Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-08-11
GERMANY DOES NOT HAVE
SOUTH AMERICAN TRADE
investigation Reveals That Even Be-
fore the War She Was Rapidly
Losing Ground.
SOME INTERESTING FIGURES
In Argentina Prussians Had Conferred
Efforts to Capture All the Latin
American Trade, but Failed to Ac-
compliSh Purpose.
TRv Associoted p,cs.,

7
stories OF Gcrmanys commercial
achievements in South and Central
America and the generally accepted
boast that German goods had COM
pietely captured those markets fade
under tho intense light of careful in
| rcs,igation into merely German prop
uganda. circulated with the idea of
! soaring all other competitors out Of
| the field.
| William c. Wells. chief statistician
/ for the Pan-American Union, Is au-
thcrity for the statement that for
several years before the war, Germany
| actually was losing ground in South
and Central America, and that the
greatest gains were made by the Unit
ed States.
Just prior ito the European war"
says Mr.. Wells. German trade in most
of Latin America was in danger of
Immediate dissolution. For thirty
years. 1t Is true. German trade showed
= large and progressive growth-but
this was almost entirely at the ex-
pense Of Franco. In 1911, German trade
reached its apeS. In Argentina was
conferred the German efforts to capture
Latin American trade. In 1911 the per-
certages of imports from the seven
leading commercial countries to Ar
gentina were as follows: United King
dom, 900; Germany, Is; United States,
lt.3; Italy, S; Franco. 1914; Belgium.
SO, ard Spain. 81. And this was Ger
many's best year. In thirty years Ger
many had increased her proportion of
the Argentine trade "a per cent, Italy
gained "a per cent. and the United
States gained 141 per cent. All tho
nj pfrtn al
France most heavily. Most OF the Ger
man gains were Mt her expense.
I'm fourteen of the Latin-American
countries. Notwithstanding the siren
uous efforts made by Germany to ac-
Quire or to preserve the trade, the re-
suit had been practically failure. The
imports from Germany in these coun.
tries was only slightly over II rer
cent OF the whole, and less than one.
fourth Of the IMPORTS from the United
States.
WONDERFUL STORIES TOLD.
BUT THEY ARE PROPAGANDA
Wonderful stories have been told
and are yet being told OF German com
mercial success In Latin America. The
spreading OF such stories is and al
ways has been part OF the German pro-
gram. 1t creates an atmosphere which
is supposed to have depressing effect
upon rivals. Tho English. French
Italian or American exporter IS apt
to be reticent about what he IL doing
in foreign countries. Not so the Ger
man. Flo claims everything, and then
some!
AS illustrating that. some time ago
a story came from Bucnos Aires TO
the effect that agricultural machinery
from The United States imported into
Argentina since the war was giving
great dissatisfaction; that German ma
chincry used prior to the war was
much better made and more suitable
to the country. This story, with much
detail rs to why the German machinery
in general use In Argentina prior to
tho war was better, was published ex-
tensively in the United States with
no comment whatever. The facts are
that Germany had no hold on ArEen-
tine agricultural machinery imports. |
She had been ousted from this field
more than twenty years ago-horse. !
foot and dragons. American machin-
cry had done tho ousting. because 1t
was better made and more suitable to
the country and :he crops. Thh trade
was more intelligentiy handled hy the
American exporters. and rs n consc-
quence they secured it
Both Germany and the United States
are new entrants in the race for over !
seas trade In manufacture, but Ger
many was first in the field. German
manufactures were pouring into tho
Latin American field from Mexico TO
Argentina in ompetition with Brit |
ish and French goods years before the |
United States was shipping anything |
10 these countries except -four. cod |
fish. lumber and the like. Yet In 1913. !
prior 10 the outbreak Of the war the
United States had passed Germany IL !
fourteen OF the twenty countries ~
Lat in-America-that IL. the United |
States exceeded Germany In exports |
TO these fourteen countries In the ra-
ito Of more than to 1-SlS7.412.a96 tc
si3.S22,o COS.
In the remaining sig countrie2-
Argentina. Brazil. Chile, Paraguay, |
Bolivia and UruEuay-the United States
trade was over so per cent OF the |
German trade-Urited States. Slil,5to.
5S5; Germany. sl75,7a4.271. For the |
whole twenty countries. the United |
States trade exceeded the German eX-
ports in the proportion of to =
FIGURES ON TRADE TELL
Figures are sometimes eloquent II
one knows how to read them, but they ,
never tell quite the whole story. The !
point that the figures of trade with !
Latin America do not tell is that the |
German trade was precarious, some |
what artificial, and by no means well
iased Its bases were long credit and /
cheap goods. Long credits and cheap |
Iess arc undoubtedly good bait with |
which to FISH for trade, but not neces-
sarily for the best kind OF trade
Furthermore, long credits and cheap
ness are like boomerangs, having !
return curve often to tho hurt OF tho
user.
ct was notorious that German losses
in Latin America were much greater
than British or American losses. Many
wcll-informed persons believe them to