The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-08-27
SOIJTH AMERICAN
 COUNTRIES HAVE
 MERCHANT MARINE

With European industry StoppeQ by the war the demand for the man ufactured products, as we'll as for the food products, of the United States
 must increase by leaps and bounds.
 This country can supply the demand provided the transportation facilities can be found. We can sell the goods l if we can deliver them. According l to a statement issued by the Pan American Union, Washington. D. C., the situation may be relieved to an extent by the merchant marine of several South American countries Accustomed to shipping their goods l In European vessels, the exporters of | the United States have perhaps lost fgentfna the Atlantic and Chile and Peru on the Pacific have lines of mer- chant vessels capable of caring for considerable volume of international, shipping.
 Late statistics show that these four countries have combined total of, 469 steam CTS, c1assed as sea-going, each of 100 tons net or over, with a total gross tonnage of 549, 9,267 In sailing vessels the same countries, net or over with a combined gross tonnage of 2O4, 4,473- Of course, all of these vessels, although classed as sea-
 going, are not adapted to trans
 oceanic traffic. Some of these lines, however, are well equipped with a | number of modern steamers which could be utilized for oyer-sea. ship ping. Notable among these are the following lines:
 The Lloyd Brazileiro, a large com
 pany subventioned by the Brazilian | Government, has such vessels as the San Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas | Geraes. quick passenger, mail and freight steamers which are of $500
 tons each, equipped with wireless tel egraph and every modern conven-
 between Brazilian ports and New
 York. The company has similar ] vessels plying between Rio de Janei-
 TO and southern ports to Buenos l Ayres
 The Argentine Navigation Company l (the Mihanovich Hnes) of Buenos | Ayres has no less than 325 steamers,
 most of which are engaged in fuvia1 land coast-wise traffic, but many of which are adapted to over-sea ship ping.
 i The South American Steamship Co a Chilean line, has a fleet of steam
 CTS composed of some 20 vessels ply ing between Valparaiso and Pacific ports, with an average of 5000 tons each. Seven of these make regular
 trips between Valparaiso and Pana- -
 ma, some formerly going as far. as San Francisco. These vessels have l modern equipment and fairly good passenger accommodations.
 The Peruvian Steamship Company, l operating under a subvention from fthe Peruvian Government among nu- merous other vessels, has 8 fleet of | five fine up-to-date. turbine driven oil burning steamers, which have on I1y recently been placed in commission. l Owing to the recently developed oil l fields of Peru these steamers are us- I ing oil for fuel, although they are built so that coal can be used if nec- essary. They are equipped with all modern appliances and conveniences and have excellent accornrnodati tions for passengers. They have an aver Iage of 4,0OO tons capacity each and are especially fast. They can make the trip from CalIao, Peru, to Pana- ma in days and from tbese to New York in as many more.s All could be easily adapted to trans-oceanic
 traffic.
 These several lines, as well as oth- CTS not specifically mentioned, will doubtless be ready to grasp the op-
 portunity to engage in the most prof
 itable business at hand. Presumably
 such vessels as are suited to the trans
 Atlantic trade will be promptly pre-
 pared to meet the emergency. Thus
 the South American merchant ma Il rine may become an important factor
 in North American shipping