Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-05
AMERICAS OPPORTUNITY.
A GREAT FIELD OF TRADE OF WHICH
PARA Is THE GATE.

Blaine's Reciprocity Idea Greatly Discom-
forted the European Population Under
the Equator-The Ocean Communication
Extent of Territory to Be Reached.
The proclamation of the President an
nouncing the consummation of the reciproc-
ity treaty between the United States and
Brazil, which was not telegraphsd here, but
came by the last slow steamer mail, writes
friend of The DISPATCH, now located at
Para, was indeed a genuine surprise to the
lazy-going people of all nations who live
under the equator. At first the foreign ele-
ment as we'll as the Brazilians were inclined
to doubt the correctness of the newspaper
reports. The brief dispatches from Rio,
published In the daily press of Para, indi-
Gated that the Congress in session there
could not agree in the matter Of the 25' per
cent reduction in favor of imports from the
United States, and it was generally assumed
that it was necessary condition to its ac-
complishment that this Congress should
have previously sanctioned the treaty.
Even at this date (March7 y there remains
some doubt as to its being legally and form
ally adopted. However, the few American
residents who were so numerically ehaffed
by the English and German traders here for
their presumption" in attempting to in
wade this rich field, now 60 about with very
broad grins spreading over their counte-
nances, and Mr.. Blaine's health is proposed
whenever two or three are gathered together
to take cocktails in the Amazonia-at 30
cents each. for the weak decoetion.
The recent reports of the United States
Consul at this point g. o. Kerbey, we'll
knnwn in tha do
portation, as well as the resources of the
Amazon Valley, contain a mass of valuable
information that will be especially
useful to Pittsburg merchants who
may contemplate introducing their
trade here. The importance of the
trade Of the Amazon Valley is scarcely un-
derstood in our country. But few people
seem to realize that the rich territory known
as the Amazonas covers an area equal in
extent to all that part of the United States
east of the Rocky Mountains. Practically
nothing is produced in this country, by
reason of the fact that the gathering of the
rubber is SO much more remuneratiye than
any other employment that it absorbs
almost the entire labor of the country. 1t is,
therefore, apparent that it must be a fine
field for development in the way of imports
from our country.
Geographically it may be said TO be the
nearest point in South America to the
United States, as the distance by direct
route from New York is less than 5000
miles. Unfortunately the steamers OF the
o. 8. q B. III. Steamship Company, known
as the American line, are slow and irregu-
lar, requiring from II to Is days to make a
voyage of the same mileage as that over the
Atlantic, which is covered in from six to nine
days. The freight and passenger rates on
this route exceed those of the Atlantic liners.
Para is the gateway opening to the Allan tic
some 30, 0C0 miles Of inland water naviga-
tion for large steamers. It is but half wav
between New York and Rio-that is to saw,
we Of the Amazon are as near to New York
commercially as we are to Rio, the capital
of the Republic. The distance between
Para and Liverpool is over 900 miles
greater than to New York.
In a sense, Para and the Amazon Valley
is entirely distinct from all the other parts
Of South America. The only steamers that
come here are those of the Red Cross and
Booth lines, of the English Company, which
trade exclusively from this section, and the
American companies steamers that call en-
route south. At Pernambuco, Bahia and
other points south there is frequent commu-
nication with Europe-by the lines of the
English steamers that take that route to
Rio, Buenos Ayres, the west coast of South
America and New Zealand by way of the
Straits of Magellan. It will, therefore, be
seen that practically we have an open field |
here that is immensely rich, both in natural |
and agricultural resources.