The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-11-13
SOUTH'S EXPORT TRADE.
President Finley of the Southern
hallway Writes of Great POssibili-
ties OF Future Development.
Editor Daily Item:

Importance of direct and regular
steamship communication between
our South Atlantic and Gulf ports
and the Latin-American countries,
which I addressed, under date of
July Sth, 1909, to the editors of
Southern newspapers, resulted in the
receipt by me of large number of
letters showing a widespread interest
In this subject throughout the South.
This correspondence revealed the
fact that some very important manu-
featuring interests are ready TO take
advantage of opportunities to extend
their trade in this direction by ship
nents through Southern ports. This
information and statistics of existing
commerce indicate that with regular
| lines in operation and with systematic
| snd cooperative efforts on the part of
wa Aii"ii"ioCIuIelS anu IIlrCnantS,
considerable trade may be built up.
| In fact, something may be done in
this direction even in advance of the
establishment of regular lines.
The Southern ports, in endeavoring
to build up trade with South America.
should rely principally on the devel-
opment Of new business and on the
more systematic handling Of the ir-
| regular traffic now moving in both
directions between them and South
America by vessels chartered for
single cargoes. There is a consider
able volume Of this business, but il is
not sufficiently regular to afford con-
| slant employment to the vessels
which engage in it, They seldom
| make round trips with cargoes in
both directions. For instance, in the
year ended Jdne 80, 1908, there were
imported through the South Atlantic
and Gulf ports 245,415,s55 pounds of
coffee, largely from Brazil, and some
rubber and other Brazilian products
were brought in through these same
ports but the vessels. bringing them
ala not obtain return cargoes, but
sailed in ballast to North Atlantic
ports or with cargoes to Europe. and
this Notwithstanding the fact that
Brazil, in that same year, bought
from the United States products to
the total value of $19,4sO.O77: in
Guiding S,470,S1S yards of cotton
goods, 1896 gallons of cotton seed
OIL, 3O6,S71 barrels Of flour, manufac-
lures of iron and steel to the value
or S5,945,0S2, and other articles, some
proportion of which could advanta-
| geously be shipped through Southern
ports. In like manner we imported
| through Southern ports. principally
from Chile and Peru, s2,165 tons of
nitrates, but the vessels bringing
them in seldom or never obtained re-
turn cargoes, though the west coast
| countries are steadily increasing their
| purchases of American goods.
The best customer the United States
has In South America is Argentina,
to which country our exports in the
| fiscal year ended June 80, 1909.
amounted to $33,712.505, including
1.b1o.S17 yards Of cotton goods, 513,-
| 357 gallons OF cotton seed oil, manu-
factures of iron and steel to value of
| S7S75,7S9, furniture to the value of
| $214,SS1, agricultural implements and
farm machinery to the value of $4.-
| 3Os,223-manufactured principally in
localities from which shipments can
be made conveniently through South
ern ports-and a long list of other
| articles. Our imports from Argen-
tina in the last fiscal year amounted
TO $22,23O,1S2, the principal items be-
| ing wool and hides. Probably little
Argentine wool is used in the South.
but Southern tanneries use South
| American hides to a considerable ex-
tent and their use may be expected
| to increase, as there is no duty on
them under the new tariff law. AT
present these hides come in through
the North Atlantic ports almost en-
| tirely and are shipped to Southern
tanneries either all rail or by rail and
water. Some Of them even go by way
OF Europe. In one case that came to
my notice hides for a North Carolina
tannery were shipped from Argentina
to Antwerp, across the ocean again
to New York, and thence by rail to
the tannery. In another case a South
ern tanner bought 10000 hides in
Mexico but found that. on account of
shipping conditions, he had to have