OCR Text |
Show FOREIGN TRADE. Export figures for the first ten months of the present year show a heavy increase over the total for the. same period of 1016. If we had the ships to take care of the trade outside of the war zone, with 'iio embargoes to bother, our exports would reach a staggering stag-gering amount. But $5,149,000,000 for tho ten months is quite satisfactory, being a gain of $706,000,000 over last year. Our imports for ten months totaled to-taled $3,504,000,000, an increase of $404,000,000. The balance of trade is in our favor as it has been for many years and will be for a long time unless the world is turned topsy-turvey topsy-turvey by the war. We are not getting gold in return for our excess of exports over imports, but are accepting tho obligations of our allies, which practically amounts to .the same thing. There is no way of telling what pur foreign trade will amount to in 1918. Our requirements for the United States army beyond the seas will be enormous and doubtless we shall be compelled to curtail our shipments even to our allies. al-lies. But. if the decline in exports bo-comes bo-comes too heavy government control of imports will prevent the balance of trade from going against us. We are fighting fight-ing for humanity and staking the lives of millions of our young men and the national wealth upon the result. We seek no expansion of territory and we have no desire to rule the world. But ve must retain our share of the foreign trade in order that our country keep its pla'-o in the sun and our people be happy and prosperous, if all goes well next year we shall harvest another bumper crop, for it is the intention of the government to se to it that every available acre of ground in the count rv ! is put under the plo'-v and doubtless we shall be able to export more foodstuffs. In the meantime, it is quite possible the manufacture of products not essential to the conduct of the war will be ct;r- ! ai!ed and we may be unable to supply i our foreign customers with all the ar- j tides of commerce they desire or in the quantities they order. While the war lasts these are secondary second-ary coityidcrations or appear so on the surface. But i f .' i. w !: tV ad'ni v- ' j trarion and congr-'-j to fn-i-'-rv? o';r : foreign trad1 as min-h a- jo-.i-'e while i we a? e exc nan gin ? blows wi: ii G er-j er-j many. Grr-nt Britain is looking out for ' hr ovrfas cu'.orr.ers ami Ja;nu is ex-'finding ex-'finding her rnmnire in ail r i "cations, 'while the n 1 u t r a ! a - e doing t ! i -1 'nest i they ran. The I'mf-d Sro-t-- government govern-ment will Dot he doing its full d'ltv if we sustain any 5o--e.j in trade that could be avoi'b-1. |