The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1918-07-16
Germans Hold Upon
Latin American
Trade Was Not Firm
Stories of Control Of Business 10
South and Central America
Exaggerated To Discourage
Business, Of Other Nations q

WASHINGTON, July ,l-(Associate ted
Press Persistent stories of Germany 3
commercial achievements in South and
Central America and the generally ao-
cepted boast that German goods had
completely captured those markets fade
under the intense light of careful in
vestigation into merely German propa-
ganda, circulated with the idea of scar
ing all other competitors out of the
field, :, -.
William G. Wells, chief statistician
for the Pan American Union is author
ity for the statements that for several
years before tho war Germany actually
was losing ground in South and Central
America and, that the greatest gains
were made by the United States
Trade on Decline
just prior to the European war, -
says Mr.. Wells, German trade in most
of Latin America was in danger of i'm
mediate dissolution. For thirty years,
1T Is true, German trade showed a large
and progressive grOwth-but this was
almost entirely at the expense Of
France. In 1911, German trade reach
cd its apex. In Argentina was center
ed the German efforts to capture Latin.
American trade. In 1911 the percent
ages of imports from the seven leading
commercial countries to Argentina were
as follows: United Kingdom, 296;
Germany, Is; ,nited States, 143; Italy,
y; France, 1914; Belgium, A3; and
Spain, 81. md this was Germany s
best year. In thirty years Germany
had increased her proportion of the
Argentine trade ninety-four percent,
Italy gained ninety. four percent, and
the United Suites gained l4I percent.
All the other countries except Belgium
lost, France most heavily. Most of the
German ynins were u her expense.
"In fourteen of the Latin A merican
countries, notwithstanding the strenu,
Gus efforts made by Germany to acquire
or to preserve the trade, the result had
been practically failure. The imports
from Germany in these countries was
only slightly over eleven percent of the
whole and less than One-fourth of the
imports from the United States.
Dtscourages Rivals
"Womdorfn stories have been told
and are yet being told Of German com
iNVASAte SuIhChS ~ lpdllu [intTlCd ne
spreading of such stories is and always
has been part IF the German program.
1t creates an atmosphere which is sup
posed to have IA depressing effect upon
rivals. The English, French, Italian,
or American exporter is apt to be re.
ticent about what he is doing in foreign
countries Not so the German He
claims everything and then some.
"As illustrating that, some time ago
n story came from Buenos Aires to the
effect that agricultural machinery from
the United States imported into Argen.
tina since the war was giving great
dissatisf that German machin
cry used prior to the war was much
better made and more suitable to the
country. This story, with much detail
as to why the German machinery in
general use in Argentina prior to the
war was better, wns published oxtrn-
sively in the tinted States with no com.
mcnt whatever The facts are that
Germany had no hold on Argentine ag
ricGlturnl machinery IMPORTS She had
been uudrd fr"m this field more thnm
twenty yeats ago horse foot and
dragons. American machinery had