New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-01-05
COMMERCE. OF THE AMAZON
"

THIS COUNTRY-STRIKING FACTS AND FIGURES
| TO the Edttor or The Trtbune.
| SIR: Having considered the benefits accruing to
| the United States, and to the development OF
Northern Brazil from judiciously planned colohl-
| zatCn by Americans, it will be well 10 examine
| how far our own commercial relations WIN tha'
country nav be improved and perfected. " If the
CAPITALISTS of the United States,' wrote the worthy
Mr.. A. Cone. United States Consul at Para, in re-
port to his Government for aS76, "wouid turn
their attention more to commercial interests with
| other countries and less TO railroad schemes and
monopolies they would realize by far more prohts
| 10 themselves. and be of greater service to their
| countryD However bold this statement may be, IL
| is not the whole truth as the reader will readily
| believe after considering carefully the surprising
facts have collected from official statistics, and
from the statements of the prominent business men
| and statesmen with whom / came IN CONTACT
during my soiourn in Brazil. The commerce OF
the Brazilian Empire from june 1870, to june
1877 is represented by the following approximate
figures:
Imports ~ ~ 40
Exports. ooVOVVVV"
While during the same period the imports OF the
United States from Brazil amounted to over
$40 900 600 the exports from the United States TO
Brazil amounted to only abOus $60OOO,OOO We
are the purchasers of more than One-half the pro-
ductons the Brazilian Empire offers to foreign mar
kcts, and we supply the country with less than one
TENN the articles it needs. Instead OF paying ior
the products we import in products OF our own we
are coopclled TO send our gold to Europe in pay
meut for Brazilian produce, and with that gold the
supplies for Brazil are there purchased, every article
of which could and should go from our own country
and be of our own production. Hardly an article Is
imported into Brazil which could not be supplied
by the United States and yet almost nothing Is
done by our manufacturers and exporters in order
to extend their trade to Brazil and Europe Is per-
mtted to hold an undsputed control over the Bra
lillian import trade. Almost this entire business
should be transferred to the United States, to
which it naturally belongs. " Our geographical
position" wrote Colonel W. p. Tisdel to the Presi-
dent of the United States. in his letter of January
g. 1873, 1.-THE vastly superior, cheaper and safer
facilities for transportation. the greater energy and
vitality of the American people, the increasing de-
mand with Us for South American products and u
proportO natcly growing demand IN Brazil for North
American products and agricultural implements
and the mutual friendly feeling which exists and is
continually increasing between the citizens of the
two countries few oil the reasons which point
to the wisdom Of closer commercial relations be-
tween North and south America"
A GREAT MARKET 10 DE SUPPLIED.
The general complaint is. that the chief
cause of the past depression of our manufac-
turing and commercial interests was over
production. The abor-saying machine flooded
our markets with articles of every description for
whichfhere was limited demand at home. Whath has
been and is wanted is outlet for our surplus
The natural outlet exists almost ut our very DOORS
and vet we seemingly know not how to avail our
selves Of the opportunity. As the matter now stands
Portugal, ins gniGcant Of nations imports into Bra
I'll "A vast deal more than do. The protection sys-
tenn that governs our trade, the heavy expenses OF
transport and introduction, the nam arguments in
a word that are trumpcd up 10y our traders against
the possibilities Of enterprise between North and
South America, are one and all nonsense. which we
strenuously assert. Acknowledging the while that
a relaxation of our stringent commercial laws and
a dminuuon OF import duties would, OF course,
greatly improve the conditions of the importers.
can rebuke the objection by asking of these people:
Ifthe evils referred to are not obstacles to the profit
able trade that is carried OF now on a small scale
how could they be hindrance to its lucrative estab
lshment on larger blsisl It's question Of energy
and activity. of confidently introducing our manu-
features and causing them to be appreciated
Wherever this has been earnestly attempted the I'M
dertakng has yielded handsome profits NewbOd
& Sons of Baltimore, sent agents TO Brazil
To sell cheap articles of glass aud other materials.
and have been assured. they have already met
with the most encouraging success. In many III
stances all that is needed is to make our products
known there. have long examined the ar
ticlcs that are sold there and can hardly mention
any single industry whose relzatiOns would not be
multiplied past cTedence by securing it a firm foot
hold in tlat country Let our exporters send goods
which are cheap and of good quality and they will
easily win the opposition they would encounter
from tho English French aud Portuguese manufac-
turers TO say that we are handicapped nj the out
set because we cannot turn out certain goods rs
cheaply rs other countries. is radically untrue. The
truth is that in many branches nf trade we undersel
the English IN theirow markets; that many of the
articles we send to England are thence sold to Bra
zil nj an advance commensurate with the superior
cost of freight, etc. The opposition that all at
tennis nj establishing direct commercial commu-
nicatons between the United States and Brazil have
met from English merchants and statesmen as well
rs from the English press, is token Of the vast pos
slbilihes OF our trade with that country.
RELATIVE STATISTICS.
Comparing the statistics that reveal the relative
importing capacities Of the United States and other
countries into Brazil, we have indeed to blush at
orr backwardness. As close arc to tho
country in question. and aided by so many natural
and artificial helps to business intercourse, we arc
wholly outd0ne by other nations. In the exporta-
ton Of two single articles only kerosene and cereals
especially houI), do we surpass Great Britain,
Franco and Portugal and this preeninence has been
obtained by the smallest exertion on our part.
England exports yearly to Para about $4,000
worth of dressed leather France $4,000 and
Portugal $50 900 worth of the same material
nearly 800, 900 III all, OF which not quite SlOOO
falls TO the United States. Howis it possible to doubt
that our leather merchants might succeed if they
wished in extending greatly their business on the
Amazonf Is their complaint of depressed trade"
justified when they make no effort to secure for