Evening star., 1899-04-01

parts of Uruguay. We have the cheapest
iron ard coal in the world, and We should
make this more cheaply than any other
country. Still, the bulk of it comes from
England, Belgium and Germany.
Germany furnishes most of the wire fenc-
ing, and this is big item in a stock coun-
try like this. Uruguay is. you know, al
most altogether given UP to stock raising.
1t is putting up more and more fencing ev-
cry year, and the day will come when every
one of its 1000 square miles will be fenced
and when its 5,000,0O0 cows and 13,O0O.OOO
sheep will be held in by wire The market
is open and our machines ought to make
that wire.
Another thing is printing paper: We
make the cheapest and best or the
kind but Montevideo buys its paper of
Germany. There are seventy-three news
papers in Uruguay, all printed on paper
made in Germany. We should be first IN
drugs and perfumery, especially in drugs,
for. through the electric power at Niagara
and other things we have the best facilities.
Still, the French stand first, and we come
along about fifth as to such articles Our
drugs are better put up than the French.
found some American drugs in a little store
in the interior of Paraguay, and was told
that they gave better satisfaction than any
others, but that it was too much trouble to
get them.
The Yankees Are Bad Traders.
The Yankees have national reputation
as a trading nation; but this reputation is
nationally they are among the poorest of
all who compete for sales in the highways
of the world, and their fame is confined to
the making of good goods and the not
knowing how to sell them. You remember
the wooden nutmeg story. Well, 1t is not
the Yankees. but the Europeans. who are
the wooden nutmeg venders of today.
The Germans sell the most furniture,
whereas we have the cheapest, best and
most stylish articles of the kind in the
world. The Uruguayans pay big prices and
want good goods. but in some way or other
the Germans get the business. Even little
Belgium, country which would not make
a pimple on the face of the United States,
surpasses US in the competition for the
trade of Uruguay, and it sells the very
things which should be able to make
most cheaply. 1t has the monopoly in
scythes, iron beams and sporting guns.
our guns are universally conceded the best.
and there is no reason why we should not
furnish the other articles.
American Coal.
I am glad to find that Americal coal Is
at last coming south. The coal trade OF
this continent amounts really to many mil
lions of dollars, but so far it has been
practically monopolized by England and
Australia. Here at Montevideo over 100000
tons are sold every year, and coal brings
all the way from s. to s11 ton. There
is practically no coal of any value on the
east coast of South America, and the coal
of lower Chile, which is not of the best
quality is the only commercial coal so far
used on the west coast The most or the
steamers use Cardiff coal, and this article
is used as fuel by all manufacturers. The
coal business of Uruguay amounts to De-
tween 81 .0O0. 900 and s2,o0O,Oo a year There
is Virginia coal that is largely used Dy
the transatlantic steamers which is fully
as good as the Cardiff coal, and depot for
the sale of this has been established here
I have no doubt that 1t will do large
business and / am told that there is a
good profit in selling at the present prices
More American cotton should be sold In
Uruguay. Just now England and Germany
have the bulk of this trade, making their
goods from our raw materials and shipping
them down here for sale. We have the mo-
nopoly in kerosene because nature hlled
the rocks OF Pennsylvania, West Vfr-
ginia and Ohio with it. and did not put it
anywhere else in quantities except in far
away Russia, and We have also to a certain
extent the monopoly in timber, pitchforks,
tar and axes. The timber and the tar are
much the same ground as the kerosene,
and we have no right to claim credit for
| the fact.
Money In Hides.
The chief things we buy in Uruguay are
| wool hides and horse hair. We take more
| than million of their dry OK hides every
| year and also a great quantity of wool.
There is an enormous amount of money
made here in meat and hides. Uruguay is,
| you know. cattle and sheep country. 1t
\ has more cattle to it's population than any
| other country of the world. There are
many cattle and sheep that If they were all
| ir one great corral and divided among the
people. every man, woman and child in
Uruguay would have six cattle and sixteen
sheep, and If they were driven of by FAM
| lilies each family would be driving home
| thirty cattle and eighty sheep. The cattle
| indeed. are SO many that they are cften
/ killed for their hides It Is the same with
| the horses. Every boy on an estancia has
| one or more horses. Beggars really go
| about on horseback In the country districts
/ of Uruguay and the Argentine, and the
| present of a horse to a guest Is neither ex-
/ trayagant nor uncommon.
| A curious thing about the treatment of
| horses in this part OF the world is that
| only the males are used for riding or driy-
| irg. A gaucho will not ride mare. He
would consider it below his dignity. Mares
/ are used for little else than breeding, and
when they grow too numerous are often
! killed for their hides.
/ passed through one estancia where