Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-07-23
\ CHANGE FOR AMERICANS.

A CHANGE FOX AMERlCANS. The last reports of the British diplo matic and consular representatives ln Brazil indicate condition of things which is of the greatest interest to Amer jeans as we'll as Englishmen. They demonstrate, furthermore, that, were it not for the absurd tariff regulations which hamper and restrict international trade, we would md in Brazil large and profit l able market for American products. As 1 it is even American manufacturers have ill
 many instances displaced the English, giving an eloquent hint of what might be
 under better tariff system.
 1 The people of Brazil, if we may believe the British representatives on the spot, l are much given to vanity ill that they have l an inordinate desire for show, and it is | indicated that those goods will find the
 readiest sale which are best cal culated to cater to their vanity.
 American manufacturers looking there for market should bear this in mind, and
 'nothing should be sent out without some
 useless and superfuous decoration about l it, be it even the commonest agricultural or household utensil." Then again it
 should be remembered that in Brazil most
 imported hardware pays duty upon it's weight <; therefore, lightness, so far as
 compatible with strength, is absolutely necessary. Thus it is that wrought iron
 hollow ware has nearly displaced cast iron hollow ware, which used to be imported
 chiefly from England. As the British manufacturers are slow to let go of accept ed ideas and are much less disposed to
 progress than our own there is here a
 chance for the latter that promises much
 in results Our cutlery, lighter and
 cheaper than the Sheffield goods, has found market there for the reason that
 the Sheffield men have consistently refused to meet the Brazilian demands. l And it is so in other lines } of manufacture. For instance, Eng fish manufacturers of railway plant will not adapt themselves to the wants of the people of Brazil. The railway lines there are full of curves and steep gradients, while English railways are comparatively straight. The North Americans have for the past twenty years been studying the l wants of Brazil, and they have built fexi- s ble engines adapted to Brazilian tracks. Out of 252 locomotives on eighteen Bra
 gillian railways in 1887, 213 came from the
 United States and only 2S from England
 In cottons, rails iron and steel wares, hardware and crockery the English trade with Brazil is being cut off by continental manufacturers.
 Were it not for our prohibitive tariff we would have much larger reciprocal trade
 with Brazil than we now enjoy. Accord ing to the British consular reports Brazil takes annually from the
 United States petroleum, lard wheat, lumber, etc, to the value of $1O,- 900, ,0OO. On the other hand the United States take considerably more than half ot
 Brazi's coffee export, and this is taken
 free of duty To the United States also
 come over half the india rubber, fully hal1 the hides and horns, and about two-ffths a of the sugar crop; altogether about one
 half of the entire export. Yet" add the ! l DAAoAoA IopOTCS, dll L1o HI 9 ports into Brazil from the United States
 barely reach one-seventh of the total, the
 remainder being paid via Europe, instead of by direct export of products" If ou1
 manufacturers, by the removal or modifi , cation of the tax on raw materials, could a turn out their goods cheaper, if they were placed on an equality with their European , rivals, they would find in Brazil an exten sive market, and instead of sending only , one-seventh of the Brazilian imports the,
 would send an amount very much more
 nearly approximating the total importa
 tion. Were the policy of the tariff re- formers adopted we would see larger for q eign market for American manufactures , and not the least important and profitable of the foreign fields would be Brazil There is in Brazil a chance for Amer;oo, V manufacturers that should be seized fo, them by reasonable and profitable mod
 ification of the tariff
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