The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-10-25
THE PAN-AMERlcAN CONGRESS

: THE PAN-AM ERIcAN CONGRESS
j, Minneapolis Journal: The long
talked-of Pan American congress
meets in the City of Mexico today
. with nearly every Spanish-Americau
state represented, together with the
United States. Even Venezuela AM
the United States Of Colombia, now
at war with each other without max
ing a declarations Of war, will send
delegates to this congress whose ir-
%tentions are peaceful and commercial.
That the congress will have a bene-
fetal Influence upon the countries rep
resented is to be expected, if the
proceedings are conducted with tact.
The subject of arbitration will have
to be handled with care, for some of
the states of South America have
longstanding boundary disputes which
they do not wish to be Included in
any definite plan of arbitration. They
prefer that any agreement Of the kind
shall not be retroactive. 1t is desir-
able that u delegation to the CON
gress shall exert their influence to
further our trade interests with Span
ish America. W."
Significant facts about our trade.
with Spanish America are, that while
we supply Canada with 81 per cent Of
her imports, we supply Mexico with
40 per cent. of hers; the Central Amer
lean states with 35 per cent Of theirs;
Colombia, 33 per cent; Venezuela. ~
per cent; the West Indies, 20 per-
cent; the three Guiana colonies, rs,
pei cent of the British imports, II.
Of the Dutch Guiana imports and less,
h a 6 per cent of the French Guianas..
We supply Brazil with only 10 per
cent of her IMPORTS; Uruguay and.
Paraguay, less than 7 per cent Of
theirs and 10 per cent of Argentina's
and about the same proportion of the
imports of Chile, Peru, Bolivia and
Ecuador. All these South American.
countries have d trade of nearly $375,-
100000 of goods imported and the pro-
portion Of Jul country of this large
amount averages 10 per cent.
This is a decidedly poor showing,
accentuated by the fact that Germany,
France and Great Britain have the
largest share in this trade. While
we are crowding these countries in all
other parts of the world we are max
ing very slow progress in these Span !
ish-American countries near to us on|
the same hemisphere, although we
have all the goods. they want and
which they buy more largely from Eu-
rope thar from us. The goods can be
bought more clieaply from us than
from Europe, but freight rates from
our ports to- South American. points
are against our development Of trade
there, and this is the supreme difficult
ty, which would be removed; if we had
reciprocity treaties with those coun.
tries which would make it possible
for steamers to get return. of
South American products.
The trade of South America is a
prize worth gaining. There is a
great future before that continent. 1t
has majestic rivers, navigable nearly
across the continent; it. is full of unde-
veloped wealth in precious metalss
it is naturally constructed for a great
cattle raising and grain growing reg
ions it is waiting for development by
thousands of miles of railway. the
first lines of which are already prov
ing their value; it's natural market is.
the United States, and it SHOULD be a
trade preserve for the United States.
1t is the only great market where we
have not crowded our European COM
petitors with aggressive trade move
ments. While much is said about the
Asiatic market, this continent south
of us should not be neglected.
The congress which meets today in
the City of Mexico and at which the
United States will be intelligently rep
resented, will doubtless prove a slim
illus to close commercial relations
and remove from the Spanish-Ameri-
can mind any idea that the United
States has any hostile designs upon
them.
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