New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-08-07
SOUTH AMERICAN TRADE.

Commercial news from South America again
and again confirms what we have so often said
IN these columns about the poor showing of
the United States in the markets OF those coun-
tries and the urgent desirability of increasing
our trade with them. A BuenOs Ayres CORE
spondent Of the "Frankfurter Zetung," refer
ring to some recent decline in German trade in
some parts of South America, says bluntly: 1T
lis not due to United States competition in
South America, as the United States has had
Every little success there, except in the Ar
'gentine Republic" That is quite true, and
the correspondent gives facts and figures to
prove it.
Thus he shows that in the eleven years
1S92-1902 the exports Of the United States to
all South America increased by only $5,000O00,
a mere bagatelle when we remember that in the
same period our increase of exports to the rest
of the world was $4O0OOOOOO. Still less salts
factory does it appear in view Of the fact that,
owing to her increased purchasing power, Ar
gentina in those years increased her imports
from the United States by 100000, that
in all the rest Of the continent We actually suf-
fered loss of S2OOOOOO. AS a matter of fact,
there was in those eleven years a decline Of
S4,O0000O in our exports TO Brazil.
Now. to compare our South American trade
with Germany's-for Great Britain's is so much
larger than ours as to be out of all comparison.
Germanys exports to Argentina are Considera-
bly, larger than ours, and are increasing almost
as rapidly. Her exports to Brazil were $1,000
COO less than ours in 1892, the same as ours in
1885, and are now S2O00OO0 less again. Her
exports to Chill are from two to three times al
great as ours, but fuctuate considerably more
than ours. Her sales to Venezuela are only
about half of ours, but are steadily increasing,
while ours are rapidly declining having fallen
about So per cent in the eleven years.
On the whole, Germany materially surpasses
the Tinted States in South American trade, and
stands second to only Great Britain. The CORE
spondent whom we have quoted ascribes her
success doubtless with correctness, partly TO the
vast productive capacity Of German factories
and partly to the readiness Of German exporters
to meet the needs or the wishes Of their foreign
customers. We are inclined to think American
factories can successfully compete with their
German rivals at least in many lines of goods.
But it is a discouraging fact that, with all our
inventiveness and adaptiveness and Yankee
smartness," we have not yet learned the simple
but essential trick of making the supply fit the
demand, and Of giving to people what they
want, instead Of what we think they ought to
want.
This latter principle is something which
American manufacturers and merchants will
do we'll to consider and to act upon. To do so
will be a great deal more profitable than to get
I'D into the clouds with inflated theories about
the Monroe Doctrine. The best possible inter-
probation. application and enforcement OF that
doctrine would be found in such enterprise
push and adaptabillty as would give the United
States the first instead Of the third place IL
the South American market.