The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1909-07-16

OFFICE SUPPLY 90, W. ". TAYLOR PRIEST
generally faster and have superior
passenger accommodations.
From our South Atlantic and
Gulf ports there Is occasional com
munication by tramp steamers with
ports south Of Venezuela, but as a
rule such of the products of the
Southern States as find their way
into the markets Of South America
are sent through Northern ports.
I'm fact. a considerable proportion
of the exports from the United
States to the east coast of South
America, south Of Para, Brazil, go
from New York across the Atlantic
to Europe, and across the Atlantic
again to South America. For in
stance, in a report on trade condi-
tons in Brazil, by Special Agent
Lincoln Hutchinson, published 10y
the Bureau of Manufactures, it is
stated that at least fifty per cent. OF
the American hams sold in Brazil
are shipped by way Of England and
considerable proportions of other
kinds Of traffic move by the same
route.
1t is sometimes argued that, if our
merchants and manufacturers would
devote sufficient attention to cult
waiting Latin-American trade, and
would develop a sufficient volume
of traffic, there would be no diff
Guilty about securing adequate trans
portation facilities. To a certain
extent this is true. There are large
numbers of so-called tramp steam
ers constantly looking for traffic
wherever it is to be found, and any
shipper, in any American port, who
| had a full cargo for South America,
would doubtless have little difficulty
in finding a ship to carry it. The
difficulty is that our merchants and
manufacturers, in their efforts to
build up trade with the Latin-Amer-
lean countries, come into c0mpeti-
ton with European rivals who are
generally served by regular lines Of
steamers receiving aid, either in the
form of subsidies or in liberal pay
ment for carrying the mails, from
! the countries whose flags they fly.
Vessels from these countries sail on
regular schedules. The South Amer
lean merchant ordering goods in Liv-
erpool or Ham burg by mail knows
when his order will be received, by
what steamer it will be shipped and
Just when he may expect ii to ar
rive. If he sent his order to the
United States, unless it was from
one of the comparatively few points
having regular sailings, he could
have no idea when it would be re-
ceived by the American shipper OF
when the goods would be shipped.
Therefore. while it is true that, af-
ter trade has once been developed,
there would probably be no difficult
~ in obtaining all the Snaps needed
to carry it, the difficulty of build
ing up such trade is greatly in
creased by lack Of direct and regu-
lar steamers carrying the mails and
passengers as well as freight In
the report ON trade conditions i'm
Brazil, Mr. Hutchinson tells Of in
stances in which it took twice as
long 10 get mail orders from the
United States as from Europe, and
says: In a very large part of our
Brazil trade the mails are an impor-
tant factor, and there can be no
doubt that many orders which 9th
erwise might go to our manufactur-
ers, 60 to Europe instead. In
similar report on trade conditions
in Argentina, Paraguay and Urn
quay. Mr.. Hutchinson says There
are some direct mails to the river
Plata, but they are carried ON slow
freighters and the service in general
Is greatly inferior To that from Eu-
rope. both in dispatch and in fire.
quency. Constant annoyance and
delay results. and merchants who
have direct American ties viii, other
things being equal, place orders in
Europe rather than in the United
States.
There are differences of opinion
as to the methods which should be
adopted for the improvement of our
steamship communication with the
Latin American countries. | think
we can all aurao bou,ox.a,- +b,+ e