Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 74, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 December 1917 — BIG TRADE BALANCE [ARTICLE]

BIG TRADE BALANCE

REDFIELD'S REPORT SHOWS $3,634,450,905 IN FAVOR OF U. 8. America Now Holds the Greatest Reserve of .Gold the World Has Ever Seen. Washington, Dec. 14.—Measures,for making the most of America’s world trade opportunity are foremost In Secretary Redfield’s report of the many activities of the department of commerce presented to congress. The department probably conducts more different phases of government work than any other, and while all are touched upon in the long report, measures for promoting foreign trade and an account of the year’s commercial operations stand at the top of the list. . “The visible balance of trade in favor of the United States on merchandise transactions for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1917, was $3,634,450,905,” says the report. “The total of » our merchandise export trade was $6,293,806,000 and of our import trade, $2,659,355,185. During the three months’ period from the close of the fiscal year to October 1, the merchandise exports have been $1,319,213,625. The imports, $729,978,017, and the net visible balance, $589,235,608. “This country now holds the greatest reserve of gold the world has ever seen. It is a great economic prize. On it, as a secure base, rests our national, state, municipal, corporate and private credits. Let it be seriously diminished and the volume of credits that we can give is thereby diminished also.”