Los Angeles herald., 1910-04-13
Rise and Fall of CommerCla
Centers III By Lionel a Sheldon


Y INES between great commercial
centers are, of course. the most
= important, but a nation cannot
hold a high place in world commerce
without tramp ships that run to any
! and all parts where freights are offered
| They make no trips on regular time
schedules, but go and return as ad-
yantageous circumstances seem to IN
dicate They carry little or no mail
and few passengers. No country has
thought it advisable to grant To them
subsidies or tonnage bounties, or the
benefits of liberal postal estimates.
Discriminating duties are the fairest
and most effective If favors of amy
/ kind are to be granted They take no
money directly from the pockets OF the
masses and do not discriminate for or
against ships of any class or Kind, or
whatever trade they may be engaged
in. Discriminating duties are on Tor
i eign goods transported to our ports IN
American bottoms and cannot apply to
export cargoes. The advantage of be-
ing subject to lower duties is an IN
ducement to importers to bestow their
patronage on our own ships. Assured
, thus of returned cargoes, our SHIPS can
enter successfully into competition
with rival foreign ships in the outgoing
traffic.
TO help in developing our export
trade reciprocity treaties have in a
number of instances been entered INTO,
from none of which has resulted any
very appreciahle benefits, and most OF
them have been more or less dlsad-
| Vantageous. Reciprocity means faNor-
| itism to some eXportabe product ana
| detriment to others by lowering duties
on foreign competitive products. There
are NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. as to the. nat
ural bases of reciprocal trade. People
do not buy of others that which they
do or can produce sufficiently TO sup
ply their own needs. Mr.. JeHersoh
originated the correct theory OF reclpro-
cal trade. 1t was that we should seek
to build up trade with countries that
produce what we cannot or do not
and which they need. These condl-
tions suggest the natural in the inter-
change of commodities.
President Garfield, before he started
for Washington to be inauguratea'
nrenared n proiect of the general pol
lcies of his administration and among
them was that of reciprocity to be car
ried into effect on the fundamental
idea of Mr. jefferson. This | Know
for 7 went over the project with MN
at Mentor anterior to his departure
for the capital.
II does not seem difficult to promote
trade between two countries situated
would come together naturally, ana
the only substantial obstruction that
can exist is the failure to put ample
shipping into such trade ana lnter
course. Instead of this. efforts nave
mainly been directed to trade WIN
| European countries where products are {
very largely similar to our own, anu
because there was ample foreign SNIP
ming in the European commerce we
have neglected to put on our own. we
have empioyed and still employ such
shipping to carry our exports Dy the
wav of Europe to Brazil and othel
| South American countries, whose PROD
ucts we largely purchase ana Wnere
many of our products are needed Eu-
ropean ship owners naturally ano self
| fishlv. as selhshness Is quahty OF
human nature, work for the interest of
their own countrymen and to our det-
| riment. -
Americans might as well realize the
| general fact that the most successful
upbuiding of a great commercial cen
ter depends in very great measure upon
the possession of an adequate Ihercilan. ii
marine owned and operated by those
who have both a personal and nationai
interest in its development Reliance
can most safelv be placed on people OF
our own nationality. There ought 10
be no waiting for financial aid from
| government subsidy or In any form eN-
| cent by patronage which should be
given from national sympathy and pa
| triotism. -,
| II is today an overshadowing ambt-
ton of the people of this city and ad-
iacent country to here promote the
growth OF a commercial center OF a
high rank. To do this is a matter of ma
terial interest and of local pride. 1t is an
ambition to which there will be an
ample response If efforts are intelll-
Gently directed and indomitably per-
sisted in. II is a work not to create an
artificial or forced commercial center,
hut one that is natural and promises
great results from circumstances ana
Conditions that nature has generously
provided. There is need only for proper
/, supplemental work by our people 10