The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-08-21
A RICH FIELD OPENED
Chilberg Tells Of the Trade OF
Central America.
HOW SEATTLE MAY SECURE IT.
Goods Must Re Iacked Weli-Agenfs
Must Learn spanish-secrets
OF Engiand's Success.

"Tf American shippers viii pack their
goods properly. there is no limit 10 tle
field open to them in Central American
republics" This is the way J. r. Cnli-
berg began an interview with fost-ih-
teIiigencer reporter yesterday about the
new Puget Sound & Central American
Steamship Company. whose nrst steamer
win leave Seattle on September 70 Tor Cen
trail American ports.
The steamer Transit Is now on us way
70 Seattle from China and is expected 10
arrive here about September 10 and In ten
DAYS thereafter viii leave Puget SOUND
with full cargo and passenger list Tor
Ocox, Champerico and San Jose de Guate-
mala: Acsiutla. San Salvador; La .aoer
tad. La Union and Amapala. Honduras.
and corfnto. Nicaragua. On later trips IL
will probably make other ports
THE people of the Pacific coast ana the
Northwest do not appreciate the wealth.
OF the Central American republics ana tne
opportunities there for business. said Mr.
Chilberg 1.-THE republics are all prosper
Gus and greatly prefer TO do business with
the United States; they like American
goods best. The greatest obstacle IN the
way OF merchants of the United states
doing business with Central American re-
pubics Is the manner in which goods are
packed Freight taken from here is un-
loaded on the open ocean into launches,
from which IL has 20 be hoisted on TO piers
and from the pier II is taken TO some GEN.
trail town in the interior on pack mules or
in OK carts. And unless goods are packed
in strong cases, burlapped and strapped
with iron. large percentage Of them are
likely to he lost or stolen. Goods enter
the custom house with the full weight
marked on the package. and the full Gus
toms rate has TO be paid, even IL there Is
only one-tenth OF the goods left in the
package. Europeans understand pack
ing thoroughly You could take a package
shipped by an English firm, for example.
and roll ii down the side of a mountain
and Ii would not be injured particle,
even II IL contained glass. II American
shippers viii give the proper attention to
this matter Of packing their goods they
can have all the business they want with
Central America.
Composition of First Cargo.
'For the first cargo OF the Transit
have ordered consignments of gentlemen's
furnishing goods. hats. paints and OILS.
hardware. printing. lithographing. wheat,
-four. lumber. potatoes. hay. lime, whisky.
aud beer. from which list II may be un-
derstood how wide is the field In those re-
publics for American goods. There Is
hardly an article handled by the whole
saler or retailer that cannot be shipped
to those ports and sold at a good profit
II will take about ten days for our steam
er to make its first stop at Central
American port. and round trip will take
fortv-fve or fifty days.
"'rhe exports from Central America are
principally coffee. cocoa indigo, sugar.
hides rubber and furniture woods. We
hope that at least some houses here will
be in a position TO handle reasonable
quantities of these goods have brought
up with me small consignment Of coffee
as feeler. Our company intends to offer
e.. -
bers on the Sound to make the trip to
Central America on our steamer for the
purpose Of working ZIP profitable trade
20 which. so far as j can see, there is no
limit
Must Learn Spanish.
Another obstacle with which the ship
pers Of the United States have 20 contend
Is that none of their representatives in the
republics can speak Spanish. and that IS a
very necessary thing. The representa-
tives there OF English. German and
French houses speak Spanish like the ma
tives and II is unnecessary 10 say that
the knowledge gives them a great advan-
tage rs 7 said before, the people down
there prefer 10 deal with the United
States. but the merchants of this country
will not cater TO the trade. Dry goods
for instance are packed so carelessly that
they are usually ruined or stolen while
they are being handled there. The people
down there will pay for anything they
want Price doesn't cut any figure They
have got the money. but the shippers of
this country will not learn what the Cen
trail American people want.
American tailors and cutters could
make good thing there. Natives can do
the sewing but they DO not know the first
thing about cutting ont suit Of clothes
Look at tho suit of clothes I have on. I
paid SEQ for that suit. and 7 am almost
ashamed TO wear IL: look at the fl. An
other thing. a man could make money
there taking orders for white shirts
paid S. apiece for half dozen shirts and
the ilt is abominahle Then take shoes:
Boston made shoes are shipped TO Eng
land and Germany, repacked there. and
shipped 10 Central American ports and
actually sold there for less than in the
United States. There IS an excellent mar
ket there for cotton prints but the same
difficulty comes I'm here-Americans will
not cater 10 the market The bolts OF
cloth shipped from the United States are
considerably shorter than those shippei
from Europe. and, as a result. when a
market woman buys a bolt Of ruron~an
cloth no matter what the price she sees
the bolt IS longer and that settles il. she
thinks she IS getting more cloth for her
money"
The name OF the company which has or
ranized this new line IS Puget Sound &
Central America Steamship line and tie
chartered steamer. the Transit has A ca
racitv or / so tons The Office of the COM
panv AZ Seattle ia in the Olympic block
and its principal Office in Central America
will be AZ Guatemala.