The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-02-19
EASY TO TRADE WITH
SOUTH AMERICANS
BugabOO Of Endless Delays
and Long Credit Lines
Is Dying.
BIG CON MERGE WAITING

The busaboo to the effect that It 10
impossible for a man In the United
States to do business with concerns in
South America except under the most
trying conditions unless he 10 prepared
to live there for several years and be
willing to subject himself to endless
delays in putting through transactions
Is slowly but surely dying. Men cor.
versant with South American conditions
say there really was never any justifica.
ton for the buGaboo and that Il was
kept alive by 'self-perpetuating iitera.
ture" which was written BY persons who
knew little OF the true conditions exist.
ing In our sister republics or men who
had formed their opinions from unrcli-
able sources.
Representatives OF the National City
Bank state that the average South
American Is as easy 70. do business with
as Is the average citizen of the United
States. They point out that II Is not nec-
essary for q business man TO become
entirely familiar with the customs Of
South America to engag successfully In
trade with people there.
II Is worse h q useless for Americans
to try to ape the customs and name
Of their southern n%eighbors in order to
do business with them. and about the
only qualifications which are necessary
are that the goods offered are Of the
standard required by the South Ameri.
c;Sa purchasers and that the American
seller treat his South American customer
with the same sort of courtesy with
whicl, he would treat a customer In this
country. The South American will easily
appreciate the difference in business
methods and will make the necessary
allowances. Just as he will expect the
American agent to do. Of course a
longer line OF credit may have 4 be
extended by the American agent than
would ordinarily be the case, but this In
also true In business transactions with
our southern States. where industries
are not so diversified AS they are In
the North and the West.
" interesting stories arc told re.
garding experiences which American
concerns v had In dealing with South
America. Recently. when the agitation
for increasing our trade with South
America began. the selling agent OF a
large textile concern in this country
went to the president Of his firm and
asked for an appropriation to drum up
trade In South America.
The president had been bitten by the
South American buxaboo and he said
that 1t would he business suicide to en-.
gage in trade there. He refused to give
the required appropriation. but finally
after a lengthy interview agreed to APP
propriate a limited amount for stamps
for letters to be- sent to South American
firms with which the agent felt that he
might do business.
The agent wrote the proper kind OF
letters and the first years business OF
the sceptical textile firm with its new
South American clients totalled $500. 900.
To-day the president Is one of the great
est boosters of trade with South America
and cannot understand how II ever hap
pened that he was bitten by the buga-
boo.
A well known American piano f1rn
kent out Of the South American busi-
ness for many years owing to "a belief
that pianos made in this country would
not be able 10 withstand the climatic
conditions IN south America. The firms
heads believed that only pianos made Of
South American woods were adapted TO
the climate ana therefore kept out OF
the field. leaving the trade to German
firms. When the war broke out and
German exports were cut of the frm
began to receive orders from South
America for pianos. Fearfuliy they hiled
their frst few orders. expecting TO hear
every mail that their goods were not up
to standard and that they were being
rejected. More and more orders poured
in and that Arm to-day is doing "A thriv-
ing South American business. Agents OF
tine firm later discovered that the buga-
boo that only pianos made N South
American woods would last in South
America had been created and fostered
by German concerns To keep American
competitors out OF the field.
About the only precautions necessary
in shipping pianos to South America is
to send them In zinc or tin lined pack
Ing cases to protect them from the In
terse heat in crossing the equator.
American firms sending pianos to the
Far East have been doing this for many
wears.