The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-04


 expected in relation to the. expenditure and security of the large reorganization loan desired by China, which, however, have thus far proved unacceptable to the
 provisional government.
 Special Mission to Japan
 In August last l accredited the Secre-
 tany of State as special ambassador to Japan. charged with the mission of bear ing to the imperial family, the government and the people of that Empire the sym pathetic message of the American com- monwealth on the sad occasion cf the death of His Majesty the Emperor Nut suhifo. whose long and benevolent reign
 was the greater part of Japan's modern history. The kindly reception everywhere accorded to Secretary Knox showed that his mission was deeply appreciated by the Japanese nation and emphasized strongly the friendly relations that have for so many years existed between the two peoples.
 South America
 Our relations with the Argentine Re- public are most cordial So also, are our relations with Brazil, whose govern ment has accepted the invitation of the United States to send two army officers to study at the Coast Artillery school at It. Monroe The long standing Alsup claim, which had been the only hindrance to the healthy growth of the most friendly relations between the United States and Chile. having been eliminated through the submission of the question to His Britanic
 Majesty King George as "amiable com positeur" it is a cause of much gratlfi- cation to me that our relations with Chile are now established upon a firm | basis of growing friendship. The Chilean government has placed an officer of the United States coast artillery in charge of the Chilean Coast Artillery school, and
 has shown appreciation of American
 methods by confiding to an American firm important work for the Chilean coast defenses.
 l Last year a revolution against the es- l tablished government of Ecuador broke out at the principal port of that repub- 1 lie Previous to this occurrence the chief | American interest in Ecuador, represented 1 by the Guayaquil and Quito Railway com pany, incorporated in the United States | had rendered extensive transportation and other services on account to the Ecuadorian government. the amount of which ran into a sum which was steadily increasing and which the Escuadorlan government had made no provision to l pay thereby threatening to crash out the very existence of this Anne Jean enter
 prise. When tranquility hisl been re- stored to- Ecuador as q result of the tri- umphant progress of the government
 
 l posed it's good offices to the end that the
 American interests in Ecuador might be saved from complete extinction. As a pars or the arrangement which was reached i between the parties, and at the request of the government of Ecuador I have consented 10 name an arbitrator, who,
 acting under the terms of the railroad contract. with an arbitrator named by
 the Ecuadorian government will pass upon the claims that have arisen since the arrangement reached through the ao- ton Of similar aribtral tribunal in 1908 In pursuance of a request made some time ago by the Ecuadorian government, the department of state has given much attention to the problem of the proper sanitation of Guayaquil. As a result detail of officers of the canal zone will
 be sent to Guayaquil 10 recommend meas ures that will lead to the complete per manent sanitation of this plague and fever l infected region of that republic, which has for so long constituted a menace to health conditions on the canal zone. It
 Is hoped that the report which this mis- sion will furnish will point out a way whereby the modicum of assistance which the United States may properly lend the Ecuadorian government may be made ef- | fective in ridding the west coast of South America Of focus of contag zion to the l future commercial current passing l through the Panama canal.
 l In the matter of the claim of John Ce- | iestine l-andreau against the government l of Peru, which claim arises out of cer-
 tain contracts md transactions in connec- | ton with the discovery and exploitation | Of guano, and which has been under dis | cussion between the two governments I since 1874, I am glad to report that as the result of prolonged negotiations, which 1 have been characterized by the utmost friendliness and good will on both sides | the department of state has succeeded in securing the consent of Peru to the arbl- tration of the claim. and that the nego- | tiations attending the drafting and sigma ture of protocol submitting the claim to an abitrai tribunal are proceeding with due eelerity.
 An officer of the American public health service and an American sanitary engi- l neer are now on the way to Iquitos in
 the employ of the Peruvian government. to take charge of the sanitation of that | river port. Peru is building a number | of submarines in this country and con tinues to show every desire to have Amer ican capital invested in the republic. In July tho United States sent under graduate delegates 10 the Third Interna- | tional Students congress held at Lima, American students having been for the first time invited to one of these meet ings
 The republic of Uruguay has shown It's appreciation of American agricultural and other methods by sending large com mission to this country and by employ Ing many American experts to assist in building up agricultural and allied indus tries in Uruguay.
 Venezuela is paying off the last of the claims the settlement of which was pro- vided for by the Washington protocols. including those Of American citizens Our relations with Venezuela are most cord ial and the trade of that republic with the United tsates Is now greater than with any other country.
 Central America and the Caribbean During the past summer the revolution against the administration which follow ed the assassination Of President Caceres q year ago last November brought the Dominican republic to the verge of ad
 minlstratiye chaos, without offering any guaranties of eventual stability in the ul- timate success of either party. In pur- suance Of the treaty relations of the United States with the Dominican /repub- lie, which were threatened by the neces- sity of suspending fhe operation under American administration of the custom houses On the Haitian frontier, 1t was found necessary to dispatch special com
 missioners to the island to re-estabdjsh the cnstomhouse and with a guard suf
 ficient 10 insure needed protection to the customs administration. The efforts
 which have been made appear to have re- suited in the restoration of normal con ditlors throughout the republic The good offices which the commissioners were able to exercise were instrumental in bringing the contending parties together and i'm furnishing a basis of adt1sfuof1f ,.bi,h A.