Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-02-17
CONSUL DE LEON WRITES OF
SOUTH AMERICAN CONDITIONS

To the Editor of The Journal:
Dear Sir: note in an editorial niyour
issue of the 10th ultimo you quote Senior
Anadon, Of the Pan-American conference,
and endorse his allusion to the >"China
wall" Of the Mckinley and Dingley tariff,
making it impossible for South America
to send us her products.
would like to know what specific i'm
port. outside of a little sugar is affected
by the tariffs referred to. My experience
is that the tariff on wool, sugar and hides
does not divert any quantity of these sta
pies to European markets. The shipper
sends his produce to the United States be-
cause he nets prices, duties notwithstand-
ing, which are as good or better than
those he obtains in Europe. Again very
large part of our imports from South
America pay no duty-coffee, rubber, dye
stuffs, etc.
We import $1Os,OOO,O0O from South Amer
lea, against $34, 900 of exports, accord
ing to the interesting tables published by
the treasury department in Monthly
Summary of United States Commerce"
page 565, August, 1901. hence we buy from
these countries three times as much as we
sell to them. so our concern more prop
erly refers to our export trade, and
cannot see how the "China Wall" alluded
to plays any part in this. 1 fail to see
how the Mckinley or Dingley tariff inter-
fereS with our sales 10 south America
You state: 1.-THE Europeans offer much
more favorable accommodations, meet the
needs and tastes of the South American
markets much better and grant more lib
eral terms of credit sometimes to their
sorrow). These reasons are sufficient to
have great effect upon the course Of
trade, etc., All of which is true, but you
have omitted the vital question of trans
portation facilities in American bottoms,
4 - eel ocf4 nc
it seems to me, by the hair of the head.
why not a good substantial ship subsidy
as the first step in extending our COM
merce with South America? The Sesos-
iris, a 5000 ton steamer of the subsidized
German Kosmos line, running from Ham
burg to San Francisco, via Magellan ION
which was a passenger last year, pays
seamen SIS and first officer $3.50 per
month, while in San Francisco. American
vessels were offering $35 and $40 for ordi-
nary seamen. The Kosmos, am told, is
a subsidized line and has done much to
increase German trade with this coast.
How this inequality can be overcome
without governmental aid until at least
a large traffic is developed 1 fail to see.
Can you solve the problem?
The fact Is that both the export and in
port 1922, OOO, 600 trade of South America
is considering her vast territory, conpar-
atively in embryo. The little kingdom of
Belgium, one-ffth the size of Georgia.
one-twelfth the size of Ecuador, imported
in 1900, as per page III of Review of
Worlds Commerce. for that year $409.
900, 900 and exported 346,OO0.OOO. The small
figure cut by South America is 1ue to
the character of her population, low
standard of living and primitive civiliza-
ton. The bulk Of the people, so per cent
or more. are Indians, Mestizos or ne
groes.
Marked progress will only come, in my
opinion, with white immigration, but an
isthmian canal panama, by an means,)
will do much to increase American COM
merce, especially If some philanthropiss
like Mr. Carnegie would supplement the
work by munificent donations for the es-
tablishment of English schools in South
America. Respectfully,
PERRY NJ DE LEON.
Guayuuil. Ecuador. Jan. 10, 1902.