The Washington herald., 1917-01-07
south ANEPICAN TRADE
NEGLECTED. AT A Loss
Banker Points to Opportunities for
Business During War.

American merchants are neglecting
splendid market for their goods in not
encouraging south American trade, ac-
cording to A h Titus, Of the National
City Bank, of New York, In an interest
Ing article In the New York Times.
European countries are alive to the op-
portuntties In the LAttn-American coun-
1fes and are even now preparing to
broaden their act yities IN South America
after the close Of the war, says Mr..
Titus
The South American merchant wants
Sncourassment IN th- form of credit and
he wants nrst-clasa wares, and not in
sertor goods. wEen American merch-
ants awake to the latent opportunities
and accept the facilities for loans now
offered by American banks with branches
in the large capitals of South America
they Will fnd that there Is a fruitful
opportunity for a healthy expansion of
their business He says further:
Opportunity Is Being Lost.
so much has been written and said
during the last few years about condi-
tons In South America and the efforts
made by those interested in the promo
ton OF North American trade in South
America that 1t might not be anaiss to
consider the situation as II appears with
respect to the success Of these efforts,
and ind out why our progress has not
been greater. and to consider that after
ths close OF the war. when the great
trading nations OF Europe go back into
the South American market, how the
manufacturers and merchants in the
United states have lost their opportunity
In South America, II 1t Is lost, and what
lesson Is to be learned from the failure
"A great portion Of our merchants and
Manufacturers until within a few years,
have never considered the country south
OF the Equator as q possible market, ex-
cept II be for the dumping Of materials
or goods too inferior In quality or manu-
facture fer use in our own country. A
strong effort was under way just about
the time OF the outbreak Of the European
war to establish active and permanent
trade relations, and those who were pro-
noting the international trade idea saw
which was undoubtedly the golden op-
portunity of North American goods TO
obtain foothold that could not be brok-
IN in South America
Permanent Trade Not Sought
The history OF the last two years has
shown conclusively that this has not
been successfully accomplished. We have
Increased our trade. but 1t has been more
as a result OF solicitation on the part
Of the South American merchant, who
needed out products, rather than because
We, as nation, have intelligently ana
with view to permanence, gone after
the trade.
"A number Of merchants in the United
b States who ought to be interested in the
trade have said that business lately has
been so good in this country on prac-
tcally a cash basis that it would not
have paid to attempt to develop South
American trade
This is, OF course. a short-sighted
policy. for with the war over and our
competitors back into the market to re-
establish themselves, the business that
has been forced upon Us during the last
two years will in all probability go back
to Europe. With the realization Of the
possibility II would have been a wise
thing for the United States to have cul-
tivated carefully and painstakingly the
great field that was ours for the taking"