The St. Louis Republic., 1904-09-25


ailrcii and bridge materials.
United States now publication ~ tn
Department OF Commerce and L-sbol
There IS 10 ocubt uut that American good
| can be sold II they are properly rresento
i and handled. One OF the chief things
to send III. proper goods TO 81. right 10
calities and TO use intelligent efforts 4
tho disposing Of them"
| THE CONGO AND WEST AFRICA.
Are We doing much IN Western Africa
| Mr.. LoomisT'
Not as much as We should. The trad
Of the United States there is inconsidera
BILE and will remain so until We have di
rect communication between our Atlanti
| seaports and the Atlantic seaports of AZ
possibilities. 1t has an enormous popuia
ton and it should consume a vast guam
tity OF American products"
| What goods do you think could be SOLE
'one can Judge very well by the ex
ports which are now taken from Europe
| There ts q great consumption OF cottons
and also OF hardware and loodstufIs:
IN recent report To this department
one Of our Consuls in French West Africs
says that the people need ou. -four. bis
cults. Indian meal. corn and cotton goods
meats. fish. vegetables and tools.
They do not wart our bulky Gra;ne mol
raw cottons. nor our animals. ci.he:
ing up Of the various Provinces. steel rail-,
and locomotives will be In demand. and
also some machinery"
SOUTH AFRICA OUR BEST MARKET
"As far As our trade Is concerned" con.
dnued Secretary Loomis, South Africa I.
now BY far the best market on the Afri-
can Continent for American goods. and
this will be the case for years to come.
The British coionists know our manufac-
lures and have been buying them for q
long time. They are extending their trade
70 the northward and are opening vast
new region. which will be market FOR
American products. Before the Boer War
there were many Americans engaged In
mining In the Transvaai.
the new developments they will probably
take the increasingly important part
South Africa Is. you know. q white mani
country and its population is chiefly COM
The most OF the inhabitants speak Erg-
lish, and this - Of great advantage In the
plseine OF American trade: II Is true
tnat We have to compete With the British
but We are doing that successfully in Eng
land. Ireland and Scot and and we ought
to be able to do IL In Africa As Il is now.
We ship more han twice as much goods
TO Southern Africa as sny other country
except Great Britain. There is no doubt
but that the trade can be greatly in
creased. but IL should be done direct. by
eigners.'
UNCLE SAM IN SOUTH AMERICA.
The conversation here turned to South
America. and I asked Mr.. Loomis to tell
mo wh,: Uncle Sam. the great in,erna-
tional merchant. Is doing there
''UucIe Sans trade" replied tic Az
s;stans Secretary Of State. is steadily
gaining in tie several Republics Of our
Ilt,r
the sales OF the present year will be sls.-
than our greatest previous year OF 1901. In
the eight months ending with February
-. We sold So.1o.o0 worth OF goods TO
eouth America. as against 81. .ooe0lo worth
for the same period OF the previous year"
To which country do We sell most Mr.
Loomis?" asked.
Ing 1853 was Argentina replied the As
sistant Secretary Of State. That country
then bought about eleven ard one-cuarter
million dollars worth OF American prod
than ten and one-half mill ons: Colombia
next with four and one-ouarter. and then
came Chile with jus; about si.croapo
We sold almost s. o0p 900 worth nf STUFF
10 Peru. ard almost s2"o.oS to Venszueia
believe thst this trade could be Sery
yreai.v increased Neither our msnr-
made any powerful. sust fi,.ed. systena.ic
.ffort to obtain II. although certain hu.I.
hess houses have shown great enterpr Sc
rhe export interests as whole. however.
tfve but little attention to South Amer!ra
Is compared wish Mexico. Canada or Eu-
-ope. which latter countries offer easier
'harn rne1s Of trade ard give greater returns
We get repo. Is from or con U ar Office. |
Ihowing that our goods are I.lpular |
throughout South America and that they
iced ONLY the application Of the usual |
rade methods to enable them TO compet. |
With the European wares. which have nov |
he hulk Of the business"
What DO you mean by trade methods. |
ir LoomisT
Il mean the proper facilities of tran<por.
alton and banking. We ought TO have |
asst American steamship lines connecting |
corth and South America. We should /
ave American b,rks at the great centers
anguase. should go there to sell the
oods."
"WiI not the Panam. canal help mat
ers?"
There is no Doubt but that the eara,
I'll be Of immense benefit TO Us in o,,r
rade with the west coast OF South An1c--
"a. as well as with that of Central Amer
n and Mexico. II will also greatly hen
At US In Asia and the islands OF fhe Pa
ific-
OUR WEST INDIAN MARKET.
How about Cuba and Porto Ricoy.
sked
Our commerce with Cuba Is materially
under the new treaty of las,
'ecernber. During the three msaths end
Is with the Nst Of March. 1904. we xaines
lore than a million dollars in exports over
ne same period Of the previous rear.
lille our imports more than doubled
We are now sending q variety az A. |
cles 70 Cuoa and We are increasing IN \
ar exports OF nour: cotton cloth. sewing
acnines. ioSomouves. leather. lumber and
lrnituZa There has hsea q STeeS sSiu ,