Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1889-10-04
South American Commerce.

In view of the coming Three Americas
Exposition and of the Worlds Fair in 1892,
at which a special effort will no doubt be
made by the South American countries to
exhibit their products to the fullest advan-
tage, it may be worth while to look for a
moment at the extent and character of
South American commerce. The trade of
South America is now principally in the
hands of Great Britain and Germany; dur
ing the past twenty years British manuiac-
turers have sold in Central and South
America 81 ,63S, ,00O,O 900 worth of their
goods. The German trade, although the
figures for that are not at hand, has been,
if not as large rs the British still very
much larger than ours.
The seasons for the capture of the South
American trade by the British and the
Germans are well known. The British and
German governments have taken pains to
stimulate that trade by every means in
their power, and principally by granting
subsidies to the steamship lines that con
meet their ports with those of Central and
South America. Within twenty years the
British Government has paid more than
$40, 600, 600 in subsidies to these lines.
England is supposed popularly to be free
trade country, but subsidy is the most fla
grant form of protection, and when it is
clearly to her interest to violate any par
ticular theory England lets the the theory
go and follows the dictates of self interest.
To place the matter in light of figures, the
results of the British subsidies to steam
ship lines have been that her merchants
secured an extensive market at a national
expenditure of a little over per cent on
their sales The question whether this
paid or not is not an open one.
1t is, of course, well known that the
United States pays no subsidies, but per
haps it is not so well known to how great
an extent the recent policy of the govern
ment has been TO discourage steamship
lines Under Section 80, 766 of the Revis
ed Statutes, the master of any vessel of
the United States bound for any foreign
port or coming from one, must receive on
board and deliver on shore all mails that
the Post Office Department may offer, and
for each letter so carried compensation is
five cents. Further, under the recent ad-
ministration, steamship lines were COM
PEELED not only to receive the mails on
board but TO send to the Post Ollce and
get them, and deliver them when they ar
rive in port.
The American line of steamers running
from New York to Brazil receives about
81, 900 year for mail service covering l40,-
600 miles The line running between New
York and Havana, Cuba, has received
about ~. 500 for a service covering 100, 900
miles. The Pacific steamers running from
San Francisco to China and Japan, for a
service covering 700, 900 miles, received
less than t25, 900 per year These show
well enough for one reason for the monop
oily of the trade with Central and South
America by the British and Germans. IL
is to be hoped that one of the results of the
coming Pan American Congress will be
such demonstration To the Congress Of
the United States of the value of this trade
and of the good policy of doing something
to encourage it, that some appropriation
will be made for the encouragement of
American shipping and American mer-
chants.