The American Empire Part 20

[54] Ibid., p. 486.

[55] McMaster's "History of the American People." Vol. VIII, p. 339.

[56] Ibid., p. 339.

XIII. THE UNITED STATES AS A WORLD COMPEt.i.tOR

1. _A New World Power_

Youngest among the great nations, the United States holds a position of immense world power. Measured in years and compared with her sister nations in Europe and Asia, she is a babe. Measured in economic strength she is a burly giant. Young America is, but mighty with a vast economic strength.

An inexorable destiny seems to be forcing the United States into a position of international importance. Up to the time of the Spanish War, she played only a minor part in the affairs of the world. The Spanish War was the turning point--the United States as a borrowing nation gave way then, to the United States as an investing nation. Economic forces compelled the masters of economic life to look outside of the country for some of their business opportunities.

Since the Civil War the United States has been preparing herself for her part in world affairs. During the thirty years that elapsed between 1870 and 1900 she emerged from a position of comparative economic inferiority to take a position of notable economic importance. Between the years 1870 and 1900 the population of the United States increased 97 per cent.

During the same period the annual production of wheat increased from 236 million bushels to 522 million bushels; the annual production of corn from 1,094 to 2,105 million bushels; the annual production of cotton from 4,352 to 10,102 thousand bales; the annual production of coal from 29 to 241 million tons; the annual production of petroleum from 221 to 2,672 million gallons; the annual production of pig iron from 1,665 to 13,789 thousand tons; the annual production of steel from 68 to 10,188 thousand tons; the annual production of copper from 12 to 271 thousand tons, and the production of cement (there is no record for 1870) rose from two million barrels in 1880 to 17 million barrels in 1900. Thus while the production of food more than kept pace with the increase of population, the production of those commodities upon which the new industry depends--coal, petroleum, iron, steel, copper and cement--increased many times more rapidly than the population. During one brief generation the United States, with almost unbelievable rapidity, forged ahead in the essentials for supremacy in the new world of industry.

By the time of the Spanish War (1898) American industries had found their stride. During the next fourteen years they were overtaking their European compet.i.tors in seven league boots. Between 1900 and 1914 while the population of the United States increased by 30 per cent,--

Wheat production increased 70 per cent Corn production increased 27 " "

Cotton production increased 58 " "

Coal production increased 90 " "

Petroleum production increased 317 " "

Pig Iron production increased 69 " "

Steel production increased 131 " "

Copper production increased 89 " "

Cement production increased 406 " "

The United States was rushing toward a position of economic world power before the catastrophe of 1914 hurled her to the front, first as a producer (at immense profits) for the Allies, and later as the financier of the final stages of the War.

The economic position that is now held by the United States among the great competing nations of the world can be in some measure suggested--it cannot be adequately stated--by a comparison of the economic position of the United States and some of the other leading world empires.

Neither the geographical area of the United States nor the numerical importance of its people justifies its present world position. The country, with 8 per cent of the area and 6 per cent of the population of the world, looms large in the world's economic affairs,--how large will appear from an examination of certain features that are considered essential to economic success, such as resources, capital, products, shipping, and national wealth and income.

2. _The Resources of the United States_

The most important resource of any country is the fertile, agricultural land. Figures given in the Department of Agriculture Year Book for 1918 (Table 319) show the amount of productive land,--including, beside cultivated land, natural meadows, pastures, forests, woodlots, etc., of the various countries according to pre-war boundary lines. The total of such productive land for the 36 leading countries of the world was 4,591.7 million acres. Russia, including Siberia, had almost a third of this total (1,414.7 million acres). The United States came second with 878.8 million acres, or 19 per cent of the total available productive land. Third in the list was Argentine with 537.8 million acres. British India came fourth with 465.7 million acres. Then there followed in order Austria-Hungary, Germany, France, Australia, Spain and j.a.pan.

Austria-Hungary, Germany and France combined had almost exactly four hundred million acres of productive land or less than half the productive area of the United States.

