Show ECONOMIC highlights happenings that affect the future of every individual national and international problems inseparable from local welfare the e expression x P r e s 8 10 n landlocked states la Is merely a geographic term and definitely not an economic one that striking thought was expressed in a recent talk by alexander purdon executive director of the committee of amera american ican steamship lines entitled the midwest mide and th the e merchant marine and he had 3 0 battery of facts to support it in all probability relatively few r of us realize the extent to which the economic health and military strength of this his country are dependent on foreign trade As mr purdon pointed out we are the worlds largest exporter and importer for many countries we are the largest supplier and the biggest market with only five percent of 0 the worlds population w we e produce well over 40 per cent of the worlds total output of goods and services the livelihood of many a worker who has never seen an ocean depends on the commerce the oceans bear our exports amount to a year and provide employment for some men and women of the united states imports amount to about 0 of this mr air purdon said actually the effect of this trade on individual sectors Is greater than the figures indicate to take a major example one third of 0 our wheat production Is shipped abroad about a tenth of all our cropland Is needed to produce our farm export volumes volume since 1945 the value of agricultural I 1 exports has been equal to one eighth tit bf the total farm income and on the other side wo we depend heavily on foreign sources tor for such things as coffee tea spices and sugar ocean transportation to quote mr air purdon again Is the indispensable link between U S farms and U S factories and the markets and material resources of foreign lands mr purdons Pur dons committee Is en in a series of economic surveys to measure the importance or of the american merchant marine too to inland states some have been completed and in each case it has haa been found that international trade and ocean going transportation are vital to their economies the steel industry for instance la is one of our principal employers that industry depends upon ships chips to bring I 1 it 15 basic raw materials from the five continents of the globe automobiles trucks and busses which account for an enormous amount ot of employment could not be manu without some imported materials that are brought in by ship from 56 foreign countries moreover as mr purdon also observed by 1975 our population will be greater than now which means that we are goas I 1 on to need more energy more transportation more raw materials more farm produce to maintain that vast population at our amerl american c an standard of living which wilt will doubtless also increase in this evola evol atlon mCdon foreign trade will play an important role and so in ext ably v will all our merchant marine |