The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-08-02
LATIN-AMERICAN TRADE
This COuntry's Commerce With 20 Republics Lying to the
 South
One-FOurth of All Their Exports Taken by us and One-Fourth of All Their Imports Bought From uS--Latin-American Com merce Greater Than That of China and Japan Combined

That the commerce of the 20 Latin- American republics lying to the south of the United States is increasing with such remarkable strides that it is deserving of particular attention is proved by the special report of Direc- tor John Barrett of the Information al Bureau of American Republics to the Fourth Pan American Conference now in session. at Buenos Aires, the capital of the Argentine Republic. Af- ter pointing out that the work and correspondence of the Bureau have increased one thousand per cent since the last Conference in 1906; that last year 1t was directly responsible for $52, 900, 900 of new trade exchange in the Pan-American field; that it dis tributes annually 450000 pieces of print ed matter descriptive of Pan-American relations in contrast to 50,00O four years ago; and that it has been an ways for the promotion of Pan-Amer- ican friendship. peace and commerce, the Director says:
 Some new facts about the foreign commerce of the twenty Latin-Amer- ican republics will astonish most per- sons. The latest statistics just com piled in the International Bureau of American Republics for this report show that in the year 1909 the 20 re- publics south of the United States bought and sold in trade with the rest of the world products valued at the splendid and surprising total of two billion. one hundred and twenty-seven million, three hundred and one thou sand dollars ($2127, ,301 ,OOO). Assum- ing that there are seventy million G0. 900 ,000) inhabitants in Latin Amer ica, this gives per capita trade of approximately thirty dollars (s30.) The foreign commerce of China and Ja- pan, combined, with conservative estimate of their population at three was approximately one billion dollars ($1 .O0O, ,0O0000). or only half that of Latin America, giving a per capita of less than three dollars (S3) per head, or only one-tenth that of Latin America. This comparison is not in any sense intended as a reflection on Japan. which is a wonderful and most progressive country, nor upon China, which has vast latent wealth and enormous potentialities, but simply and solely to emphasize the remark able importance and progress of Lat in America. which are not sufficiently appreciated
 Analyzing still further these instruc- tive and even fascinating figures, we an almost phenomenal increase in one decade, as over the average foreign trade for the years 1S96-7-8, of one bil- lion, two hundred and three million, five hundred and sixteen thousand dollars ($1.2O3, ,516,000), or 12S per cent. Latin America can well be proud of such a record. It must convince the most hard headed doubter that the twenty nations which reach in un- broken array from Mexico and Cuba south to Argentina and Chile are in deed worthy of the admiration and study of the rest of the world and particularly of the United States, which always brides itself on its trade growth and material prosperity.
 The total of Latin-American foreign commerce for 1909 divided into ex- ports and imports shows a notable balance of trade in favor of Latin America. The exports were valued at one billion, two hundred and thirty two million, one hundred and three thousand dollars (s1, ,232, ,103, ,OO0); the imports at eight hundred and ninety five million, one hundred and ninety eight thousand dollars (sS95, ,19S ,000), or a favorable balance of three hundred and thirty-six million, nine hundred and five thousand dollars ($326, ,905, 900 l. Exports, moreover, show an impress siye increase in ten years of 143 per cent and imports of 115 per cent.
 The United States bought from and sold to Latin America in 1909 products valued at the large total of nearly six hundred million dollars ($600, 0O0, ,0OO. The exact figures were five hundred and eighty-nine million, three hundred and two thousand dollars ($589,. ,.302, ,0OO. The average for the three years Of 19e7-S-9 was five hundred and thirty eight million, five hundred and nine thousand dollars ($53s, ,509, ,00O. Now contrast this total with the average of a decade ago, Or for 1896-7-8 and we find the latter was only two hun dred and thirty-six million, two hun dred and seventy-nine thousand dol lars ($236 279, ,000). In other words, the exchange of trade between the United States and her sister republics more than doubled itself in approximately ten years.
 Taking six hundred million dollars (s6OO, coo, ,00O as high water mark of the trade Latin America and the Uni- ted States exchanged last year, what becomes of the complaint of the un- informed man that the United States is being outstripped rapidly by Ger many 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 Eu- reau of the American Republics is failing in its work of making North and South America better known to