Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-05-09
OUR PROGRESS In
LATIN AMERICA
By Frederic J. Haskin
CONTINUED From Editorial Page1


workers, finishers, painters, have all
been paid by foreign countries for
the making of that machine, and only
few pounds of raw material have
been sold.
In a word, to become a first-class
industrial power, We must learn to
manufacture all of our goods to the
highest possible degree. The i'm
mense quantities of cotton, wool, lum-
ber and naval stores which we an
nually export are n national waste to
us, and money in the pockets of our
competitors.
Before we can attain to this high
ly organized and profitable condition
we must have a market for our man
ufactures. Necessarily the greater
part of this market will be in less
highly organized countries, and of
these, Latin-Ame merica is the nearest,
greatest and wealthiest. Latin-Amer-
lea is our natural and rightful field in
which to achieve our destiny in in
ternational trade, and the European
war has given us an unparalleled op-
portunity to enter it.
Statistics tell only part of the
story. In the Argentine, which is
farthest away. and tthe industrial
stronghold of Great Britain in Latin
America, we have more than doubled
our share of the trade. In 1914 we
had 1874 per cent of it, and in 1915
2S.4 per cent. Furthermore, we have
loaned immense sums of money in the
Argentine, and trade always follows
the loan. 1t was England's loans and
investments in the Argentine that
gained her a large share of Argentine
business. Now, by her orders in
council, she has prohibited the lend
ing of money outside her realm. Not
long ago the Argentine government
needed fifty million dollars, and turned
to the United States for the money.
British bankers protested, and final
ly half of the loan was placed in Great
Britain and half in the United States.
The British bankers disposed of the
bonds with difficulty, the Americans
with ease.
In all branches or business, Ameri-
cans are coming to the fore. Several
large contracts have been awarded
American firms by great South Ameri-
can municipalities. American meat
packers are rapidly extending their
facilities in Brazil and the Argentine.
Americans are building South Ameri-
can railways. In countries where
the English gauge and rail were rapid
ly becoming the standard before the
war, the American measurements are
in fair way to do so now. Our pro-
gress in Latin America has been thus
tistician of the Pan-American Union;
I'VE have extended our Latin-Amer-
lean trade to lines that we never be-
fore sold in those countries; we have
taken up all of the business dropped
by Germany and Austria, and have
gained upon Great Britain"
What share of this trade we will
hold after the European war" he adds,
depends entirely upon our e ls cheney
in manufacturing and Distributing"
This last question as to what share
of the trade gained during the war we
will hold after the making of peace,
is the one of greatest present import
ance. The war has made us for the
time being a great manufacturing and
nation. What part of our
sudden growth has the mushroom
quality? The munition business is nee
essarily temporary Much of the
trade in foodstuffs and fabrics to the
warning nations must also be greatly
curtailed after the war. But in Latin
America, the demand will not be great
ly modified. The chief difference will
be that the European nations, with
great debts to pay, will face US in keen
One fallacy entertained by many
is that these nations will
be too weakened to be formidable. The
testimony of all experts, and all the
Of history are against this
a social and humanitarian point of
view and cruel price to pay for any
boon, but ii has almost invariably act
ed as an Industrial stimulus. Europe
will lay down arms, and take up
business, better organized, better dis
ciplined, hardened and trained in body,
grimly determined in spirit.