Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 74, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 December 1919 — FIGURE NEVER APPROACHED [ARTICLE]

FIGURE NEVER APPROACHED

New World Record in United States Trade Balance. Washington, Dec. 12. —Americas trade balance for the fiscal year ended last June 30 was $3,978,134,947, "a figure never approached in the commerce of any nation in the history of the world,’’ said tho annual report of the secretary of commerce. • New high marks were established in both exports and im-

ports, exports totaling $7,074,011,529, and Imports, $3,095,876,582. Exports to (Europe aggregated $4,634,816,841; to North America, $1,291,932,342; to Asia, '5603,924,548, and to South America, $400,901,601. Despite war losses, the world’s merchant tonnage is larger now than at any other time in history, the report said, the total tonnage being 50,919,000 gross, compared with 49,089,000 in 1914. Net gain in steam tonnage for the world was placed at 2,500,000 gross tons, while that of the United States was 7,600,000 gross tonsSteel steam, tonnage for the United States at the close of the last fiscal year was 6,000,000 gross tons, four times greater than 1914 and is increasing at the rate of 350,000 tons monthly. “The annual output of our shipyards,” the report said, “exceeds the greatest annual output of the world’s shipyards before 1914.American tonnage clearing in. overseas trade in the fiscal year 1919 was six times greater than in 1914.” The total gross tonnage of ships flying the American flag on June 30, 1919, was 12,907,800, of which 6,669,726 tons were assigned to foreign trade, 2,635,680 to the Great Lakes area and 3,601,894 to sea and river traffic.