New-York tribune., 1902-12-31
.SOTTH AMERICAN TRADE.

The International Customs Congress Of Amer
| lean nations. which is TO assemble in this city
on January II next. ehould direct attention
| once more to the desirahility of promoting
| closer commercial relations with our Southern
| neighbors. Representatives OF Argentina. Bo-
| livia. Costa Rca, Cuba, Ecuador Guatemala.
| Hayti. Honduras. Mexico. Salvador. Venezuela
! and the United States expected to be pres
| ent. AS the necessity for larger foreign mar
| kets for our rapidly developing manufacturing
| industries becomes greater the opportunity Of
| fered us in Central and South America must
be and more realized Mr.. Blaine was
some years ahead OF his time In this matter
He wanted to make trade arrangements which
would develop our home industry. We hare
developed industry under other stimulus 10 the
point where people are forced TO see the use
fulness OF the markets he wanted TO open.
The primary object OF the conference is 10 con
cider the commercial systems and trade regu
lations of the various countries so that all un
reasonable chsrges and unnecessary restrictions
upon trade may be removed and all laws af
fectIng vessels and the handbag OF merchandise
may be adapted 20 the greatesl convenience OF
intercourse Our people have hGen proverbially
slow IN meeting the peculiar demands Of for
eign consumers, and all over Spanish-America
the Germans and the English have established
habitants in the way they wanted them sup
piled. Our merchants are invited 10 present
TO the conference any complaints and sugges-
tions which they may have to make about the
commercial methods OF their neighbors and it
may be hoped that they in turn will be open
to suggestion 70 the way they should do
business TO gain South American trade.
1t may likewise he hoped that the conference,
besides accomplishing direct results along these
lines, will stimulate interest in freer reciprocal
trade relations. There no countries from
which we have more TO gain and less 10 fear
in the matter Of reciprocity than orr Central
and South American neighbors. Many of their
products want on the cheapest possible
terms, just as much they want TO send them
here subject 10 the least possible duty Take.
for instance. the matter cf raw hides. The
thick, coarse hides of the Venezuelan and Ar
gentine cattle are not produced here in any
considerable quantity. The duties on hides
were intended to protect American cattle rails
ers, brt in reality mostly benefit the great
packing houses of Chicago and Kansas City
which on account of them can realize more for
byproduct without paying correspondingly for
the cattle. These duties have practically de-
stroyed one branch of our export leather trade
We had profitable foreign business established
in betting and other heavy leather goods made
from these thick South American hides our
manufacturers. however. arc unable TO pay pres
ent duties raw hides and compete in Euro
pean markets with finished goods made from
them. They import these hides for betting
sold at home because own hides are not
suitable for the purpose. and leave Europe to
do its own tanning Of heavy leather. SO we
have lost good foreign market without in
creasing the demand for home grown hides
Now, if such situations as this which doubt
less exist in various industries to a greater or
less extent, Were taken up they might be
remeded without harm to any domestic inter-
est. Detailed faults are bound to exist in the
most perfect general system of duties. They
may operate Oh the whole well while they are
unable to meet exceptional conditions and one
of the excellent features of reciprocity treaty
is its ability to deal with the exception without
interfering with the rule Thus conceang the
wisdom of protecting hides in general. if par
ticular countries produce a particular quality
of hide which we need. we can make arrange
ments to secure il without hurting anybody at
home on terms which open Il foreign market
for some article of our production Trea-
jealous devotees Of extreme protection may
look with favor. They safety valves on the !
protection boiler. They let off superfuous press
uTe which may be developed at any point