The Washington times., 1915-05-26
BANKERS IN GROUPS
HOLD CONFERENCES
TO SOL|D|FY TRADE
Delegates to Pan-American
Congress Make Suggestions
to Improve Commerce.

With the continuation today Of
GROUP conferences representative Of
the United States and the eighteen Cen
trail and South American countries par
ticinating in the Pan-American financial
congress there were forecasts Of tangi-
Bile results fro<.l the trade promotion
gathering of the fnanciers and states
men of the Americas.
Four big ideas underlay the various
conferences today. namely: That there
must be an improvement Of transporta-
ton facilities between North and South
America; that the United States should
consider the advantages Of the estab-
Iishmept of branch financial institutions
in the republic to the south; that
court of arbitration should be estab-
Iished for the settlement of commercial
disputes, and that cheaper postal rates
should prevail among the American
countries.
All of the conferences were held at
the Shoreham, there being no general
session Of the financial congress proper.
The delegates ceased their deliberations
at o'clock to attend a luncheon by the
Secretary of State, who entertained tho
visitors from the countries not included
in the invitation list at yesterdays
luncheon.
Navigation Laws Studied.
The transportation committee, COM
al Of the United
States. Argentina, Brazil. Chile. Equa-
dor, Peru and Uruguay. began its labors
by an examination of the navigation
laws Of this country.
This committee is believed to be in
thorough sympathy with President Will
sons significant utterance of Monday.
when the President asserted that II
private capital does not soon provide
| adequate transportation facilities be-
| tween the Americas the Government
| must do so.
| No group conference" has yet reach
| cd a final report on the possibilities OK
| relations between the United States
and the respective Central and South
| American countries, but two sugges-
| tions are meeting with favor.
I These are the suggestion of Argentina
| for code of arbitration for commercial
disputes between the United States and
that country-an idea which may he
utilized by other nations interested
| Salvador that American fnanciers
would find it of profit to establish a
branch bank, with approximately no.
100000 capital. in Salvador as trade
| promotion institution.
Rumors that the National City Bank
| of New ork.. whose president end
other ofhcers are meeting with the
nnanGiers ad.;H ,t, Of Central and south
| tend its banking facilities in Latin
America were prevalent today
Want Branch Institutions.
The informal suggestion Of a great
central bank to accommodate the busi-
ness Of all the Americas has so far not
received sanction. and the general i'm
I preston is that such an undertaking
would be impracticable. However, the
establishment of branch financial in
stitutions in Latin-America by United
States bankers and manufacturers Is
regarded as a feasible program.
| Frank A. aVnderlip. president Of the
: National City Bank; John Fahey.
} president of the Chamber of Commerce
of the United States. and Senor DR.:
= Ricardo Aldao. of Argentina. engaged
in a special conference today on the
proposed recommendation Of an aroi-
: mercial disputes. The idea itself. it is
said. met the approval of these bus-
5 ness experts. but the details are yet to
be worked out by the delegates OF
!
r The Chilean group conference today
= discussed the various problems of the
banking and transportation situation
between that country and the United
States. but before adjourning appoint
ed subcommittee to take up all the
various matters and make such recon-
mendst tions as thought wise to the full
o snSr hs is
chairman; Charles d. Norton, of the
First National Bank. of New York city,
and John J. Raskob treasurer OF the
Du Pont Powder Company. Whining
r ten. Del.
d Report From Columbia.
: The report of the Colombian dele
" cation on the private and public fnan-
Il cial and economic situation of Colom-
q bia. for presentation to the general
d conference. was made public today.
: Concerning the trade opportunities OF
l. the United States in Colombia the re-
port says in part:
The possibility of the United State.
n getting a considerable proportion ol
Is the part taken by the European mar
l. kets in regard to the economical actlV'
q ity OF Colombia has for basis double
"a feature:
Il THE capacity OF the United State:
to consume a larger proportion or the
a produce OF Colombia than they arr
s drawing at present
sumo American products so far no
h acclimated in Colombian markets, anc
% new articles and products for new in
dustries.
LAS to the first. It is up to the Amer
lean importers to find a market fo
their surplus of merchandise and sine
ii is a matter of such great concern /
S is expected that they are already doint
so.
Regarding the second point. Colombo
70 Is already trying, with some success
X American products for those usual!
Id drawn from European countries. Fo
m instance, the exports from New Hori
m for the first four months of 1915 arr
i 80 per cent larger than those of n
u corresponding period of 1914, SfO'N
s. against 81 .943, 900.
it But there are new lines for the De
al velopment Of American commerce. IN
lg scope of which cannot be measured, hu
In may safely be stated as enormous
Mining gold. coal, oil. copper, the es
ch tablishment of packing houses near IN
ed coast, and especially the building % o
a railways and dredging of rivers are IN
most immediate items for investment
In fact, Americans have just now !