The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-22

lands. The province OF Tucuman is now
raising the sugar of the Argentine. In 1s9:
10000 tons were produced. There is a tariff
on sugar. and / am told the business is very
profitable.
The same frauds in trade marks and
labels which l found In the stores of the
west coast Of South America exist in tho
Argentine. The Germans are initiating many
kinds of our machines. and German ma
chimes are often sold for American. The
Spaniards are doing the same, and there
are many things here sold under false trade
marks.
This prevails to such an extent that there
is house in Buenos Ayres which makes a
business of manufacturing and selling
fraudulent labels. You can buy labels for
all sorts of patent medicines, for the lead
ing brands of champagnes and beers; for
Florida water, condensed milk, and, in fact.
for almost any article that has reputation.
Labels for Milwaukee lager will cost you
few cents a hundred, and you can get fac
smile limitations of champagne labels for
the same. A sparkling cider which costs
20 cents a quart with 1-cent Mumm's ex-
tra-dry label on it brings in Buenos Ayres
s12. and the average backwoods Argentinian
will pay for it and not know the difference.
BAD PACKING.
One great hindrance to American trade
with the Argentine is the bad packing which
is done at home. Goods are put up without
regard to cost or customs. Many of the
duties here are levied by weight, and small
articles are often packed in big boxes, so
that the duty upon them costs more than
the articles will sell for. Every American
shipper should have a book containing the
tariff regulations of the Argentine and pack
accordingly.
If the goods are at all damaged when
they arrive the importers will demand re-
bate, and where goods are paid for in ad-
vance the trade for the future is lost.
saw a Chickering piano which arrived in
Buenos Ayres not long ago. 1t came packed
loosely in a pine case. There was one cleat
of wood between the piano cover and the
case, and that was all. The result was
that the rosewood was badly scratched and
the instrument would not sell.
Exporters should remember that all goods
coming to the Argentine must go over
the equator, where the air is full OF
moisture. Machinery should be we'll oiled
or painted with tallow, or it will be ruined
This was the case with a job press which
was shipped to Buenos Ayres by the Amer
lean Bank Note Company, of New York
and also some arms sent by the Reming-
tons. The latter order was not at all care
fully packed, and the result was that il
cost % per cent. of the first price of the
guns to put them in order
So far our methods of trying to increase
trade in South America have been radically
wrong. What we really need are American
houses which handle nothing but American
goods in Buenos Ayres. We should have a
museum there which would show the diff
ferent kinds of goods that the United States
has to sell. We should also have an Ameri-
can bank, and there would. 1 believe, be a
lot of money eventually in the establish
ment of an American steamship line.
AS to American houses there are several
here already, but they do not as a rule keer
large supplies of goods on hand, so that they
can fill orders the moment they are received
The French, English and German houses
deal to some extent in American goods, but
they will squeeze in a European article
whenever they can. The chief American i'm
porting firm of Buenos Ayres is Eddy. Hall
& Co., a branch of Flint, Eddy &, Co., in
New York. This firm supplies the greater
part of the trade, although there are houses
OF older standing. There is one American
house in Bueros Ayres which was founded
siXty-four years ago. This is that of s. B
Hale & Co. S. E. Hale was Boston mar
who came down here in 1885, and two years
later established this house At one time he
controlled all the business between the
United States and the Argentine Republic
and his firm has made great deal of money
FRANK G. CARPENTER.