Daily camera., 1901-12-06
SOME TRADE FACTS.
Proportion Of South American Com
merce Held by United States.
While Trade with Countries on Car
ibbsan Sea Is Fairly Satisfactory
Tint with Countries Farther
south IL Very Poor Indeed.

The recent departure from Wash
the United States and numerous
other delegates to the approaching
| Pan-American conference to be held
ut the City of Mexico lends especial
interest to some figures on the com
mercc of the United States with the
territory at the south, which the
treasury bureau of statistics has com
piled for the convenience of the
| United States members of that con
gress. The Importance Of develop
ment OF our commerce in this partic-
ular direction is pointed out by this
publication, which shows that our
exports have shown less growth to
the countries of Central and South
America than to any other parts OF
| the world.
THE commerce Of the United
States with the American countries
| lying south of her borders,' says
the opening page of this discussion,
has long been an object of solicltudc
to her statesmen, economists and
business men. With the English
speaking people of American terri
tory lying upon the north her com
mercial relations have rapidly grown
and proven mutually satisfactory.
With those OF another language, oc-
cupying the contiguous territory at
the south, the growth has been slow
er and less satisfactory, and rs the
distance increases the growth de
creases. To British North America
the United States supplies SO per cent.
of the total imports for consumption;
to Mexico, equally adjacent, but
speaking another language than our
own, 40 per cent; to the Central
| American states, next removed by
distance, though readily reached by
water and now being tapped by rail
/ ways, IS per cent: to Colombia. Il
| irif;e father removed. but equally ac-
| cessible by direct water communica-
/ tion, 33 per cent; TO Venezuela,
equally accessible, 81 per cent; to
/ the West Indies, which lie in close
| proximity, but which have been up
to the present time controlled by
/ commercial nations whose policy in
/ many cases has been to retain their
\ commerce for their own people. 20
per cent; TO the Guianas, also readi-
/ ly reached by water, IS per cent. OF
the imports of British Guiana, II
per cent OF those of Dutch Guiana
and but less than 6 per cent. Of those
OF French Guiana.
up TO this point the study OF the
growth OF commerce between the
I United States and other American
countries is fairly satisfactory. Be
ginning with SO per cent. of the i'm
pert trade OF Canada, 40 per cent.
of that OF Mexico. and ranging down.
ward along the Gulf of Mexico and
Caribbean sen. fairly satisfactory
share of the commerce OF those coun-
tries is enjoyed by the people OF the
\ United States; though IL will be con-
ceded tina, her people hare righ,
10 expect . larger share Of the com
merce of the countries lying so near
at hand. especially in view OF the fac,
that our purchases from them are
much larger than our sales 10 them.
f. Even This somewhat unsatisfactory
condition OF trade with the countries
bordering upon the Gulf OF Mexico
and the Caribbean sea is. however,
gratifying when compared with the
traffic relations OF the United States
with the countries of South America
bordering upon the Atlantic and Pa
cific oceans. OF the total imports OF
all South America, 81 per cent. is
taken by the countries bordering
upon the two oceans, and bu; l3 per
cent by those upon the Caribbean.
On the eastern coast OF South Amer
lea we find Brazil importing in 1899
goods TO the value OF over sI15, 900, 900,
of which the United States supplied
about 10 per cent: Uruguay and Par
aguay, 500, 600 900. of which our share
was less than .per cent; and Ar
gentine. SIP, 100000. of which about
30 per cent. was from the United
States; while a tour OF the Pacific
coast shows imports into Chilli Of s3s,'
600 ,oc0, Peru ss,5Oo,000. Bolivia sll,-
100000 and Ecuador 100000; the
proportion from the United States
averaging about 10 per cent. Thus
the northern coast of South America,
fronting on the Caribbean sen. inn
ports goods to the value OF 500 ,00G,-
900, OF which we supply an average Of
IS per cent; the eastern coast, front
ing upon the Atlantic, s2T3, 3,OO0.0 900.
and the Pacific coast, $50, 900, 900; OF
which our proportion Is in each case