The United States, in the area of productive land, is second only to Russia. In the area of land actually under cultivation, however, it stands first, with Russia a close second and British India a close third,--the amounts of cultivated land in each of these countries being 293.8 million acres, 279.6 million acres, and 264.9 million acres respectively. These three countries together contain 64 per cent of the 1,313.8 million acres of cultivated land of the world. The United States alone contains 22 per cent of the total cultivated land.

The total forest acreage available for commercial purposes is greatest in Russia (728.4 million acres). The United States stands second with 400 million acres and Canada third with 341 million acres. The Chief of Forest Investigations of the United States Department of Agriculture (Letter of Oct. 11, 1919) places the total forest acreage of both Brazil and Canada ahead of the United States. In the case of Brazil no figures are available showing what portion of the 988 million acres of total area is commercially available. Canada with a total forest acreage of 800 million acres has less timber commercially available than the United States with a total forest area of 500 million acres.

The iron ore reserves of the world are estimated at 91,000 million tons ("Iron Ores," Edwin C. Eckel. McGraw Hill Book Co., 1914, pp. 392-3). Of this amount 51,000 millions are placed in Asia and Africa; 12,000 million tons in Europe, and 14,800 million tons in North America. The United States alone is credited with 4,260 million tons or about 5 per cent of the world's supply. The United States Geological Survey (_Bulletin_ 666v) estimates the supply of the United States at 7,550 million tons; the supply in Newfoundland, Mexico and Cuba as 7,000 million tons, and that in South America as 8,000 million tons as against 12,000 million tons for Europe. This estimate would give the United States alone 8 per cent of the iron ore of the world. It would give North America 15 per cent and the Western Hemisphere 25 per cent, as against 15 per cent for Europe.

Iron ore furnishes the material out of which industrial civilization is constructed. Until recently the source of industrial power has been coal. Even to-day petroleum and water play a relatively unimportant role. Coal still holds the field.

The United States alone contains 3,838,657 million tons--more than half of the total coal reserves of the world. ("Coal Resources of the World."

Compiled by the Executive Committee, International Geological Congress, 1913, Vol. I, p. XVIII ff.) North America is credited with 5,073,431 million tons or over two-thirds of the world's total coal reserves (7,397,553 millions of tons). The coal reserve of Europe is 784,190 million tons or about one-fifth of the coal reserves of the United States alone.

Figures showing the amount of productive land and of timber may be verified. Those dealing with iron ore and coal in the ground are mere estimates and should be treated as such. At the same time they give a rough idea of the economic situation. Of all the essential resources,--land, timber, iron, copper, coal, petroleum and water-power,--the United States has large supplies. As compared with Europe, her supply of most of them is enormous. No other single country (the British Empire is not a single country) that is now competing for the supremacy of the world can compare with the United States in this regard, and if North America be taken as the unit of discussion, its preponderance is enormous.

3. _The Capital of the United States_

The United States apparently enjoys a large superiority over any single country in its reserves of some of the most essential resources. The same thing is true of productive machinery.

Figures showing the actual quant.i.ties of capital are available in only a small number of cases. Estimates of capital value in terms of money are useless. It is only the figures which show numbers of machines that really give a basis for judging actual differences.

Live stock on farms, the chief form of agricultural capital, is reported for the various countries in the Year Book of the United States Department of Agriculture. The United States (1916) heads the list with 61.9 million cattle; 67.8 million hogs; 48.6 million sheep and goats, and 25.8 million horses and mules,--204 million farm animals in all. The Russian Empire (including Russia in Asia) is second (1914) with 52.0 million cattle; 15.0 hogs; 72.0 million sheep and goats, and 34.9 horses and mules,--174 million farm animals in all. British India (1914) reports more cattle than any other country (140.5 million); she is also second in the number of sheep and goats with 64.7 millions, but she has no hogs and 1.9 million horses. Argentina (1914) reports 29.5 million cattle; 2.9 million sheep and goats; and 8.9 million horses and mules.

