Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-04-12
AVENUES OF TRADE
SPANISH AMERICAN REPUBLICS
 ARE WAKING UP.
Question Which Was Headed Off at Washington Will. It Is Said. Be
 Taken Up at Rio Janeiro.

Washington, April 12-Several of
 the Spanisht republics are
 more interested in questions not coIl-
 tained in the program for the Pan- American congress at Rio JaneirO next July than in the subjects agreed
 upon for discussion. Although the program has been decided upon it Is
 likely that other questions will be laid
 before. the congress when it is con vened and discussion which was head ed off in Washington while the list of questions was under consideration will doubtless take place in Rio Jan eirO.
 The all-important question to many South American republics is the nav igation of rivers passing through two
 or more republics. Disputes more aggravated than those which have arisen over the boundary waters be tween the United States and Canada have threatened the peace of South America repeatedly in recent years.
 Located as many of the South Amer ican republics are, the westward form barrier to their commerce and the rivers are the chief avenues of trade. The republics of western South Amer ica are so divided by mountains that their territory east of the Andes is largely dependent upon the rivers flowing into the Atlantic ocean for transportation. The Orinoco, Anna zon and Plata rivers and their nu- merous tributaries form an inviting net of waterways for the products of parts of Columbia, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador, but the conditions under which most of these streams are open to interstate commerce have discour- aged shippers.
 An attempt to include the regulation of interstate commerce i'll the Rio JaneirO program had the support of several of the west coast republics, but Brazil was not willing and dis cord was avoided by not pushing the matter. Columbia and Venezuela have had trouble for years over the navi- gation of the OrinOco and its tribl- taries. but this question of interstate commerce is said to be one which will be satisfactorily settled through the treaty now pending between tie two republics. As Venezuela Is not pdTJy lO Ille Tdl-2AIutIlCuu COHeTt1Sb and shows no indications of relenting and sending representatives to Rio Janeiro, the action of that body could not affect the Orinoco river nayiga- tiOn, but the navigation of many of the streams which traverse Brazil and Argentina in finding their way to the ocean, was the subject which the western powers hoped to have satls- factorily disposed of.
 Another subject of great moment was the wording of the section of the relating to arbitration. An was made to have this. sec tion framed in such way that arbi- tration might be extended to disputes in the past. If this had been done, Peru might have been able to carry to The Hague its old controversy with Chill concerning the Tacha and Arica provinces and many other celebrated boundary disputes might have been But great care was taken In wording the arbitration provision In such manner that it will not be However, this is not sat isfactory in Its present form to many of the powers which are to participate In the congress and an attempt to amend it is expected at Rio.