The Washington times., 1903-12-23
MEXICAN INDUSTRIES
ARE GROWING RAPIDLY
VIII in Time Affect Trade
With That Country.
NEW FACTIONS ARE RISING
Railroads Extending, SHELTERS Being
Enlarged, and the Country Chang
ing Into One of Manufacture.

The United States has a firm foothoid
In Mexican trade. but Consul Leroy, Of
Durango. thinks it viii not increase in
the next ten years in the same ratio
as in the period since 1892 He says:
Imports II iron and steel are The
largest items Of Mexican trade with the
United States. and they increased most
IN the decade 1S92-1902 Machinery
alone jumped from 81 100000 in 1882 to
over 100000 in 1893. Our sales in these
lines. responding to Mexico's Industrial
development. will likely continue to in
crease but It may be doubted If they
will gain relatively as they in the pa st
ten years.
Building Factories.
1T VIII not do to overlook the estab-
nshment Of such concerns as the Mex
lean iron and steel plant near the iron
mountain at Durango. the large new
steel plant at Monterey, and the smelt-
ers at Torreon and elsewhere The
United States cannot expect to con-
tinue to take Mexico's raw materials.
principally mineral products. behind a
tariff barrier, and return them TO her
as finished products-at least in any
thing like the proportion that has of
late ruled in this trade 1t is inevitable
that a country waking to life as this
country Is should both learn from rs
and turn our conditions to her own
advantage The este blishnent of in
dustrial concerns sucn as cotton mills.
shoe factories, etc. gees along with and
stimulates an economic and social ad-
vancement and increases the call upon
the United States for machinery: but
the internal advancement in its turn
leads the country. newly dependent on
the outside world for more highly fin
ished products. to seek to become again
In different degree independent and
self-supporting.
Grazing and raising corn and beans
are diversified by the introduction of
cotton and other plants, calling for bet
ter organized irrigation and agriculture:
the precious metals cease to monopolize
the miners attention, and the country 5
natural resources in iron and coal can
no longer be left buried As the rail-
roads open up the country more and
more, shelters increase both in size and
number. a movement stimulated OF late
by the disposition Of the Guggenheims'
10 build up big concerns down here. to
render their operations independent OF
their big smelters in Colorado. because
OF the labor troubles there.
Developing Right Way.
1T need hardly be pointed out that il
is, in general. precisely this sort of de-
velopment OF Mexico that should be de-
sired 1t means inevitably the making of
theicountryJ a better neighbor and a bet
ter market for our manufactured prod
ucts; but at the same time the careful
observer VIII see that there is bound TO
come about a considerable readjustment
OF our trade with Mexico-something
that can perhaps be but limited at now,
as 1t is only in its beginning. The
United States has had the advantage
thus far in dealing with Mexico of
finding her country in which only ma
lures raw resources were exploited, and
of helping TO exploit those resources AID
selling her the wherewithal to do II ac-
cording &c modern methods, both at the
same time. This era is by no means
over. Nevertheless. we may already
hint at time when Mexico viii face US
ard our trade as other more highly or
gained countries do. and when there
will be need for a readiustment Of the
naturally reciprocal basis on which we
now deal with each OF her %