Arizona republican., 1906-05-14

age, is also near to the markets of the United States via Panama or our Pa cific coast ports. sends 26 per cent of its exports to the United States and takes 25 per cent of it's imports from this country. With the more distant South American countries. however. conditions are materially different Peru sends but g per cent of its ex- ports to the United States and takes but IS per cent of it's imports from this country; Chile sends r per cent of its exports to the United States and takes but per cent of its imports from this country; while Uruguay sends us but 412 per cent of its exports and takes from us but S1A per cent of it's imports.
 The countries at the north of South America give a greater share of their trade to the United States than do those countries lying at the south. whether on the Atlantic or the Pacific frontage. Taking all the South Amer jean countries fronting upon the Car ibbean sea and combining them with Ecuador. which is also much nearer to American ports than those of any oth- CT country, the total imports are 37 million dollars. of which about 30 per cent is taken from the United States. The remaining South American coun- tries import about 400 million dollars worth of merchandise annually of which they take about F per cent from the United States.
 This condition of our trade with the distant South American countries-a condition in which those lying in the southern section take but 12 per cent of their imports from the United States while those occupying the northern part of the continent take 30 per cent from this country-appears to be chief ly due to superior transportation and business facilities occupied by the markets of Europe as compared with those offered by the United States. Practically all of the commerce leav- ing or entering the South American countries is necessarily carried by steamers or sailing vessels. Most of that of the countries whose ports are exclusively upon the western coast passes to the south around Cape Horn, except in the case of Ecuador, in which the proximity of American ports at the north diverts q larger share of the trade in that direction. As a result the bulk of the commerce of the west ern coast and that of most Of the east ern coast must pass the easterly point of South America on Its way to or from Europe or America.
 When it reaches this point. Pernam- bUco. 1t is practically as near to the ports Of western Europe as to New York or Boston in the United States; and as the number of steamships of fered for transportation of such mer- chandise is very much greater from Europe to South America than from the United States to South America. the trade naturally follows the line of fering the greatest transportation fa- cilities. True, the bulk Of the exports from Brazil is sent to the United States and a considerable quantity of mer- chandise from Argentina, but the yes sels which carry that merchandise, on arriving at New York or Boston, find no difficulty in obtaining full and ready cargoes for European ports, and there fore proceed to reload and clear for European ports, where they in turn ob- tain cargoes of manufa ctures and mis- cellaneOus merchandise for Suoth America returning thereto on the east ern side of the triangle thus described.
 As consequence. the number of ves- sels by which South America may ob- tain merchandise direct from the Unit ed States is small. and the number by which it may obtain merchandise di rect from Europe is very large and constantly increasing. In addition to this, the general trade machinery of most of the South American countries is in the hands of Europeans, who form the principal mercantile class, at least in the matter of wholesaling; and this is also true of the banking facilities and other important elements of com merce, while Americans engaged in commerce. banking, or transportation are reported to be extremely few. At the north of South America. conditions differ as to transportation. the number of steamship lines plying between American ports and those of South America being fairly satisfactory, and the number of Americans engaged in business with that section greater than in that farther at the south.