Page:The Czechoslovak Review, vol3, 1919.djvu/52

 of the business done with Germany should really go to the credit of Austria-Hungary, because the goods were consumed there. Russia was in somewhat similar condition, for the 150,000,000 people of European Russia took only $30,088 ,643 worth of American merchandise. Compare with that the amount sold to Norway whose population of only 2,300,000 took over $9,000,000 worth of American goods, while Switzerland with 3,500,000 took nearly $15,000,000 worth and Belgium with 7,500,000 bought $61,000,000 worth. The figures for imports into the United States are similar. Austria-Hungary sent to this country in the same year merchandise valued at $21,110,834, almost the same amount as Russia ($20,831,184), but less than little Switzerland which sold to America more than $25,000,000 worth of goods, while Belgium sold more than $41,000,000.

Of this disappointingly small trade between the United Stales and what used to be Austria-Hungary the share of the new Czechoslovak Republic may only be guessed at. The new republic contains within its boundaries three lands that formerly were known as crown lands of the Austrian half of the empire, namely Bohemia, Moravia and Austrian Silesia; it also contains the northern part of Hungary known as Slovakia. Before its break-up the empire measured approximately 250,000 square miles, while the new republic will have just about 50,000 square miles. Out of the for mer population of 51,000,000 between 12 and 13,000,000 are now Czechoslovak citizens. In other words Czechoslovakia contains one-fifth of the area and one-fourth of the population of the old empire. But it would be a great mistake to imagine that only one-fifth or one-fourth of the business formerly done with the dual monarchy will now be taken over by the Slav republic. For it is a fact that with the exception of Vienna and its neighborhood nearly all the manufacturing districts of the empire were located in the Bohemian lands. Before the war United States had five consulates in the Austrian half of the empire, in Triest, Vienna, Prague, Karlsbad and Reichenberg, or as we should say now Liberec. The last three were all located in the old Kingdom of Bohemia, and that gives some indication of the industrial importance of Bohemia proper. The other two Bohemian provinces, Moravia and Silesia, belonged under the jurisdiction of the Viennese consul, while the Slovak districts of Hungary came under the jurisdiction of the Budapest consul. Thus it happens that we have exact figures of at least the import end of the business transacted between the United States and Bohemia proper. A few figures compiled from the reports of American consuls in Karlsbad, Prague and Liberec may be of interest. These figures are for the calendar year of 1913, the last year before the changes produced by war. In that year the total exports from the Kingdom of Bohemia to the United States amounted to $8,704,760, that is to say nearly one-half of the total exports of Austria-Hungary, although the population of Bohemia proper was only one-eighth of that in the Austrian empire. It is very unfortunate that the two principal items of Bohemian export for which there was a great demand in the United States before will now have to find markets elsewhere. These two articles of commerce are beer, the export of which from Bohemia to the United States amounted to $1,021,291; no more Pilsen beer for the thirsty throats of the epicures of America. And the second item is equally affected by the prohibition policy of the United States; that is hops of which as everybody knows Bohemia grows the finest grade. In 1913 there was shipped to America $1,436,559 worth of hops. That will make quite a hole in the former trade; perhaps this will be made up by the export of sugar of which Bohemia grows ten times as much as it consumes.

Next in importance in the export trade from Bohemia to the United States before the war were buttons—glass, ivory and metal. The 1913 figures state that American dealers purchased buttons in Bohemia to the amount of $705,111. Close to this item is the trade in chinaware of which Bohemia sold to America $701,495. In addition it sold also $523,415 worth of glassware and $44,058 of earthenware. The reputation of Bohemian glass is worldwide, especially for the more artistic kinds, and although the glass industry has been strongly developed in the United States, the best kinds of Bohemian glassware are articles of luxury and always find a profitable market in this country. Related to this trade is the sale of imitation jewelry for which northern Bohemia is famous; in one district over 40,000 people are engaged in the manufacture of highly artistic jewelry. This industry dates back to the Middle Ages and finds market in nearly every country on the globe. It