The farmer and mechanic., 1915-08-31

probably be an additional import tax
of per cent and other tax levles may |
be made. At the present time busl- |
ness is growing better.
Uruguay is now ripe for American |
trade and our business men should |
study the market. SO far the balance
has been against us. We have bought
a large proportion OF the wool and |
hides that Uruguay sells and Of late
we have added to this our importa
ton Of beef. Our exports to Uruguay
have been small, although they are
constantly increasing. AS it is now
we furnish about one-tenth of the i'm
ports. This is not half as much as
comes in from the British, who have
the lead in both investments and
trade. They have large importing
houses They own the chief coal sup
ply yards and a large department
store. The Germans have established
branches Of the chief business houses
of Hamburg and Bremen. Up to the
time of the war the German steam
ship lines were among the most popu-
lar that called at MontevideO, and
they had a large share of the carrying
trade.
AS to the French, they had the chief
business in wines and liquors They
sold most of the fancy drygoojs and
millinery, and had practically the
| monopoly of the trades in womens
apparel.
There are a number Of American
firms in MOntevideO and some of
them have been established for years
The chief companies handle various
| kinds Of American machinery. They
sell our cash registers, our best known
| typewriters and adding machines, and
a great deal Of electrical machinery.
The Singer Sewing Machine Company
| has its headquarters in MOnteVtdeO,
and stores and offices in all the towns
of the country. 1t has schools where
it gives free instruction in the art of
| running the sewing machine. The
Central Leather Company has an office
in Uruguay, through which it buys
hundreds Of thousands of hides every
year, and the Holmes & Herrick Lum-
ber Company and the Brenner Lum-
Der Company do a large business in
American yellow pine and hardwood
The Frigerifico Montevideo, which be-
longs to Americans, has a capital OF
$2,000,0OO, and it has erected f1fteeT
| buildings for it's cooling, freezing an6
5 packing departments. The West In.
dia Oil Company, operating under
New Jersey charter, does large busi
ness in the importation of kerosene
and gasoline, and there are Othel
1 firms that handle our motor cars, ant
/ especially certain cheap ones that ar
/ everywhere known.
The Uruguay Weekly News in re
: cent issue, estimates the American in
D | terests here outside the railways a,
:, having an aggregate capital Of $40,
= 100000. This is comparatively littl
!. in contrast with that of some othe
v countries.
+ There should be big increase i
n our exports to Uruguay. This@is espe
= cially SO as to coal, lumber and agri
d cultural machinery. Uruguay annual
g buys So, 100000 or 100000 worth c
: opal, and four-fifths of this has bee
If coming from Cardiff in Wales. TIL
prices for anthracite run as high g
$13 or s14 ton, and the import dut
IF on all coal is based upon Va1uatiO
1T of SO a ton. There are opportun
le ties to get coal contracts for supplyin
re the government, the railway comps
IF nies and the various factories. and ais
l. for the coal needed by the public uti
le ity companies and that used by tt
in city.
IS AS to motor vehicles the govern
l. ment is planning a new system of pul
in lie roads, and the automobile is stea(
e. lily growing in favor. The laws
m MOnteVideO, however, require th
al every motor car must be tried on tt
IN road by an official inspector befo
q it is turned over to the owner, ar
,g that only such cars as have the nece
s. sary safety appliances can be license
lie All motor machines, and in fact G
It's kinds of goods, should correspond e
DIS actly to the specifications of the o
der. Complaints are made that Il
IT, American goods are often not up
in the samples. One firm mentions ha
90 ing recently ordered a two-wheel
tn trap and receiving instead fOu
ar. WHee1Vu surrey. Upon cOmpla1nt
he ing MADE the American exporter I
lst pned that there was no ground
trouble as the vehicle sent was Of
he higher price than that which was c
u dered Nevertheless the Uruguay fiji
Of refused to take the surrey
it