Notwithstanding a net loss of the world's shipping, due to the usual
perils of the sea as well as to enemy mines and submarines, of
2,632,279 tons from the beginning of the war to April 1, 1918, the
vital trade route across the Atlantic has shown a steady increase in
efficiency. Even more gratifying is the fact that in recent weeks the
gain in efficiency has been accelerated.
All the essential requirements of our allies as well as of our own
expeditionary forces abroad appear to be met, according to these
official statistics from the Department of Commerce. For instance,
exports of nitric, picric, sulphuric, and other acids, so essential
in the manufacture of munitions, are going to Europe in a steadily
increasing volume. Exports of acids increased from a total value of
$10,003,647 in the calendar year 1915 to $52,695,640 in 1917. Exports
of copper, no less necessary for cartridges and other uses, to France,
Italy, and Great Britain increased from 229,129,587 pounds in 1915 to
890,819,053 pounds in 1917.
The same three allies, which needed only 499,719 tons of steel
billets, blooms, and ingots in the calendar year 1915, took
1,395,019 tons in 1916 and 1,847,201 tons in 1917. Exports of
steel plates to the same three allies for ships, tanks, and
other military uses increased similarly from 63,584,467 pounds
in 1915 to 72,242,656 pounds in 1916 and 165,630,514 pounds
in 1917. All Europe took but a negligible tonnage of steel
rails in 1913, the last full year before the war. France
alone took 5,362 tons in 1915 and 122,858 tons in 1917. Exports of
locomotives to France kept pace with the rails, increasing from 38 in
1915 to 570 in 1917, and 129 in the month of January, 1918. Exports of
metal-working machinery to these three allies increased from a total
value of $29,229,683 in 1915 to $47,666,606 in 1916 and $54,906,405 in
1917.
Statistics on the exports of barbed wire epitomize the history of
defensive works by our allies. Italy, for example, took only 2,000
pounds of that commodity in 1915. Next year her requirements jumped
to 58,367,004 pounds, while last year the necessity of constructing
an entirely new system of defenses in haste called for 204,972,438
pounds of American barbed wire. On the other hand, France, which needed
264,310,493 pounds of barbed wire in 1916, called for only 29,952,532
pounds in 1917.