Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-11-23
TRADE WITH SOUTH AMERICA

Delegate Judge Alfonso of Chile said on
the reception of the Pan-American Con-
gress at Philadelphia:
The journey we have had suggests to me that
Chile can proftably use many products of
American industry. believe in the possibility
of railroad through the three Americas, and
consider that its advantages should be consid-
cradle. In respect to Chile, we are not distant
from completion OF railways through our long
territory AMI we are disposed to promote
the realization of the ideas of general Ameri-
can railway TO the utmost of our national posi-
bility.
The Judge covered nearly the whole
ground of the scheme of the Congress in
the three sentences quoted. If there was
anything lacking, he embraced it in the
next sentence, when he said:
think we should establish a uniformity of
customs regu atoms upon basis OF the greatest
simplicity. advised in that direction by the
needs of facility in commercial relations.
As to the wisdom of the jaunt through
the United States upon which the dele
gates were taken by our Government,
General Praza of Venezuela rendered the
verdict of the guests when he said:
I consider our excursion through ali import
ant half of the United States as a preliminary
session OF the International Congress- We have
found practical solutions of many commercial
problems between this and the countries we
represent. The wonderful Improvements of
machinery, the great skill of laborers the saw
ing of fuel by the use OF natural gas, and the
powerful push you have shown in all your en-
terprises, are elements that make you capable
of producing perfect goods at cheaper prices, so
as to successfully compete with Europe, even
while you pay as high wages as you do. 1t is, l
believe, conviction IN every mind in our
body that the main difficulty in developing our
mutual trade consists in the lacking of good
communications. So the explorations we have
made on that subject have been of great ad-
vantage to our purposes of larger exchange. 1
have not met a single man of this country dur
ing our trip who proiessed ideas opposed to an
enlarged means of trade between us. There is,
l have observed during our journey, more sym
pathy between this and the Latin countries of
South America than we before supposed to exist,
and our trip has so much proved this that all
previous opinions regarding blood and language
as barriers to perfect understanding between
nations, have been discredlted by facts which
we will keep in our memory as a memento OF
human fraternity.
When the General used the words,
Perfect goods at cheaper prices" he re-
ferred delicately to a matter that has
often been the subject of comment in the
RECORD UNIoN-the fact that our mer-
chants have packed badly for the South
American trade; that our dealers have not
kept faith with the promise of sample sales
that our manufacturers have not con-
structed to the demand of the South
American purchaser, but have vaInly en-
deavored to force upon him articles of our
own style, regardless of his preiudices and
desires. If the testimony of our Consuls
and Consular agents in the South Ameri-
can States is good for anything at all, then
it is good to establish the fact that one
great reason why we have been unable to
compete with the Germans and English in
South America is our unwillingness to
adapt our products for export to the de-
mands of those we would have for Gus
toners The Europeans, on the other
hand, are careful to construct whatever
they want, and as they wish it to make
the delivered goods conform in the smallest
detail with the sample, and to pack with
such care that all exports arrive in prime
condition. The General is right, We
can continue to pay high wages and still
successfully compete with the Europeans
for the South American trade, if we will.
OF course there is need for customs adjust
ment in some respects, for more intimate
and frequent means of communication, ETC.,
but there is need also for the plastic dis
position that will enable us to manufacture
for the South American trade just what it
wants