The Saint Paul globe., 1900-04-11
LATIN AMERICA.

The Iron Age calls attention to the de-
ficiency Of our trade with the South
American countries, noting practical rea-
sons why this country has not succeeded
better in securing trade from that quar-
ter Of the globe. The G o be has re-
peatedly called attention to the tremen-
dous drain that Latin America is upon
our resources, by reason of its sales Of
coffee. sugar, rubber and tropical fruits
to us. and its purchases of manufactured
goods in Europe. The Iron Age is not
the only trade journal that is now look
ing askance at our sales to Europe. The
Shoe and Leather Reporter, the North
western Miller and the marine journals
all see the milk that is running out OF
our cOcoanut by way Of the South Ameri-
can trade, and are making what are
still crude efforts to stop the vent-hoie.
Getting onto the ground, Pan-American
congresses and learning the Spanish Ian
guage are all suggested as suitable steps
to be taken to assist our makers of goods
in altering the condition of things. But
the fact still remains that we are short
almost If not quite 5000. 100000 per year In
our trade relations with the countries to
the south of us. and that both our gov
ernment and our manufacturers are de-
linquent In energy In dealing with the
problem
The Northwestern Miller wisely says
that the American miller will not have
accomplished his mission until every
bushel Of wheat produced on the soil of
the United States shall have been ground
into flour before leaving our seaports.
There are difficulties in transportation
which it frankly acknowledges, but which
1t hopes to see remedied. The Shoe and
Leather Reporter, while it has discovered
that tanned hides constitute too great a
proportion of our leather exports, and
boots and shoes not enough, has not yet
risen to the proposition that every tanned
hide produced by our tanners should be
turned into boots and shoes or something
else before expectation. There are per-
haps difficulties also in the transporta-
tion problem in that hne which the Re
porter does not care to discuss.
1t does not seem to be a discouraging
fact to most of the large trade journals.
that In 1899 we exported raw cotton to the
extent of S. per cent of our total crop,
or s19s.OOO,OO0. while we exported only
$29. 100000 of cotton goods; that we ex-
ported S23. 9S5 worth of leather and it's
manufactures, but that only 81, 100. 900 was
In boots and shoes; that our exports Of
wheat reached over 29O, 900 bushels,
while the flour exported was equal to
only one-fourth the total bushels of
wheat, being included in the wheat state
ment in all treasury reports; nor Is there
any spontaneous outburst of applause at
the fact that the Standard Oil monopoly
has at least rendered one signal benefit
to the country in bringing about annual
| exports of mineral oils 70 the value of
upwards of s5O.OOoOOO.
There are perhaps some inadequacies in
even the trade journal discussions of how
to advance our trade abroad. But none
of them seems to have originated the the
ory that we are selling too much at home
and not enough abroad in manufactured
lines. That we are sacrificing not only
the farmer to the Liverpool wheat mar
kct. but tho typewriter and bicycle man,