Arizona silver belt., 1888-03-31
Wonderful Progress Of Central and South
 American Countries
TFrom the Scientific American l


 A bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives to author, ize the President to invite the several governments of the republics of Mexi- co, Central and South America, and the empire of Brazil to join the Uni ted States in a conference to be held at Washington, for the purpose of dls' cussing and recommending for adop- tion to their respective governments some plan of arbitration for the set clement of disagreements and disputes that may hereafter arise between them, and for considering questions relating to the improvement of busi- ness intercourse between sad coun- trfeS1 and to'encourage such recipro- cal commercial relations as will be beneficial to all and secure more OK tensive markets for the products of each of said countries.
 In the course of the discussion an able, and brilliant speech in support of the bill was made by the Hon. MT. McCreary, of Kentucky, from which we take the following;
 There are south of our republic if teen republics and the empire of Bra gil, and they cover an area ten times the size of France, Spain, Prussia, and Italy. They are as large as the United States and the whole of Europe com bined. The population of those coun- tries amounts to about 50,OOO,OOO of people. They are connected to us by land, and most of them are nearer to New York than is the State of Califor- ma, and yet to many of the people of the United States tho republics of Central and South America are almost unknown.
 In 1887 our exports were valued at S752. 2.18O,9O2.
 Ofthis amount we exported but $64, 719,O00 to Mexico and South and Gen. tral America.
 Our annual mechanical and agricul- tural products are valued at about eleven thousand millions of dollars, while we seldom have sold more than $75,000,000 worth of the products to our nearest neighbors, who buy in Europe at least three times as much as they get here.
 The total commerce of the countries named in 1885 was as follows: Imports, $331, 1000, ,599, exports, $391, ,274,781.
 Of the $331 loo, ,599 of merchandise sold to those countries, the share of the United States was only $42.598,- 469. Yet we are their closest neighbor.
 The report of the commissioners sent by our government ts Central and South America shows that the de- velopment of the southern half of South America Is nearly as rapid as that of the United States. lmmigra- tion is flooding in, internal improve ments are openlng new and fertile fields, and wealth is increasing in a ratio not exceeded by any other sec ton of the globe.
 Chili, Uruguay, and the Argentine Republic, almost terra incognita to many, are booming like eur Western States and Territories. In 1876 the imports of the Argentine Republic were valued at S36,OOO,O00. In 1884 they had reached S8O,OOO,OOO. In 1876 the merchandise brought to that coun- try from England, France and Ger many was valued at only S18,000,00O, while in 1884 it was more than $53,- O00OO0 The entire imports from the United States for twenty years were S6OO0,O0O less than those from the three commercial nations of Europe just named for the year 1884.
 In the last two years the govern ment of the Argentine Republic has made contracts for S59,O00,00O werth of railway improvements, including a hne of road northward into Bolivia and two lines in the direction of Chill and Peru, so as to bring the commerce of the Pacific slope into the harbor of Buenos-Ayres, instead of taking it abound the Straits of Magellan.
 In 1874 the foreign commerce of Chili amounted to S42,OOO,O00. In 1884 it reached $132,OOO,0OO. From S5O,OOO,OOO to S6O,OOO,O0O in merchan- disc is imported into Chili every year, of which England furnishes over S25,- 000000, France over S12,0O0,OOO, Ger many over $8,OOO,OO0, and the United States $3,OOO,OOO.
 Adding the imports of Brazil to those of Uruguay, Chili and the Ar genuine Republic, it will be found that the aggregate value of manufactured products introduced into those four countries annually reaches the enor- nous sum of $25O,OOO,O0O, of winch Ennland fnrnichnr nLA.L o..n hnlf