The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-17
FINLEY POINTS ID
 UNDEVELOPEO FIELD
To the Editor of The Age-HeraId:

ComplylnS With requests rom eeltorS
 of newspapers published in the southern
 states for occasional letters on commer-
 cial and economic topics of interest to the
 people of our sectton,. I take the liberty
 of writing to you on the great import
 ance of the expansion of our export trade
 with the Latin-American countries.
 This is a matter of special importance
 to our section, not only because of our geographical advantage with reference to
 this trade. which, as to the Pacific coast
 countries, viii be still further increased
 by the completion of the Panama canal,
 but also because a large proportion of the
 commodities which the countries to the
 south of us import can be produced and
 manufactured advantageously in the
 southern states A few statistics will
 show the great present importance and
 future possibilities of these markets. In
 round figures the combined area of Mex
 ico, Central America, South America and
 the West India islands is 100000 square
 miles, and their combined population is
 65,OOO,O00. Their population is rapidly in-
 creaslng. I.i the year 1907, 329, 122 immi-
 grants arrived in Argentina alone. Among
 South American cities Rio de Janeiro will
 soon have population of 100000, and
 Buenos Ayres, the largest city in the
 world south of the equator, has approxi-
 mately 1,20).GeG inhabitants, and the pro-
 gressive character of it's people is shown
 by the fact that they are now arranging
 to put in a system of underground elec-
 tric railways.
 The past 10 years have witnessed a
 marked change in political and economic
 conditions in the Latin-American coun-
 tries. Political upheayals are now of
 comparatively rare occurrence. and, with
 few exceptions, these countries have
 stable governments which afford adequate
 protection tc life and property. They are
 making rapid strides in material devel-
 opment. h former years they were se-
 riously hampered by lack of transports
 tion facilities. Their needs in thts respect
 are being rapidly supplied. Navigable
 streams are teing improved, wagon roads
 are being constructed, and the Latin
 American governments, generally, are
 pursuing an enlightened policy of encour-
 agement to railway construction. In 1907,
 for instance. over 900 miles of new rail-
 way were constructed in Argentina, mak-
 ing the total length of the lines in opera
 tion in that country 14,000 miles In Bra
 gil 436 miles of railway were built in 1907,
 bringing the total mileage up to 1,369
 miles. Mexico has 14,181 miles of railway. Chile has 1S00 miles of railway, and In the mountain country of Bolivia plan or construction involving the expenditure or
 s27 GOO coo of governmental and private capital nas been adopted Political sta
 bility, increasing population and improved
 means of transportation are resulting in
 material progress and In an increase Tn
 the purchasing power of the Latin-Amer-
 tcan people the extent of which, I be-
 lieye is not generally appreciated in our
 country.
 The Latin-American countries produce an abundance of commodities that are in
 demand in other lands. The combined
 value of their exports, almost wholly
 made up of unmanufactured articles, IS
 si O72, ,0O0 0G0 per year. The combined yalue of their imports, composed chleniy oi
 manufactured articles, amounts approx imately, to s1, ,0Ot, ,00o,0 600 per year. Our coun-
 try is their best consumer. In the year ended June 30 1908, we bought from them commodities to the value of $2S1, ,05S,0T9. Tn the same year our sales to them amounted tc S2S6, ,632 131. The importance of the Latin American markets is indi- cated not SO much by the present value or the imports into those countries as by the rate to which their purchases rom otner countries are increasing. In 1ssS the totai yalue of their purchases from the United
 states was sSs. .S61, ,S57 Comparing these
 figures with those for the last fiscal year sbows an increase in 10 years of sl50,-
 77o 274 or 176 per cent In the same pe-
 riod the total value of our exports to all the rest of tho world increased fractlon less than 42 per cent. Gratifying as tnls increase Is 1t does not represent what
 might haze been attained If our people had given mere attention to these mar lxets for mab-- of the countries have in- creased their purchases from Great Brit ain fzermany and France even more rap i5lv than from the United States, and not u,,thstanding our geographical advantage they purchase more than three times as much from other countries as from us
 In some markets, in fact, we have been losing ground For instance, the July Bulletin of tho bureau of American repup- 1 lies. reviewing the foreign commerce or rrazil says. "American cotton manufac- tures are disappearing from the Brazil ian market very rapidly while those or | Creat Britain and Germany made rom American raw material, are rapidly ln- creasing." This statement is borne out bv the latest statistics available, those for the nine months ended September oo, 1908. which show that we sold to Brazii only 1,46s, 5SS yards of cotton goods uur- inc the nine months, as compared with
 sSa Xxx wards during the corresponding | n,onths of the previous year. It would seem to te worth while for the cotton | goods manufacturers of the south to make an effort to win back some of this trade which is being captured by Great Britain | and Germany.
 The demard of the Latin-American mar 1 txets is chiefly for manufactured goods and 1 largely for commodities the raw materials for which are produced in our southern 1 etate and which are already being manu- ! fact,red i'll our section. Among the ar ] ticles which these countries import Tn ! large quantities, and which can advantag- l eously be produced in the southern states | nav he enumerated agricultural imple- 1 ments. all kinds of vehicles, locomotives, | cars. machinery tools, steel rails, build l ers' hardware, stoves, cotton textiles, veg I etable oils and furniture.
 | While it is a fact that the imports into 1 the Latin American countries consist al | most entirely of manufactured articles, 1t i does not follow that southern manufac- l turers would be the only ones benented by an increase in exports from our sec ! lion to those countries On the contrary, 1 the benefits would be shared by all our l people. For instance, if an establishment 1 in one of our southern towns engaged In 1 the manufa cture of stoves or furniture 1 can build up an export trade to Mexlco or one of the Central or South American 1 countries, it means that 1t will give em- 1 ployment TO more men who will buy more | goods from the local retail merchants and l who will give to the farmer a larger nome l market for h,s products.
 It is to the interest, not only of the South Atlantic and gulf ports, but of our 1 inland communities as we'll that our American trade, both import and x1. A..tlt h n~u1