The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-09-08
SOUTH AMERICAN
 TRADE IS GET TING CLOSER TO THE US.

The enormous opportunities that have been opened to American enter prise by the European war become more apparent day by day, and. more rticuIarIy,A the trade possibilities or South America.
 Absorbed with its own and the European markets, the United States has hitherto shown but slight inter est in the field. In 1870, the year when the German legions were be- sieging Paris, the exports from this country to South America. amounted to only 4.6 per cent of the total ex- ports from the United States. During the forty-three years that have increased to only per cent of the total.
 Hitherto the vast bulk of all of the trade of Latin America had gone to Germany, Great Britain and France. While many here realize the golden opportunity that has come to this na- ton through the war, it is also reaf- ized that there are two vital essen tialss to American conquest of the commercial fields now laid open. by Europe.s disbanded energies. These are a banking system and transport ation.
 New Banks to Benefit Exporters
 The National City Bank, which has been reaching out in South America, announced yesterday that the Federal Reserve Board will shortly grant it permission to establish branch banks in that region. and that Ameri- can exporters may get the benefit of the new banking and currency system before the regional banks are opened here
 In addition to the Americans who will move to South America to take charge of the banks, the National City Company will send on the first steam CT several stcommercia1 ambassadors who, will establish offices in the prin- cipal cities and blaze the way for the invasion of American goods which is expected to flood the Latin repub- lies in the future.
 The function of these "comm ercia1 ambassadors will be to get accurate and first hand information concern ing the needs of the various countries which now exist against American ex- ports
 An investigation of business condi- tions in these countries has convinced officials Of the National City Company that a good deal of money and energy will be wasted by ver-enthusfastic American exporters who expect to dump their goods into the Southern republics and to builo up permanent. profitable trade relati ons. Officials of the company insist that many Amerf- can manufacturers who hope to sell goods to these countries are destined to fail because they do not under stand conditions or Latin methods of doing business and, furthermore, do not realize that a violent anti-Ameri- can feeling exists in these countries.
 Nurse the Feeling of Distrust.
 This distrust of Americans, their methods and their wares has been nursed by the Germans and English men, who are strongly entrenched commercially.
 It is to break down this antipathy that the National City bank has chosen about a dozen young men of business experience and social status, who are expected to break down the barriers raised against an American invasion" Incidentally these ''com- mercial ambassadors will try to con vince the Latin-Americans that the people of the United States have no designs on their territory.
 Lack of ships to handle cargoes is 9. serious handicap just now, but there is a prospect that the merchant marine of this country may soon re- gain it's long-lost place among the nations.
 That the National Government is alert to the opportunity is shown in the bulletins it's departments are is