The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-11
Cotton Goods and Coal and Iron Most Necessary to
 South America
OFFERS FINE FIELD
 FOR GREAT PROFIT
Entire South and Alabama Especially Has Great Chance to Take Busi- ness Heretofore Given Eng
 land and Germany
ur [. E. STEWART


 Washington, August 10.-(Special.) )-Be- cause Of the European war, the United States stands not only as beacon light to the countries of Europe toward which the hungry millions can turn and see ray of hope, but likewise 1t holds out to south America the hope Of succor in their hour of need. South America is seriously effected by the great struggle in Europe In Brazil, the Argentine republic and Chile, alarmed at the sudden blow to their commerce, a weeks holiday has been declared to give the people time to collect their wits and prevent a general panic.
 The United Kingdom and Germany both outranked the United States in commerce with South America. The imports to the South American countries in 1912 from the United Kingdom, amounted to s275,- 100000; from Germany, 117,1o0,0oO. and from the United States s152, 900. With Germany and England at war, there can be no doubt but that this great commerce is to be suddenly discontinued. South America faces not only the bottling up of her goods which Europe took in ex- change for European products, but she faces want for the things she procured from Europe She has no place to look; nc way to turn but to the United States Thus it may turn out that the trade which ought to have been ours long ago may be thrust upon us because of the confiagration which has spread over Flu rope like a forest fire.
 nf ha European war meant to the commerce of this country. especially to the cotton crop, and the iron and steel business of the United States, suddenly deprived of the European market as it was. and for an indefinite period, it struck disnay to business men generally and the prices of American goods commonly exported in large quantities took tumble in conse- quence.
 Want to Buy Goods
 And yet in South America there are mill lions of people ready and anxious to buy our goods, and while of course it is ab- surd to suppose that South America can take the place of Europe in our export trade it can go good long way toward it, and especially in the very line of which there is now general complaint, cotton goods and iron and steel.
 Millions of dollars of cotton goods are sold to South American countries by Great Britain and Germany annually, and the same is true of iron and steel products. In 1912 Brazil bought upward of s15,000000 in cotton goods from Great Britain and Germany and over 80, ,000 900 of articles manufactured from iron and steel. Chile bought Sl6.000,000 in cotton goods the same year, and almost as much in iron and steel. Both these countries are large buyers of coal, buying in 1912 something like $50. .000000 in coal from Great Britain alone. Argentine, while not as large a purchaser of cotton goods and iron and steel as Chile and Brazil, buys annually well into the millions of both and buys them chiefly from Germany and Great Britain.
 Practically all three of the leading coun- tries of South America are large buyers of coal. Ala bama s coal is closer by many hundreds of miles than the al of Great Britain, who is the chief contribu- tor to the South American republics With the Alabama coal fields connected with the seaboard at Mobile all that re. mains between the coal producers of Ala bama and big trade in South America is the means of transportation.
 The Panama canal, now soon to be opened to the passage of ships. opens to Alabama S steel and iron, coal and cotton an immense field on the western coast of South America and the great and ,apidly developing country Of Chile.
 Development Is Keystone
 In considering the trade possibilities of South America two facts stand out as of prime importance, first, that the continent presents a vast range of thinly populated and undeve,oped land. which is apparently on the eve of great exploit tation. and, second. that almost the whole continent must buy a great part of it's supplies of manufactured articles from North America or Europe, and will prob ably continue 10 do so for long time to come. The keynote of national life in