Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-01

nal, I undertook to go from Bogota,
the capital of Colombia, ovrland along
the high plateaus, intervening tropical
valleys and rugged ranges of the Andes
mountains, via Quito, the capital Of
Ecuador, to Guayaquil, the port of Ec-
uador on the Pacific coast of South
America.
Covers 1900 Miles
"The actual distance covered was 150Ol
miles, of which 100 miles could be ac-
complished only on muleback or afoot.
/ was thirty-one days in the saddle.
The remaining 400 miles were done over
short railway lines, i'm river steamboats,
and canoes, and by one daring automo-
bile sprint OF 1876 miles down the sides
of the Andean Cordillera from Quito
to Cajabamba In Ecuador. The greater
portion of this route had never been
Travelled before by an American official.
Further than this will give no details,
as l am now at work preparing my Of
fetal report thereon. l may add, how
ever, that the country 7 traversed isl
marvelously rich in mining, agricultu-
raj and Industrial opportunities and will
| experience, on the opening of the Pan
anna canal, q vast development which
will greatly benefit this Pacific coast.
THE total value, exports and imports,
including Canada, i'm 1905 was approx
imately $5,O00,OO 900. Of this huge to-
| tai the commerce of Latin America
reached the surprising figures of nearly
| 81, 500, 900 000 or one-third Of the Pan
American total. The commerce of de-
| spised Latin America was equal in
sum total to nine-elevenths of our much
vaunted and proudly described total,
and was nearly four times that of Can
ada, which is experiencing a great
boom. Only nine per cent of our i'm
| mense total of exports went to Latin
America i'm 1905, although the latter's
imports exceeded $1,000,000,000, and only
| twenty per cent of our vast imports
found their origin in Latin America,
although that part of the worlds for
eign export shipments last year eX
ceeded $720,000,00O.
THE Pacific coast of Latin America
is often pictured by the average Amer
lean as a terra incognita,' as a wild
and unimproved portion of the earth.
And yet Mexico, Central America, Pan
anna, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
and Chilli last year conducted a foreign
trade exceeding $500,000 000-enough 20
keep every harbor in California crowded
with shipping, if this commerce passed
through their gates instead of those of
Europe and Eastern United States
"Of this great sum the exports were
approximately $500, 100000, of which the
United States purchased only $12O, ,O0o,-
600, or forty-two per cent; and the i'm
ports were 5000, 100000 of which the
United States sold only $75,000,000, or
thirty-eight per cent. We should buy
sixty per cent of the exports and sup
! ply seventy-five per cent Of the i'm
ports, of which the greater portion
Ie.I md rItrtn fl,n Do
cific ports of the United States.
Considering the fact that these
twelve nations, which are especially in
the field of the Pacific coast of the
| United States, but now in the very in
fancy of their material progress, en-
joy trade with the outer world of
00,000,000, it is safe to predict that in
another decade this will amount to the
vast sum of $1,500,0OO,O0O. Let us then
be up and doing to have our share of
the probable increase.
what do the tin American nations,
bordering on the Pacific ocean, and
hence easily reached by vessels from
California, buy of the United States?
What do they purchase that might be
exported from California, Oregon and
| Washington? Time and time again have
I studied the list of their imports in Or
der to answer satisfactorily these i'm
portant questions. a summary of them
would seem long and uninteresting did
1t not unfold splendid present and
| attractive future possibilities.
Want American Products
Down there they want in increasing
, quantities our coarse timber. sawed
lumber, railway ties, telegraph poles,
boards, deals, planks furniture and all
kinds of wood manufactures. In this
line alone California might develop an
annual trade of many million dollars.
They are buying, flour, wheat, barley
and other breadstuffs, and yet the de-
mand is only in it's incipient stages.
They like canned salmon, canned fruits
and vegetables, canned butter, bacon,
lard, salt beef and other meats and pro-
visions which We can or ought to sup"
ply. For paper, hardware, cement,
baled hay, candles, POWDER crude and
refined oil, wine and beer they are
looking also to the Pacific coast. They
are going to build ships, steamers and
launches in our shipyards if we show
them what we can do. They are ready
| to buy here wagons and other con-
veyances, wearing apparel leather,
woolen and even cotton manufactures
if we will develop our manufacturing
facilities and try to satisfy their
| market
"Some of the other leading articles
/
United States, but which, on account
of conditions of manufacture, come
from the Eastern or Central Western
States, are automobiles, bicycles, agri-
cultural implements, mining machinery
sewing machines, typewriters, all kinds
of electrical apparatus and outfittings,
steam boilers, castings, saws, manila
rope and boots and shoes, and yet not
a small portion of these might be sup
| piled by coast houses shipping in un-
broken bulk by direct steamers in COM
petition with eastern broken shipments,
first by water, then by rail across the
Isthmus and by water again to desui-
nation.
"As true and healthy trade involves
buying as well as selling, and as YES
sells must have returning as well as
outgoing cargoes, we scrutinize with
interest and concern the products of
Latin America that we may want for
manufacturing and consumption in the
| United States Prominent among these