of which went to Canada. 



Commerce has just issued a statement which shows that the The exports to South America were $147,000,000, chiefly to 



exports of merchandise from the United States made a greater Argentina and Brazil. Exports to Asia were $126,000,000, of 



advance during the last ten years than in the thirty years from which one-half went to Japan, one-lifth to China, and the 



1873 to 1903. In 1873 the total exports were valued at $568,- remainder to Oceania, Australia and the Philippines. Africa 



000.000; in 1903 at $1,485,000,000, and in 1913 at $2,484,000,000— received $29,000,000 worth of American goods in 1913. 



a gain of $917,(XX),000 in the thirty years from 1873 to 1903, and The methods used by American manufacturers in making ex- 



of approximately $1,(XX),000.(XX) in the ten years ending with ports and securing foreign business are varied and interesting 



1913. The principal items contributing to the gain of the last Naturally with such a stupendous increase in foreign trade as is 



decade were raw cotton and miscellaneous manufactures, chiefly revealed by the foregoing statistical comparisons, there must 



of iron and steel, copper, wood, and mineral oil. have grown up also a refined organization for the handling 



The leading articles of export for 1913 in their order of magni- "f l'"s business. This is particularly true of the large corpora- 



tude are shown by the following talHilati.>n: ''"'is^ '"" t'l^rc has been an improvement also in business 



T^ «r^r,^„^^,^^ iiu'thods aud faclHties all down the line to the smaller nianu- 



Raw cotton $575,000,000 , , , , . , . t .u . .u 



\^..'^^„ facturers who are only occasional exporters. In the past there 



Iron and steel 294,000,000 , , , a \ c u- ■ c a •• 1 .u j 



„ , ^ o„-, „^„„„„ has been a great deal of criticism of American export methods 



Bread stuffs 203,000,000 , i c • • jn- ■ < 



, , . , ,^, ^^„„/^,^r^ ^1" mauy cxamplcs of ignorance or indifference have been 



Meat and dairv products 161,000,000 , , t, ^ u- » i ii • ..... n 



., ■ ^ .,„„,'„„„ quoted. 1 hat such instances should occur is not at all surprising. 



Mineral fuls 149,0(0,000 r u ( i. u • .i j -i i r . ■ 



_ ,,. ' for equally faulty business methods can easily be found in 



Copper 143,000,000 i „ •• ■ j 



,,, . domestic trade. 



Wood manufactures 1 10.(XX),000 r-.r>-- , r- , , ,_ ... 



^ , , , _, ,^„, ,,„„ ureat Britain and Germany have long been held up as ex- 

 Coal and coke 71.(XX).000 , , ,, ..,,,,.,..,, 



J , t , , , i,w,™w,r,r, amplcs of excellent organization for handling foreign trade, but 



Leather and leather goods 60,(I(X),000 ,, . . j , , , , , . . 



T, , ■ ^nnr^nr^nr. "'6 Organizations developed by some of the great American 



Tobacco 60.000,000 , , . / 1 i i j i • 



_ , . rc^ru^nnnr, uianu f acltinng concerns can safely hold their own in comparison 



Cars and carriages » 58,000,000 ... , ,, t r . . • i i t 



^ ^. . #r r^r.r^rM\n With auv of Europc. lu fact, certain classes of manufacturers 



Cotton goods *> 56,000,000 , , ..^ / • , • ,i j , ■ ^. 



, . , ° , . , . ,. -,-nnnn/ir, "avc built Up a foreign business unequalled anywhere in the 



.'Agricultural implements and machinery. 3j,000,000 ,, ,. ,. .„. 



„ . , ->.r,nn/vir, world — coucems, for instance, making typewriters, talking-ma- 



Eruits and nuts 34,(XX),000 , . , ' . . , , , , , ■ , 



T,, , . , , . , ,. -It, ,i/,n ru-,/^ chines and cash registers. A great deal was heard in the recent 



lUectrical machinery and ai>pManccs. . . . 28,000,000 . -rr j- •..«-. a • ■ ,■ 



^, . , , , ... '^-i^v^i-^n tariff discussions to the effect that American sewing-machines — 



Lheniicals, drugs and medicines li yK\)SM\ , , i , , i_ , , . . . . 



^, , m,vv.,v.,> ''^"' example— could be bought more cheaply abroad than at 



Naval stores 22.(KX),0(X) , , . c. a • r 



,, . ,, ., -,,,„>,., v„, liome; and the enormous prohts American manufacturers were 



Vegetable oils 21.000.00(1 , , , . r .i • u j i- • • ■ • . 



„ . r . .1 f Ti />r.n/w^ supposcd to make out of this alleged discrimination against 



Paper and manufactures thereof 21,000,000 a- r,,-r r, 



. f. ,, , ,,,„..^,v^r, American consumers was one of the chief arguments of those 



India rubber manufactures 14,000.(XJ0 , , , .„ , . ,. , , , . ,. 



^ ... ,-,,„,,w>Ar, who favored tariff reduction. \ et the true cause of this dis- 



Fertihzers 12,000,000 . ,. j r • , . , ^ , , . , 



parity was not discovered, for it lay in the fact that the particular 



During the last ten years raw cotton easily maintained its company cited had developed the most intricate and far reaching 

 position at the head of the list, but bread stuffs fell from second .system of selling and distributing ever known. Like some others, 

 position in 1903 to third in 1913; meat and dairy products fell this company manufactures its machines where it can do so most 

 from third position to fourth, while iron and steel jumped from cheaply, and a considerable part of the machines sold in foreign 

 fourth to second. The gains made by some of these classes of markets were not manufactured in the United States at all. Yet 

 exports during the ten years are almost incredible. The value they were the product of American capital, initiative and organi- 

 of raw cotton exports increased $196,000,000, or 52 per cent., a zation and the profits were added to those of American industry, 

 direct reflection of the increased consumption of cotton goods .^gricultural implements, that formed only an occasional ship- 

 throughout the world. Iron and steel gained $195,000,000 or fully ment 20 years ago, are now sent over by steamer loads in full 

 200 per cent., machinery and engines being the largest factors, cargo lots, while other great trade organizations, such as the 

 Mineral oils increased 100 per cent, or $76,000,000 in value; cop- steel corporation, the meat packers, and manufacturers of steam 

 per manufactures $101,000,000 or 200 per cent, and manufactures pumps, steam heating apparatus and electrical machinery, have 

 of wood $52,000,000 or 90 per cent. Food stuffs, however, of developed a most scientific organization for handling their foreign 

 all kinds, showed a falling off, due to the increased consumption trade. The spread of .American shoe stores in Europe is but 

 in the United States without a corresponding increase in the the extension abroad of policies inaugurated at home, 

 production. A direct personal acquaintance with foreign markets is not now 



Manufactured articles have in practically all instances, shown deemed essential for the responsible heads of manufacturing 

 considerable gains. The most notable of these was in cars and concerns, but a full, intelligent comprehension of the require- 

 carriages, which gained 500 per cent, due to the rapid develop- ments is absolutely indispensable. In fact the head of the ex- 

 ment of the automobile industry during the last ten years. The port department of almost any great manufacturing concern 

 electrical machinery exports were three times as lar.ge in 1913 would have had to spend more time in traveling, in order to be- 

 as they were in 1903, while cotton goods and leather manu- come acquainted with his field, than he could devote to the busi- 

 factures were twice as great. Paper manufactures and naval ncss itself, for to some of them there is hardly a country in the 

 stores each increased about SO per cent.: while india rubber world that is not within their field, 

 manufactures were 2p2 times as great as in 1903. But it must be remembered that there is a vast amount of 



