New Britain herald., 1918-01-24
TRADE GOLD MINE
 IN SOUTH AMERICA
Our Commerce More Than Doubled During Year 1917

New York, Jan. 24.-Trade of the United States with South America in the calendar year 1917 is two and one half times as great as in the year pre- ceding the war A compilation by the National City Bank of New York shows that the imports from South America n 1917 aggregated in round terms 575 million dollars against 196 millions in the calendar year 1913, and that the exports to South America exceeded 300 million dollars against 147 millions in 1915, and only 91 millions in 1914, the year in which the war began.
 South Americas importing power declined sharply immediately follow ing the beginning of the war. Her total imports from all parts of the world in 1913, the year preceding the war, aggregated slightly more than one billion dollars, while in 1914 they were but little more than 500 million dollars and have shown but very slight increases during the war. The banks figures show the total imports of South America in 1916 as about 620 million dollars against over a bill
 lion in 1913, and that the total inn ports of that continent in 1917 ap- proximate $50 million dollars. This indicates that this country is now sup plying over 40 per cent. of the imports of South America against less than IS per cent. in 1918, the year preced- ing the war.
 The United States IS also taking much larger share of the exports of South America than formerly. In the | l;~11 11Jx Sorr hn 1913. only about 20 per cent of the ex ports of that continent came to the United States while the latest avail able figures of South American exports i for 1917 indicate that we are now re- ceiving fully 40 per cent. of her eX- | ports. The total imports from South /, America in 1917 were in round terms, ! 575 million dollars, against 42S mill ! lions in 1916, 322 millions in 1915, and 1 19S millions in 1918, the year preced- ! ing the war.
 i This large increase in our imports 1 from South America occurs chiefly in wool, hides, copper and nitrate of 1 soda approximately 100 million dol 1 lars in 1917, against p millions in 1 1913: copper about 70 million dol- 1 lars in 1917, against less than 15 mil- lions in 1913; hides approximately 70 | million dollars in 1917, against 27 mil-
 lions in 1913: cocoa about 17 million
 dollars in 1917, against approximately
 five millions in 1913, and tin approx 1 imately four million dollars in 1917, 1 against nothing in 1913. In coffee l and rubber the increase is compar 1 ative1y small, the total value of coffee 1 imported from all South America be- 1 ing approximately 100 million dollars 1 in 1917, against 90 millions in 1913, l and rubber 26 million dollars in 1917, ! against approxim ately 21 millions in l 1913. The total value of merchandise ! imported from all South America in 1917 is about 175 per cent. greater 1 than in 1913
 1 Tn exports to South America the in-
 crease occurs, of course, in a very
 large mum Der of articles, chiefly man.
 ufactures Cotton cloths aggregate for 1917 approximately 10 million dol 1 lars ill value against slightly less than
 three millions in 1913; tinplate about 0 million dollars in 1917, against less than one-half a, million in 1913; auto | mobiles about seven million dollars
 against approximately three millions
 in 1913: coal over five million dol
 lars in 1917 against over one million
 in 1913; printing paper approximately
 hve million dcllarS In l91 (, aSdlliSl
 less than three millions in 1913. H.
 lumnating oil in 1917 shows a. total
 slightly less in value than that of 191 B.
 but lubricating oil and gasoline, a
 slight increase. In numerous manu-
 factures of iron and steel especially
 those for mining and electrical power
 plants, the increases are large, espe- | cially in the Shipmen to the Pacific
 coast of South America
 The chief increase in imports from
 the eastern frontage of South America
 occurs in wool and hides, while the