Arizona republican., 1907-07-03
OUR LATIN NfIGHBORS IA Much Better Commercial
 Understanding
Great Increase OfOur Trade With Central and South America.

Washington, June 30.-Trade of the
 United States with her Latin Amer ican neighbors aggregates more than 500 million dollars in the fiscal year ending with the present week. against but little more than 230 million dol lare a decade ago. The total com merce with all Latin America in the fiscal year 1907 was but 234 million dollars in value. In the fiscal year 1t will show approximately 61O millions In this figure is included the trade
 2-ith Porto Rico. not now considered as foreign commerce. but entitled to be considered in this calculation, which compares the figures of 1907 with those of 1887, date when Porto Rico was foreign country.
 Of the more than 600 million dol jars which the trade with Latin Amer ica will aggregate in the year just ending, approximately 360 millions will be imports and 250 millions will be exports. still including in the fig ures the trade with Porto Rico. These figures for 1907 are based upon com plete returns for eleven months and an estimate for June, the twelfth month of the fiscal year. Accepting this estimate as an approximate meas urement of the trade with Latin America. in 1907, it may be said that the total imports from all Latin Amer ica show an increase of 132 per cent over those from the same area in 1897, while the exports to those coun- tries show an increase of PIP per cent.
 The growth in trade with the Latin American countries has been more rapid than with many other sections of the world. and in both imports and exports the percentage of increase is greater than that with the remainder of the commercial world. Figures just compiled by the bureau Of statis- tics of the department of commerce and labor show that imports from Latin America in 1907 are. as above indicated. 152' per cent greater than those of a decade ago. while those from all other countries combined are but 7S per cent greater than a decade ago. Exports to all of Latin America in 1907 are PIP per cent more than in 1897. while those to all other countries are but sS per cent greater than in 1897.
 In this term Latin American" countries are included Mexico. Central America, all of South America except the British and Dutch Guianas, and all of the West Indian islands except those under British. Dutch or Danish control.
 The principal countries with which this growth in our trade occurs are f,as. rD America; Central America as a whole. Mexico. Cuba and the island Of Porto Riso, the latter not now included in the statistics of foreign commerce of the United Staes but included in this statement, which compares trade con- ditions with Latin America at the present time. with those of a decade ago. when the figures of our trade with Porto Rico were included with those of our foreign commerce.
 Imports from Argentina have in- creased from 10 3-4 million dollars in 1897 to approximately r millions in l9Od. a growth of about 50 >per cent while the exports to Argentina have increased from 1-3 millions in 1897 To approximately 32 l-2 millions in 1yOi. gain of more than 400 per cent. From Brazil the imports have grown from IS l-2 millions in 1897 to approx imately 97 millions in 1907. an in- crease of about 400 per cent. while the exports thereto have grown from IA millions to approximately 49 mill Hons, an increase of nearly 500 per cent. From Porto Rico the imports have grown from little more than million dollars in 1897 to consider ably more than 22 millions in 1907. an increase of about 1000 per cent. while the exports thereto have grown from slightly less than ? millions in 1897 to practically 25 millions in 1907. an increase of about HOO per cent. From central America as a whole the i'm ports have grown from 1-2 millions in 1897 to d little more than 14 mill lions in 1907, an increase of 80 per cent, and the exports thereto from