The herald., 1895-05-06
A REAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

Elsewhere in today's Herald will be
found an interesting and meaty interview
with Mr.. William V. Lanphar of Sinaloa,
Mexico. This gentleman puts forth some
suggestions that are deserving of imme-
diate and serious consideration by our
merchants and shippers. The possibili-
ties of a valuable market in Slnaloa,
Sonora Durango, Jalisco and the contigu-
Gus states of the Mexican republic for
multitude of our products are altogether
too important to be neglected by those OF
our citizens seeking new fields OF COM
mercial conquest. The states referred to
embrace a great area of rich and produc-
tive country, largely populated, Sinaloa
alone having some 225,0oo people. In
trade their position would seem to make
them naturally tributary to California
and more particularly Southern Callfor-
mia; that of course means Los Angeles. A
people that will pay % cents per pound
for mission grapes, 81 per gallon for coal
oil and IS to % cents per yard for calico,
certainly offers inducements to those de-
string foreign trade.
1t appears from Mr.. Lanphar's state
ments that the inhabitants of this part OF
Mexico would become large consumers OF
almost all our deciduous fruits and
line of manufactured articles that we
could turn out and deliver to them
cheaper than they can buy from the east
or San Francisco. With the promised
production here OF the best grades of coal
oil, a market that will pay such fancy
price for the illuminating fluid is worth
gathering in without delay. The two
things primarily essential to the securing
and holding of this market will be
proper presentation OF our firms at the
leading centers of population, and the
establishment of some reliable and rea-
enable means of transportation be-
tween the Gulf of California ports and
San Pedro. A monthly steamer line and
some good enterprising drumming would
make big difference in the volume of
Southern California exports bound south
ward.
If some OF our business men who are
continually lamenting about over-pro-
duction and too much competition would
widen the range of their VISION and spend
their surplus time and energies seeking
new outlets like this one under consider
alton they would find a material improve
long-windeti and elaborately gotten up
mercantile conventions and assemblies
loaded down with expedlents and pro-
jects for stimulating business or lessening
competition, nearly as much as we do in
dividual enterprise, sagacity and courage.
There are Just as many fish in the sea
today as ever, but we cannot sit down
and wait for them to come ashore; we
must go after them.
We cannot resolute factories into exis-
tence, nor in conference enact trade.
The subject that suggested this writing
is but an instance. On the Pacific size
of Mexico and Central America there are
hundreds of thousands of people willing
and able to buy literally of our innumer-
able productions. That they do not do so
is our own fault. We can and should
secure this commerce, at present diverted
to the east and abroad, by disengaging
some OF the capital now devoted to specu
lation in corner lots and town additions,
and utilizing it in the development OF
natural resources, the establishment of
manufacturing enterprises and the en-
largement of trade.