Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-11-19
SOUTH AMERICAN TRADE
THAT WAR HAS OPENED Up
business Europe Took Away From
This Country Is Now Comm.
Back I'm Large Volume.
RicHMoND's oLD-TI,IE LINES
Coal, Tobacco, Metals and Other
Goods That South Americans Are
Now Buying in This Country-Ncw
Field for Virginia Opens.

fieid FOR virginia opens.
In old times Richmond did an i'm
inensc volume OF business with South
America. Ships came To this port from
RraZ.i loaded down with coffee and
went back equally as heavy laden with
-FOUR. tobacco and other things manu-
featured In Richmond or sold here by
The wholesale merchants. a few years
after the War Between the States all
81 This valuable trade went elsewhere.
In fact. the most OF it got away from
the United States altogether. and Eng
land. Germany and France took II In.
The present war. which has upset all
shipping arrangements Europewards.
has brought about change and now
trade between the United States and
South America is three times as great
as II was in the year before the be-
ginning of tho war. y compilation by
the National CAY Bank. Of New York,
just issued. thr0ws interesting light on
'his subject. II shows that the total
exports TO South America in the eight
months ending wtth August Che latest
month for which figures are available)
aggregated SS,000.3oO. against $685.
06o.0 in the same inGnths Of 1914. and
The imports from South America were
S133.000.000. against Sis7.009.000 in the
same months Of 1914. thus the total
trade with that continent ia the eight
months Of 1917 was sG20.s0s.cO0. against
$222,000.0n0 in the corresponding
months nf 1914.
To Argentina, CT lie and raru the ex-
ports have more than t.eblai: and TO
Uruguay quadruplGd: while 10 Brazil.
Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela the
exports are nearly three times as great
as in 1914. TO Argentina the total for
the eight months ending with August.
1914 lis s62.25G.000. against sla.6i9,0G0
in the same months OF 1914; to Brazil.
si0.157.O00. against sl5.973.oeo; to Chile.
s32.97l.000 against sl0.s00.000 in the
corresponding months OF 1874.
Imports from each o; ;he South
American countries show large in
creases. but esp tcinlly those from Ar
Eentina. uruguay, Chile and Peru.
From Argentine. The Imports Of the
eight months OF tho current year are
sI33.S69.0oo. against Si0.752.oo0 in the
same months OF 1914: from Chile. $685.
$4,000. against Sl5,s5a.cOO; from uru-
quay. &2s.3s9.oe0. against $4,000;
and from Brazil. Slos.335,00o, against
So G33 900 in the corresponding months
of 1914.
This increase continues do vn to the
very latest moment for which ;igures are
available. the August. 1917. exports 10
All South America having BEEN s24.SSS.-
900 against sJ.Si2.0o0 IN August 1914.
and the imports from that Continent in
August Of tho corrent year, Si93S6, 900.
against Sl5.o96.90 i'm August Of 1914
The share which the United States is
now surprising of the trade OF South
America is very much greater than be-
lore the war. The bank. compilation
shows that merchandise from the
United States formed about 80 per cent
Of the Imports of all Sonth America in
1916 white in 1913 we suppled bat Is
continent. The United States took in
tie calendar year 1916 approximn tel !
20 per cent Of tho exports Of South
hrnc-i's. and in 1918 but II per cent.
The principal articles in which the
hr"wth occurs are. on the import side
'oai- hides. copper. nitrate. India rub
ST. qUebracho, coffee, cacaO. OF wool.
.ur Imports from all South America in
tn" eight months ending with August,
:siT. amounted to SOS. 100000. value
against only sli.o0o.000 in the same
nonths OF 1874: hides. ;6ioO0.0oG in
'a!7. against 12i,0oo.o0o in the same
nontha Of 1914: copper. $4,000. 000.
sra inst s9.o00.o0o In the corresponding
months OF laii: quebracho, $4,000. 900,
asa!nst s2.5co,o00, and nitrate. $685.
100000. agains; sll.o0o,ooo in the cor
responding months of 1918. In fresh
meats The imports from South America
have fallen off very greatly from APP
prosimntciy 100000 in the full year
l9li TO S25o,o00 in the eight months
ending with August. 1917. even at the
greatly Increased prices.
Manufactures form over 90 per cent
of our exports to South America. and
in practically all of these the increase
is strongly marked. OF cotton cloths,
for example, the exports to all South
America in the eight months of 1917
amounted 10 about 100000 in value,
against about 100000 in the CORES
ponding months of 1914: automobiles
approximately. 100000, against about
Sl,0e0,00O in the same months of 1914:
coal. S4.000,0oo, against about $1,000. 900
in the corresponding months of 1914;
tnplate. approximately s5,000Doo.
against less than 100000 In the same
months Of 1919: refined sugar, little
over sl0,o00.000. against approximately
months OF 1914, While iron and steel
manufactures OF all classes show large
increases.
The figures also show that the South
American countries are beginning TO
use very large quantities of American
manufactured tobacco and cigarettes,
and hat Is another point at which Vir-
Einia comes in. Tfe Richmond made
cigarette is becoming very popular in
Brazil. and the exports OF this article
have been growing for the past three
years until 1t is now quite an immense
business. True the ships from South
America do not now pull up at the
Richmond dock as In olden times, but
Richmond and Virginia will somehow
get their share of the new trade from
that country.