The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-06-21
AMERICAN TRADE
SOME GOOD SUGGESTIONS COME
 FROM AN EN0LIsHMAN,
Who Tells of Why Europe Gets All Business in South America and What United States Merchants Must Do in Order to Secure
 a Profitable Foothold.
New Orleans Picayune.

I
 dicates that he is representing Kelly's
 Directories. Ltd. of London, and who has
 been for some years in Buenos Ayres, is
 In the city MT. de Hoch has been travel ing in the United States for a year or two, and has studied trade conditions, so
 that his observations on American trade
 with South America are interesting He 1 saio last night: T am surprised that New Orleans has no direct line of steam
 CTS to the Argentine Republic. It would
 mean business for the railroads, and this 1 part is entitled. on account of its geo.
 graphical position, to all the business,
 and the European countries have no right
 to 1t.
 "The lack of trade on the part of this
 country is due to a certain extent to the l Independence of American manufactur- CTS. The German manufacturers send their representatives down there, and
 they meet the people on their own ground,
 being educated in the language, and they bow and scrape for small orders which the American manufacturer will not do, and give long credits. which do not in | any way indicate financial debility on the part of the firms concerned. It is the prevailing market conditions which have to be respected.
 My conjecture is that the merchant hopes some extinct volcano may explode and prevent payment of the bill. I said
 to prominent merchant once, Why not pay cash?
 Well. for two reasons he replied. First l have the German who will give me credit, and. second, just imagine what may happen in six months.'
 However. the firms always pay. and their credit is perfectly good. Another reason for the small amount of trade the Americans have in those countries is the unwillingness of American manufacturers to modify his article to meet the require
 ments of the country. An instance of this came to my notice short time ago in Ohio. A well-known manufacturer had an order for some chaff-cutters, to which slight notifications were required. He replied to the firm ordering them that there was but one way to make them, and that one was employed by his firm. Going out of the machinery line, I will give you note on shoes. A prominent New York shoe house, about year and half ago. sent a salesman to Nicara- qua to take orders for shoes. He started out and got several fair-sized orders, but on calling on his Consul in the after noon, found that the goods had to be packed in burlap. as duties were assessed on the gross weight. Thereupon the salesman went out and cancelled every order, saying that the firm packed goods only in cases. and would not depart from this manner of procedure. This was very unwise. Say a case weighed 50 pounds. There would be S or s7 duties on it. while packed in burlap this would be practical ly eliminated. So you see the demands of the merchant are anything but unrea- sonable.
 "As regards the shipping lines men toned. a state of affairs exists which the American manufacturer is hardly cog nizant of. That is that the English steamship companies, which monopoiize the trade of the United States with South America. by mutual agreement, charge practically double the rates charged to England for the same ports though the difference of distance Is only about a thousand miles. This may be attributed to a patriotic desire of the Englishman to secure or keep trade for his country men, and 1t is very laudable desire, when considered from their standpiint.
 Another interesting point for Ameri- cans is the Monroe Doctrine. There Is a mistaken idea in the South American republics as to the true significance of the memorable words of Monroe. It is an accepted fact amongst these people that when tho American feel disposed and have done all the colonizing they can in their immediate vicinity, they will ap- propriate those countries. which causes to a certain extent an antagonistic feel ing towards the 'Yankis.' a condition which in no way tends to creta eharmoni- ous relations where trade is concerned. The people feel a certain amount of pa triotism, and say: What is the use of having an army and navy, If we cannot take care of ourselvesT |
 Americans sometimes talk in san | guine way about what they think will be a confederation of this hemisphere. Such 1 a thing is hardly practicable, when we consider the temperament of the two races-the vivacious and hot-blooded Latin and the stoical Saxon. making an exception for the Southerners. who more resemble the Latin.
 It will however be possible that a consolidation of both North and South | American States will take place, and an alliance offensive and defensive, would enable them to hold their own against a coalition of European powers. This is a sentiment dear to the heart of every | South and Central American. and If the | Monroe Doctrine were to tend more to | bringing the countries together, the Americans might look forward to a more receptive spirit amongst those people.
 '"The American exports to those coun- l tries, notwithstanding the adverse condi- | tions are fairly heavy. and in some cases | exceed those of European firms. The aforementioned serves to show the pos | sibility of increased trade from these countries. If the merchants would only | try and meet the competition of the Eu- | ropeans on their own ground, and not to | employ the words of a very distinguished | American merchant. to try to teach them | American ways l think to meet them at least halfway would be only fair" I
 MT. de Hoch will visit Mexico and the West Indies before returning to Buenos Ayres.