Americus times-recorder., 1915-01-11
caribbean COUNTRIES IMPORTANT
To UNITED STATES IN EFFORT TO
CEMENT FRIENDSHIP WITH S.AMERICA

WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. lin
the general opportunity the European
War has brought the United States to
increase its South American trade and,
at the same time, to knit bonds of in
terest between itself and the twenty
South American republics, the coun-
tries of the Caribbean form vitality
Interesting phase. 1t is peculiarly de-
sirable that the Panama Canal, most
important national investment, shall
be surrounded by prosperous countries
possessing stable and friendly govern
ments. William Joseph Showalter, in
survey made for the National Geo
graphic Society, points out that Cen
trail America is of great potential rich-
ness, that it deserves much from the
war-awakened determination on the
part of the United States business to
expend in Latin-America, and that
good government alone is needful to
turn this region into one of the earth 3
most favored. He writes:
Guatemala, Honduras, Salvador,
Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Cuba
and the neighboring islands are rich
in natural resources almost beyond i'm
agination. Nowhere else in the world
has Nature been more bountiful in her
blessings than in the Caribbean region.
Everything that her treasure house
holds has been bestowed here with law
ish hand. AS someone has said; if you
tickle the ground with hoe, it smiles
back with yam. Some of these lands
are filled with a wonderful plenty.
Others are in wretched poverty. In
travelling through them one is Impress
ed with the fact that prosperity abides
with good rule and poverty dwells with
misrule.
Honduras, poor, badly administered,
and undeveloped, is, nevertheless bless
ed beyond measure in natural resourc-
es. 1t has vast deposits of minerals;
untold thousands of acres of the finest
tropical fruit and vegetable lands Of
the world, and great areas of magni-
ficent coffee and grazing lands. With
a stable government, it must become a
land of plenty. Salvador, across the
border, is prosperous. Although con-
tanning only 1926 square miles, it sup
ports nearly two million people in
comfort and returns a balance Of trade
of about $S,5OO,OOO a year. Nicaragua,
like Honduras, is poor land teeming
with resources and revolutions, unde-
veloped, unsettled and hopeless.
"In Costa Rica, Cuba Panama and
Dominican Republic, all possessing
marvellous productive orchard and
farm lands, wealthy in their outputs of
sugar, tropical fruits, coffee and var
ious, cabinet woods, every preparation
is being made to take advantage of the
trade opportunities that these coun-
tries expect to derive from the Panama
Canal. Everywhere in the Caribbean
countries there is anticipation that the
canal is going to bring in great
stream of capital for development pur-
poses, and that an era of unprecedent-
ed growth and expansion will result.
In aiding these countries to realize
their expectations, the United States
will not only open up a rich field for
its own produce but, also, will
strengthen the community interest
with the neighbors at its gate, whose
lands surround the vitality important
canal.
United States business has already
large and growing share of the trade
of the Caribbean lands. In Guatemala,
Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Pan
anna, Cuba, the Dominican Republic
and Haiti, the imports from the United
States represent more than one-half of
all the imports into the countries. The
greater part of the export of these
countries is sent to the United States.
The great trade competitors of this
country in the markets of South Amer
To have haau Great britain and Ger