National Republican., 1886-09-09
nrItIsh uonsnInr Rcnnrta.


We have frequently had occasion to quote
from the reports Of our consuls in Europe
with reference TO the persistent energy dis.
played by the leading European nations In
pushing business relations with countries
in which the United States, by ordinary
good management, should have almost
monopoly. A recent editorial in the Lon
don Times Is calculated 10 open the eyes Of
American business men with regard to neg
lcctcd opportunities. Speaking of the
latest volume Df reports from diplomatic
and consular officers abroad, the Times
states that the volume contains warning and
advice about the prospects for investment
Of British capital in the countries from
which the reports come. The article then
proceeds to criticise consular reports gem
orally, and adds that they must be made OF
more general and more permanent char
acter, such as we find In the report on in
vestments Of British capital in Mexico and
the report on the Russian petroleum trade.
"The former is Of immediate interest; the
latter may have by and by q practical in
terest, which 1t has not got YETI
For our purposes also Mexico is the more
interesting topic, aud the British consul in
that country supplies us with valuable
information. Mr. Jonner, writing under
date Of May 90, 1886, pronounces Mexico to
be ga region the resources Of which are
practically unlimited" and he asserts that
British capital can be largely invested in 1t
with great benefit to the investors and to
the country which it will serve to open up.
40 ,,,lN H. al -.
been conducted in the usual way. There
has been little direct intercourse between
the British merchant and the Mexican pur-
chaser. German houses have been inter
medlaries between the two, and this ar
rangement Mr.. Jenner does not seek to
disturb. The German houses have made a
careful study Of the peculiarities OF the
Mexican market, and they import German
or English goods indifTerently, with sole
view to the profit which the transaction
promises. Under their direction the value
of British goods imported by Mexico has
risen from the $3,S26,OOO at which they
stood in 1870 to IS, ,1Ol, 900 in 1888. Mr..
Jenner is perfectly satisfied with this ar
rangement, so far as 1t goes, but it is on the
internal development Of the country and on
the profits TO be obtained by turning its
capabilities to account that he speaks most
encouragingly.
Mexico he describes "as rich almost
everywhere, both above and below ground.
All the states have mineral products capa-
bic OF being worked and applied TO indus
trial purposes, and there is scarcely metal
which is not to be found In abundance in
some one or the other of them" Notwith-
standing this mineral wealth 1t is the opin-
ion OF Mr.. Jenner that cattle grazing will
give the British investor both surer and
better returns than he can expect from any
mining undertakings. British and Ameri-
can capital have been sunk in cattle breed
ing, but not to one-fourth of the extent for
which the grazing land would suffice. In
agriculture still less is said to have been
done. The consul then gives the reasons
for this backwardness; revolutions, imper-
feet methods Of communication, and the
unsettled state Of foreign relations. Gan
this is now changed,m writes Mr.. Jenner.
"Railroads have been driven between the
capital and the coast, and between thec,,p,
ital and New York; and there a,vts sS1"EoM 80
millions OF acres IN ,,u' NiV''.~ ~ osaas'
could be cult'-,t,crE'Giisi safely sg;afe ye,,
were sltr-. s.as...-.. .s's g and well.ap'
viii aSa sAs1e ne tfI " sstta an
ern Italy can show" But for American
readers here comes the most attractive part
Of the programme; "More capital and
better direction are the chief wants of the
country, and, in Mr.. Jenners opinion, il is
for England to supply these. o
Mexico, in a word, is fair blank page, on
which science and industry are to write
and It appears that they have very ample
choice as to the inscription
1t is not necessary to make extensive
comment on this report of British consul
The statements of Mr. Jenner, made otil-
cially to his government, only corroborate
what the NATIONAL REPUBLICAN, has been
hammering at for some time, namely, that
there must be some serious defect in the
organization of our consular service, when
the. commercial interests OF Britain and
Germany are more prosperous and pro-
| gressive in Mexico than those of her next
door-neighbor, the United States.