Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-03-07
FLACK TELLS OF
SOUTH AMERICA
Omaha Boys Back from Four
Months Trip Say Opportunities
Better Here.
NOT AFTER TRADE RIGHT


After trip of four months
through South America, George c.
Flack, treasurer Of the Occidental
Building and Loan association, and
Harry B. Coffee of Chadron, Neb.,
returned with less enthusiasm for
that great continent than they had
expected to accumulate there.
1T is hot, beastly hot in Brazil" said
Mr.. Flack; "a horse can hardly live there.
and the little ants pounee upon you the
minute you step off the train. They dig
into you like so many needles az soon as
YOU alight."
Stin the boys found some good things
to say for the continent. They found
several beautiful cities. and some of
them pretty well up to date although the
majority OF them are stagnating in the
slumher of sixteenth century Spanish
civilization and method.
Not After Trade Right.
THE opportunities there for youns
men are not as great as we had been led
20 believe" said Mr.. Flack There Is
an opportunity. however, for American
Investors and American manufacturers
when our government comes to look with
favor upon foreign Investments, and
when the American corporations go down
there prepared to take care Of their bust
ness with as much system and look after
1t all with as much care as they do at
home. They must adapt themselves to
business conditions and business methods
down there, before they can do much.
For instance. in the past. the American
manufacturers have simply dumped their
eatalog into the hands Of the people. and
that was all there was to It. Or they
sent travelling men there. who did not
even known a word OF Spanish. They
must revise these methods IL they would
do any business"
Many German ships InteRnsd.
According 10 Mr.. Flaek. the great
wheat crop in the Argentine cannot be
marketed at present until Great Britain
says SO. In other words. the Argentine
has no ships Of its own. -Four hundred
German ships are interned on the east
and west coast OF South America. and
there are no other available ships for the
handling of the wheat and meat of this
country. So England gives orders to its
merchant marine TO take only a given
amount OF meat out OF the Argentine in a
month. Similar orders are given in re-
gard to the wheat crop. The result IL
that the supply of meat is marketed
slowly and only as Britain directs. ana
the wheat is moving very little.
subway Mt BuenOs Ayres.
THE boys found the railroads good in
the Argentine and Brazil. found some ex-
tremely sleepy and ancient cities in some
parts, but found Buenos Ayres and few
other cities very much UP to date. In
Buenos Ayres they rode through fine
modern subway. The only cities that inn
pressed themselves upon the boys as
beautiful cities and at all modern were
Buenos Ayres. Rio de Janeiro. ADontevi-
dea and Sac Paulo.
The Standard OH company and the
International Harvester control the BUSH
ness in their line In these South Ameri-
can countries" said Mr.. Flack, but the
bulk of the other trade has always gone
TO France. England. Germany and Italy.
Until the United States looks more IA
vorabiy upon foreign Investments, the
Americans can do little toward getting
their share OF the trade"
Chased by Germans.
Coming home. sailing from Rio de
Janeiro. the British ship on which the
boys sailed was chased for half hour
by what was supposed 10 be a German
cruiser. IAN we could see was the
smoke stack" said Flack. and that was
enough. Our captain said nothing, and
one could learn no details. but we noticed
that the captain swerved in his course
sharply to the left and drove that way
for about four hours. then after we had
completely lost sight of the pushing
smoke stack, he swung back into the
regular COURSE"