The number of animals on European farms outside of Russia is comparatively small. Germany (1914), United Kingdom (1916), Austria-Hungary (1913), and France (1916) reported 61.8 million cattle, 46.6 million hogs, 60.8 million sheep and goats, and 11.5 million horses and mules, making a total of 180.7 million farm animals. These four countries with a population of about 206 million persons, had less live stock than the United States with its population (1916) of about 100 millions.

It would be interesting to compare the amount of farm machinery and farm equipment of the United States with that of other countries.

Unfortunately no such figures are available.

The figures showing transportation capital are fairly complete.

(_Statistical Abstr._ 1918, pp. 844-5.) The total railroad mileage of the world is 729,845. More than one-third of this mileage (266,381 miles) is in the United States. Russia (1916) comes second with 48,950 miles; Germany (1914) third, with 38,600 miles and Canada (1916) fourth with 37,437 miles.

The world's total mileage of telegraph wire (Ibid.) is 5,816,219, of which the United States has more than a fourth (1,627,342 miles). Russia (1916) is second with 537,208 miles; Germany (1914) is third with 475,551 miles; and France fourth with 452,192 miles.

The Bureau of Railway Economics has published a compilation on "Comparative Railway Statistics" (_Bulletin 100_, Washington, 1916) from which it appears that the United States is far ahead of any other country in its railroad equipment. The total number of locomotives in the United States was 64,760; in Germany 29,520; in United Kingdom 24,718; in Russia (1910) 19,984; and in France 13,828. No other country in the world had as many as ten thousand locomotives. If these figures also showed the locomotive tonnage as well as the number, the lead of the United States would be even more decided as the European locomotives are generally smaller than those used in the United States. This fact is clearly brought out by the figures from the same bulletin showing freight car tonnage (total carrying capacity of all cars). For the United States the tonnage was (1913) 86,978,145. The tonnage of Germany was 10.7 millions; of France 5.0 millions; of Austria-Hungary 3.8 millions. The figures for the United Kingdom were not available.

The United States also takes the lead in postal equipment. (_Stat.

Abstr._, 1918, pp. 844-5.) There are 324,869 post offices in the world; 54,257 or one-sixth in the United States. The postal routes of the world cover 2,513,997 miles, of which 450,954 miles are in the United States.

The total miles of mail service for the world is 2,061 millions. Of this number the United States has 601.3 millions.

The most extreme contrast between transportation capital in the United States and foreign countries is furnished by the number of automobiles.

_Facts and Figures_, the official organ of the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce (April, 1919) estimates the total number of cars in use on January 1, 1917 as 4,219,246. Of this number almost six-sevenths (3,500,000) were in use in the United States. The total number of cars in Europe as estimated by the Fiat Press Bureau, Italy, was 437,558, or less than one-seventh of the number in use in the United States.

Automobile distribution is of peculiar significance because the industry has developed almost entirely since the Spanish-American War and therefore since the time when the United States first began to develop into a world power.

The world's cotton spindleage in 1919 is estimated at 149.4 million spindles. (Letter from T. H. Price 10/6/19.) Of this total Great Britain has 57.0 millions; the United States 33.7 millions; Germany 11.0 millions; Russia 8.0 millions, and France and India each 7.0 millions.

No effort has been made to cite figures showing the estimated value of various forms of capital, because of the necessary variations in value standards. Enough material showing actual quant.i.ties of capital has been presented to prove that in agriculture, in transportation, in certain lines of manufacturing the United States is either at the head of the list, or else stands in second place. In transportation capital (particularly automobiles) the lead of the United States is very great.

If figures were available to show the relative amounts of capital used in mining, in merchandising, and in financial transactions they would probably show an equally great advantage in favor of the United States.

In this connection it might not be irrelevant to note that in 1915 the total stock of gold money in the world was 8,258 millions of dollars.

More than a quarter (2,299 millions) was in the United States. The total stock of silver money was 2,441 millions of dollars of which 756 millions (nearly a third) was in the United States. (_Stat. Abstr._, 1918, pp. 840-1.)

4. _Products of the United States_

Figures showing the amounts of the princ.i.p.al commodities produced in the United States are far more complete than those covering the resources and capital. They are perhaps the best index of the present economic position of the United States in relation to the other countries of the world.