Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1916-12-05
Progressive South America
BY Frederic \. Haskin

with the greatest attention to types
that are suitable to local conditions,
and government representatives are
constantly searching Europe for the
best varieties. Patagonian sheep have
been introduced into Peru
Cattle raising IS the big industry of
South America, and some of the best
equipment and methods Of ship
ment have been developed by Lat
in Americans. Bolivia has national
veterinary institute to encourage Its
live stock industry. and Argentina has
ten freezing and chilling factories for
meat packing. Argentine, by the way,
was the first county to employ the
freezing process in exporting meat.
While the Latin Americans were TAX
ing advantage OF Germans preoccupa-
ton to develop their independence in
certain home industries. the European
demand for various articles decreased
so abruptly that they were compelled
to seek other markets. The French
candy industry. which before the war
had imported thousands OF pounds Of
chocolate, was buying only in small
quantities. and the South American
cacao.growers began to look about for
a market for their overproduction. The
North American appetite for choco-
late was already large and absolutely
reliable Over $5O0OO0.00O worth Of
candy is consumed every year by the
United States. two-thirds Of which is
chocolate. and not only is it eaten by
the civil population, but It is fed to
the army for it's stimulating qualities.
Obviously. there was very little chance
of increasing the already enormous
demand in the United States. but the
Orient offers possibilities: so South
America cacoa Is now being sold In
Japan and China at an advanced war
price.
Latin America has been hard hit by
the European war The foreign con-
sumption of many of its products has
ceased altogether, and many neces-
saries that came from Germany have
but cut off, But Latin America Is not
half so badly handicapped as it would
have been had the war been I'm the
United>States. 1t Is this country which
buys the Latin Americans fruit; the
South American chicle to make Ameri
can chewing gum: hides and skins for
American shoes: the ivory nuts for
American buttons; and coffee. sugar
and Panama hats.
The Panama hat industry in Latin
America is being rapidly built up on
the American demand At the begin
ming a few hats were made in Ecuador
where they were sold under the name
Of ''jipijapa.' But president of the
Panama saw no reason why hat
bearing the commercial trademark of
Panama should not be manufactured
courage the cultivation Of the shrub
which furnishes the toquilla straw i'm
ported a few weaving teachers from
Ecuador. established a school and
started sending real Panama hats to
America. The high price Of the Pana-
ma hat in the United States is due to
the high import duty and not to its
original cost which it not high al
though for the finest made hats the
Latin Americans themselves often pay
as much as eighty or hundred dol
lars. Hats of this sort are so fine and
pliable that they he folded and carried
in the pocket without the slightest in.
jury.
Another South American product
that Is beginning to find favor in the
United States is mate. or Paraguay
tea. which owes its Introduction large
ly to the enterprise of Latin American
dealers. Mate is a drink resembling
ordinary tea. but the per cent OF caf
feline is smaller The beverage is non
ular in South America. and ordinarily
there is not more than enough to sup
ply the home demand. hut of course
were a North American market estab-
lished it would be both easy and profit
able to increase the crop The intro
duotion Of mate into the United States
Is as much feat OF enternrise as was
the introduction Of our shoes or our
hardware into South America.
Americans would do well to realize
that Latin Americans are Americans
too. with American qualities of COM
mercial imagination and enterprise.
An immensely profitable commerce
can be built up between the two
Americas. But it will have to be re.
ciprocal matter. current moving
rorth as well as south. Latin America
IS enough OF business man TO insist
on fair share of the profits.