The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-07-04
TRADE OF LATIN AMERICA.
Europe Warned of the Efforts of the
United States.

leroy BeauIieu, the French ECono-
mist. Outlines the war Area of
Trade and Points Out Commercial
! Dangers MenucinE Certain Nations
| N. Leroy BeauIieu. a FrenCs- economist.
| has aroused attention in business circles
/ in Europe by an article in which he de-
! Scribes the present commercial relations
/ between this country and Central and
! South America. the motive for the article
! being the Pau-AmeriCan Congress soon to
I lac held in Mexico. After giving a brief
/ history of the Monroe Doctrine he says:
We see that the United States in the
new world pretend to a political and econ
omiC hegomony. the result of which would
I be the almost complete elimination Of ev-
/ cry European influence in those countries
! of Central and South America. the future
/ of which Is SO great. The approaching
/ meeting Of a Pan-AmeTican Congress at
/ Mexico makes this question of timely in
I terest and Importance to Europeans. So
/ far as France is concerned South Amer
( lea is one Of her most important markets
one in which She has best maintained her
/ commercial situation. 1t is therefore our
! duty to watch closely a movement which
aims at nothing less than TO shut US out
/ altogether from I2tin-America This is
I Z
/ object of these congresses is to draw ever
closer the economic ties between the
! United States and the rest of the New
! World, and we must not forget that it is
/ the United States which started the move
ment
Let US see now what are the present
! commercial relations between these diff
! fcrent countries During the past fiscal
/ year the exports from the United States
! amounted to s1.a9l,000. 900, of which 81 0i0.-
/ GJ0p0 were sent TO Europe, 100000 to /
Asia &i5-400D0o TO Oceania, s19,s0l,0)1 to
! Africa, S1SI.2Oa,0o1 TO the other countries
] Of North America. and 50. 010O19 to
/ South America. We see from this
/ that the exports to South America were
/ less than to Oceania which seems /
/ strange. since Australia and New Yea
/ Iaaa are much farther from the United
/ States than any part Of South America !
! As regards imports the situation IS sim
liar The total value Of goods imported /
/ into the United States during the past
/ year was $Sjo,000.01G of which $40 O0.0d9 /
/ came from Europe, S1+5e9O.o53 from Asia. /
/ $3t5I8.9e3 from Oceania. 81 .290,gVJ from /
/ Africa, Ss2Ceo,oaa from other North /
I American countries, ard $3.50 800 from /
/ South America. Ia other words. in this /
/ entire commerce. exports and imports /
! combined making a total Of S2-2ls, yJ.ed0. /
/ the share of North America was SsII.-
/ 10000, OF Il per cent. and that of South /
/ America was S132. G0l0o7, or s per ceat.
In these figures. especially those /
/ which concern South America. there i |
/ nothing satisfactory for those who ina /
/ gine that the United States will soon &C
{ qulTe ar economic Supremacy rhroIcI- +
out the entire New World. Naturally. /
/ therefore they are dissatisfied and are
I I'd +fvT :
/ commerce which Is developing 50 rapid /
/ ~ elsewhere is completely stagnant in !
South America Since 1891 the exports Of /
/ the United states To Europe have IN /
! creased by half those TO Asia and /
+ yceania have much more than doubled. /
/ those TO Africa have almost luar,Iruplcd. /
! and those t. Canada and Mexico nave
! also largely increased.
On the other hand. is regards the An
! tli-es, no marked PROCESS has been made /
/ IN the matter of exports. as regards Cen /
( trai America, none a. all, and as regards /
south America very little. the increase in /
this last instance only amounting To u /
per cent IN nine years. South America. in /!
! a word plays small part Ia the total
commerce Of the United States. and. re-
/ ctpocai!y, the United States is an iusig- I
| niiicant factor in the total commerce Of /
South America. The total value Of the
/ exports from the latter is about 5000 /
Goa, Of which only So, 99s,Gc5 goes to the
I United States, and The total value Of the /
/ imports into all the South American /
countries is about $3.50 10000. Of which /
| only $3s.g1IU99 comes from the United +
States We see that south America sells {
/ to the United States much more than she
/ buys from them. and the same may be /
said of Central America and the Antilles.
wv hat Is surprising in these figures is
that the commerce between thu United /
states and Central and South America Is
developing So slowly These latter ccuu-
tries sell &c foreigners the products Of /
( their mines and Of their agriculture. and
purchase in return manufactured articles
Now, until these latter years the United
States exported musT1 raw material, they
. had. therefore. little to sell to South
America hut were obliged to purchase
from her because thay had not IN their
owr country q sufficient quantity of Ger
/ tain food products. which she has now in (
abundance
Vow, however, in view Of the great in
/ dustTiai development which within five or
six years has Transformed the United
. States into country that exports manu-
featured articles il is really astonishing
that their exports nave not Increased III
the same manner as their exports to the
Far East. Canada, and Mexico. This lat
ter country is the only one in Latin
America in which the economic influence
OF the United States is important and
even preDonderaut. and what the United
States Is now aiming at is to acquire in
the other Iarin-Am-ricaU countries q pU-
siti0H similar 10 that which they today
occupy in Mexico.
An obstacle IN their way * the fact /
that these Latiu-AmrTican countries are /
much farther away from them than
Mexico is y journey by water from New /
York or Philadelphia 20 Brazil Argentine
or Uruguay takes almost as long
journey to those countries from Liverpool.
Bordeaux. or Lisbon The United States
are more favored geographically for traf- I
ticking with the Far East than with
South America. Their proximity TO South
America does not benefit them and there {
fore Europe can compete with them there
on equal terms Moreover. just as they
hardly exported any manufactured arti-
cI@S until recent years, so, too. they did
not export any capital, and il is not from
OF Latin-America have been obliged to
for their development
In this way a very strong bond, which
it would toe difficult to unite. has been
created between them and the Old World
Yet this is Just what :he business men Of
the United States are now trying to do.
and. II they apply their customary energy
to the task of Untying this bond Europe
VIII have to work hard to maintain her
present position in Latin-AmeTiCa-'
Tomuv,s YFisfaJ.e