Evening star., 1914-10-11

tons total In the following manner:
Forty per cent to Ensisnd; II to Ger:
to France. between 2 and to Russia
and a similar per cent to Austria Hun.
gary. The remainder IL divided into
small percentages among the nations
In contrast to the golden opportuni-
ties which now seem scattered In the
for the coming of American capital and
commerce are reports recently received
from those countries OF vast natural
wealth upon the western ,c coast paS. o. SeTsn
early in the European engagement.
warned the world that commerce which
in great bulk had been carried on
with Europe: in this busy locality. wss
at a standstill
So
Sea transportation was halted over
night. Business stopped in all cities
as far south as Antofagasta, Chile. and
many exporting houses whose credits
were as sound as bedrock suspended
all operations to await n return OF bet
ter conditions: and coincident with the
outbreak of the international and al
lied struggle abroad. a regulation was
promulgated in Lima. Peru. permitting
all banks to refuse any payments
per cent in excess of the banks weekly
deposits.
The Peruvian government at the same
time ordered stoppage Of the expor-
are the ones from which the trade OF
Europe drew the breath Of life. and
upon which American manufacturers
have long looked with yearning but
Just how much the Central and South
American trade can mean to this coun-
try can easily be shown by a few ng-
ures picked practically at random from
statistics complied by the Department
of Commerce, which shows the COM
paratfve trade of this country, Great
Britain. Germany. France and Belgium.
tho four countries which up to tne
present time have almost controlled
the commerce of those republics.
Take the republic Of Argentina. on
a total expectation of automobiles TO
that country: having value OF more
to the value of more than s2,2s0. .00o.
while this country shipped AUTOMOBILES
down there worth, In total. bat $e4S.-
900.
It is, however. in the more common
articles OF commerce that this coun.
try stands sadly behind her foreign
competitors. Whereas England snip.
ped to Argentina candles to the amoune
but s1,700 worth.
Again. England shipped more than
s3.300.0o0 worth OF bagging, while We
sent down but $1S,o25. CO..
cotton and wooden goods. England sent
articles to the value of s6s2,52o: the
United States. SIS.
From Germany. cotton hose 70 tne ..
Argentina: from the United States TO
the value Of but $3.50. SILK from
France amounted to s1.2s7.eoo: from
the United States. $685..
Similar instances in connection With
the other republics are almost nun
dredfold. To Bolivia Germany In. I.
ported during one year manufactured
articles to the total value of $5.oO6.00O.
Belgium in one year sent TO Branh
railway cars valued at $40.o00.o0o. while
we sent but two million dollars worth.
To Parakuay in a single year Inn
ports were sent as follows: Germany.
s1.5o0.o00: England. S12.s5,00o. and the
United States. $304.50o.
To Peru Great Britain sold more than
two million dollars worth OF cotton
textile, while the United States was
thrown a SOP amounting to $4,000:
while France received $4,000 for the
wearing apparel she sent to that coun.
try, as against our $2.231.
In connection with the Peruvian i'm.
portation of English. cotton goods, .
telegram recently received by the De-
partment of Commerce from our consul
at Manchester, England. 10 particularly
interesting, as 1t states that the tex.
tile industry there, depressed pefore
the war, is now practically paralyseo.
and that the wholesale closing OF All
the mills there seems inevitable, whils
the outlook for raw cotton Is gloomy.
Consul Robertson further said that "
YVES impossible to prophesy the extent
of the damage to the textile industry.
Such figures as the foregoing snow
the discrepancy between the commerce
of this and other countries In South
America. Nor do they entirely cover
the field. Reports coming in daily from
the various American consuls In Gem
tral and South America point out the
needs of the principal cities there.
For example: Port Limon, Peru. onere
a market for butter. matches, CONDENSED q
milk and rice. Port au Prince. Hayti.
wants -four, salt fish. lard and kero-
sene while Buenos Aires Is wiling 70
pay high prices for American coal.
From Corinto. Nicaragua. comes an
anxious call for a supply OF cotton
goods, beer. hardware. whisky. matches.
wine, needles and sodas.
And so the cry is raised. England
Germany, France and Belgium, to-
gether with the United States. have
previously supplied tho needs OF the
Countries to the south OF US: today.
with all these powers but ourselves At
war. their commerce crippled to the
point of uselessness, the United states
is left to fill the gap-fs LETT win .
worlds commerce beckoning her on!