machinery. According to recent census figures it would appear that we
are passing from a predominantly agricultural life to a stage in which
manufacturing is of relatively greater importance.

60. TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION.--The physical geography of the
United States encourages the development of adequate means of
transportation and communication. The St. Lawrence-Great Lakes system
gives easy access to the most fertile section of the continent. The
Mississippi and its tributaries drain a million square miles of farm
land. We have, in addition to 18,000 miles of navigable rivers, a
greater coast line available for commerce than has the whole of
Europe. New York is the world's greatest seaport.

Few mountain ranges hamper the development of transcontinental
railroads in this country, and of these only one, the Rockies, is a
serious obstacle to effective transportation. Our railroad mileage is
enormous, a half dozen transcontinental lines being supplemented by
numerous smaller roads and feeding lines. We have more than 2000 miles
of canals in operation. Cheap and rapid transportation between the
different parts of the country, supplemented by adequate means of
communication by telephone, telegraph, and the postal service,
undoubtedly has been one of the greatest factors in our national
prosperity.

61. DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN TRADE.--The great majority of our products
are not shipped to foreign markets, but are utilized within the
country. We are still so young and so undeveloped a country that our
manufacturers have been kept busy supplying the domestic market. This
fact, together with the American manufacturer's lack of knowledge
concerning the possibilities of foreign trade, explains our neglect of