The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-14
Mobilize Commercial Army


 While Americans deplore the war in which nearly all Europe is engaged, the great business interests of this country have an opportunity of build ing up permanent and lucrative trade with the Latin countries to the south of us.
 The Age Herald's cartoon today, in which Uncle Sam is sounding the bugle call for the mobilization of our commercial army to invade South America, will have it's appeal to the manufacturers and merchants in the great centers of business activity. Ger tain it is that the south should lose no time in seizing its opportunity. While the deadly roar of battle is heard in Europe the vast commercial army of the United States should be striving all the harder for peaceful victories of commerce.
 The Pan-American union, with headquarters at Washington, is eff ciently organized, and is in position to render practical service to all busi- ness interests seeking to develop trade with the South American repub- lies. For years past there has been much discussion as to how American enterprise could get larger footing in the countries of South America, which have been so long enriching Great Britain and Germany, but com paratively little headway has been made recently. The time has come at last when any reasonable amount of effort will be quickly and largely rewarded.
 As Director General John Barrett of the n-American union pointed out in circular which he issued week ago, large portion of the manufactured products of Europe twill be shut off during the next six months and pos sibly during the next year or two, if the war continues South American countries depend almost entirely upon Europe for certain of the necessities of | life, and most of the orders for such supplies are placed but a short time ahead. The director general says According to the latest figures col lated for the Pan-American union the 10 South American countries-Ar- gentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colom- bia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uru- quay and enezuela-annually import products valued at $960,0OO, O,OO0." Of this large total Great Britain supplies products valued at approximately $273,000, ,000, while the total value of European products shipped to South America is approximately $660, ,OO0,- 900. The products which were shipped from the United States to those 10 countries last year amounted to about $155, ,OOO, ,000.
 In view of the European war the manufacturers and merchants of the United States should be able to more than double the volume of it's business within the next 12 months and to es- tablish such permanent commercial re- lations with the consuming interests of South America as to secure and hold the larger part of that trade within the next two years.
 The Southern Railway company has just issued circular letter on tllis subject. It urges southern manufac- turers to wake up to their oppo1tu- mites for extending their trade with South American countries, particu- larly with Argentina and Uruguay, because of the direct steamship serv- ice to those countries through the port or Mobile. Charles Lyon Chan dler, South American agent for the Southern railway, the Queen and Crescent, the Mobile and Ohio and af- filiated lines, is prepared to furnish information of every character in re- gard to South American markets. He has established an office in Chatta- nooga for the purpose of aiding south- ern business men to develop this trade.
 Let our southern commercial mobi- lization proceed with as little delay as possible. The invading army that the cartoon suggests will be received in South America with an unbounded welcome.