Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-26
be increasing both in numbers and in the


amount of their investments. The competi- |
ton between the English and the German |
shipping interests is savage. In their COM |
petition of ocean freight the Germans are |
having rather the best Of 1t. due to their
more modern and better equipped vessels. |
John Bull on the ocean is a leviathan. and |
he IS content to move as slowly as levia- |
than. A ship once afloat Is to him car |
rier for all time, and any kind Of a tub that |
won't sink Is expected to keep the carrying |
trade, but the theory does not work when |
German shipbuilding chooses to dispute it.
However. the competition does not appear |
to satisfy the European exporters. The rep |
resentative Of leading Hamburg firm told
me steamship freight rates were so high that
his principals were now sending their car
goes by sailing vessels. This does not agree
with the complaint of the steamship COM
panies that the competition Is destroying
them all and they will have to come to an
understanding as to rates and spheres Of IN
huence Some Of them now have an agree
ment under which they interchange passen-
ger traffic and limit their speed The ltal-
ian, Spanish and French lines find the en,i-
grant traffic both ways very profitable.
The commerce of the river Plate attracts
the attention of all the world, with the pos
sible exception Of the United States. The
Mexican trade commission which came to
South America did not neglect Montevideo
and Uruguay. Persia's minister. who was
accredited to the different countries, was
duly presented. There is no occasion for
diplomatic intercourse between Persia and
not appear likely to become of great vol
ume. yet both countries think 1t worth while
to encourage the possible development of
trade. Italy, or Italian merchants, sustain
trade expOsitions for South American GUS
toners. and an association in Milan MAIN
tains regular propaganda Now the Span
fsh commercial associations are sending out
delegation to Argentina, and the delegates
will spend part of their time in Montevideo,
which ships large quantity of tasajo or
jerked beef to Spain and takes variety Of
products in return
American Exporter Indifferent.
The United States exporter apparently is
the only one who is Indifferent. Surplus
or unstable stock cheap and damaged
goods, are all that he has thought worth
contributing to test the market When he
has not done this he has been unwilling to
make the slightest concession in order to
secure Uruguayan custom l was told the !
experience of a former consul who was an |
enthusiast on getting trade He persuaded
Montevideo merchant. whose importations
were very large and chiefly from Germany,
to send trial order to a North American
firm. 1t was big order, too. Though ac-
customed to his six months credit in Ger !
many, the merchant inclosed his draft to |
the New York house that his custom was |
even more than a cash on delivery one. The |
enthusiastic consul wrote a personal note to |
the firm asking that the receipt of the or |
der be acknowledged by cable and suggest |
ing that in view of the possibility of future |
trade 1t would be we'll to give this Monte |
video order special consideration. |
Weeks passed without word and even |
months. Finally the mails brought a per- |
functory acknowledgment that the order |
had been received and would be filed in |
its turn. which meant several months |
ahead. The crestfallen consul took the mes |
sage to the Montevideo merchant, who ca |
bled to Hamburg one day, received an an |
swer the next day and in six weeks had |
his goods. The consul finally succeeded in |
getting the draft back without interest nine |
months after it had been sent. Following |
that experience he never could work I'D |
much enthusiasm.
For reasons which are perfectly open and |
are sound, Uruguay would like to have |
more trade with the United States more |
American enterprises and more American |
investments. English and German capital
is welcomed and is protected but the coun-
try does not care to be controlled, finan-
cially. too completely in Europe. An effort |
was made through Minister Finch to have |
American contra ctors bid on the harbor i'm
provements for which there was cash in |
the treasury. but they did not care to do So
The contract went to French company on |
very good terms for the company A |
chance was open for securing control of one
of the tramway companies, but that also
was permitted to pass.
English Control the Street Cars
English interests now control the street
car system and practically have a monop-
Oily Montevideo Is one of the few big cities |
which is dependent on horse The Wis
itor who undertakes to make his way about !
gets hopelessly lost. Wherever he wants to
go he is told 20 take the car with the three
horses He blithely jumps on the first one
that comes along, is told that 1t is some
other car with three horses that he should
have taken: tries another trio, is fooled
again. and finally jots over the cobblestone |
pavements in cab. The hills are not steep
but they are numerous, and the hill horse
which is the lead horse. is always in har
ness. Hence the confusion of 1.-The car with
the three horses" 1t will disappear SOON
for the English companies which have the
monopoly of the tramways are going to
substitute the trolley, and electricity will |
put Montevfdeo on the same plane as other
cities as regards its transportation methods |
CHARLES NJ. PEPPER