Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-01
BIC GAIN IN TRADE
WITH LATIN AMERICA
Report Read at Conference at
BuenoS Aires Gives Some
Interesting Figures.

The commerce of the twenty Latin
American republics lying south OF the
United States is increasing with great
rapidity. and the international Bureau OF
American Republics, through it's publicity
campaign is aiding greatly in this in
crease. declares John Barrett, director OF
the bureau. in Il special report to the
fourth pan-Amercan conference, which is
now in session at Buenos Aires, Argen-
tine Republic
The report points out that the CORE
spondence of the bureau has increased
LOCO per cent since the last pan Ameri-
can conference in 1906; that last year the
bureau was directly responsible for So
GH0,oco of new trade exchange in the pan
Amefi II field and that the bureau has
done much to promote friendship among
the American republics. The report says,
i'll part:
The latest statistics just complied in
the interior bureau of American repub-
lies show that III the gear 1879 the TWEEN
ty republics south of the United States
bought and sold in trade with the rest
of the weird. products valued at S2,191,-
:;n1,e1. Assuming that there are 10,
100000 Inhabitants in Latin America, this
gives per capita trade of approximate
ly $50 The foreign commerce of China
tive estimate of their population at 3d.,
00a,G3t, was approximately S1,G0b.tsf1Gob,
or only half that of Latin America, CIV
ing per capita of less than IS, CT only
one-tenth that of Latin America. The
comparison is not in any sense intended
as a reflection Oh Japan. which Is a won
derful and most progressive country. MOI,
upon China, which has vast latent wealth
and enormous potentialitieS, but simply
and solely to emphasize the remarkable
INN n1n1 y
lea, which are not sufficiently appre-
cia ted."
I'VE find that this grand total repre-
sents an almost phenomenal increase IN
one decade. as over the average foreign
trade for the years 1S96-7-S, Of S1,2oi,-
$4,000, or rs per cent
Foreign Commerce Increases.
1.-THE total of Latin American foreign
commerce for 1909, divided into exports
and imports, shows a notable balance of
trade in favor of Latin America. The
exorts were valued at $1,232, 10000, the
imports at $3.50. $4,000, or favorable
balance of 1896 $4,000 Exports. more
over show an impressive increase in ten
years of 143 per cent. and imports OF
lis per cent
The United States bought from and
sold to Latin America in 1909 products
valued az the large total of nearly SGN
OGC,UGO The average for the three years
of 1897 19CS and 1909 was S:,:'S,JuyG.o.
Now contrast this total with the average
of decade ago or for 1856. 1897 and
1898, and we find the latter was only
So36 279ooG In other words. the eN-
change of trade between the United
States and her sister republics more than
doubled itself IN approximately ten years.
Taking $500 100000 as high-Water mark
of the trade Latin America and the
United States exchanged last year, what
becomes of the complaint of the unin-
formed man that the United States is
being outstripped rapidly by Germany
and France? When the United States
buys. as she does, one-fourth OF all Latin
America sells to the world, and sells to IT
one-fourth of all it buys. no one can
logically say that the United States and
Latin America are losing their commerce
with each other through the competition
of Europe, and that the international bu-
reau of the American republics is failing
in its work of making North and Sout.i
America better known to each other