The Alaska citizen., 1916-12-18
UNITED STATES GETS BUSINESS
 OF BRA/IL.IANS

of commerce for the purpose of de yeloping the large share of the trade
 which the war in Europe has thrown from their old continent rivals into their hands. were chagrined at the appearance of a large advertisement n one of the principal journals O.
 ,his city a few days ago which CauS ed much merriment in the Commer cial circles of their Engli. h, French
 German, Italian, Portuguese and
 Dutch rivals.
 The advertisement was large
 display telling in detail of the mer. .ts of a well known make of Ameri- aan automobile. It was set forth
 correct Portuguese, the language
 yf the country. and would have been | good trade puller but for the last line, which read: Agent for Brazil.
 Lr A. Blank, Quito, Ecuador"
 on the maps the straight-line dis lance ketween Rio de Janeiro and Quito has not much more than the of good broad jump;
 )n the trade route over which a let ter must journey between these two points the distance is approximately 1000 miles each way Calculating on reasonably close rail and steamship connections four months would elapse between the time the prospective Brazilian buyer posted and received reply for an order or inquiry. Flu ropean competitors with agents and displays on the spot would enjoy a most obvious advantage.
 Distances in South America are great and are seldom realized by he North American who is much more used to vast stretches than IS his European rival In the caae of the letter cited above. it would have to go from Rio de Janeiro to New York by steamer, a distance of 4,770 miles, thence 1912 miles south ward to Colon, 50 miles across the Canal Zone, S35 miles down the west coast of South America to Guaya quil, Ecuador, and finally 210 miles inland to the plateau city of Quito The return trip would be over the same route, for mails are not car ried aouthward to Buenos Aires and over the Andes to this part of the and even if they were, the distances still would be so great as to make the American automobile proposition ridiculous.
 There are evidences everywhere here that the English, German, French and Portuguese merchants mean to fight hard to di4p pute the lead recently acquired by the North in the field of Brazilian trade. For some years prior to the war the United States occupied third position as supplier of mer- tn pTovi 70 the first year of the conflict the northern republic crept to second place, and at the termination of the second year it had a good lead which 1t has since maintained. When trade are re-established, compe- tition will be keener and establish .ng agencies in the plateau region of the Andes for sale of commodities in Rio de Janeiro, which is as ii an English firm would advertise the sale of a commodity in a New York paper and refer inquiries to it's agency in Sitka, Alaska-will not help American exporters to maintain supremacy.
 To break the hold which the Unit ed States has slowly acquired and to reestablish prewar conditions of will be the infleXible aim )f English. French and German mer- chants No influence, however subtle is being overlooked to sway the Brazilian government and people. Wrong interpretations of the Mon, roe Doctrine, wilfully misleading ar .icles which appear frequently in he press as to the attitude of the United States and it's people on he European war, and other tactics of like nature are part of the cunning campaign to discredit the northern trader.
 The more open campaign consists n the strengthening of the position of supremacy long held by the Flu ropean nations in the matter of transportation, communication and banking facilities. Here, with the exception of the last named, the Am erican trader is badly handicapped, with little hope of relief in sight. FRED THRASHER