Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1918-07-08
HUNS LOSING GRIP OF
So. AMERICAN TRADE 5.
Their Reported Gains in Those
Republics Mere Propaganda
And Untrue.

Washington, July 6.-Persistcnt stories
of Germany's commercial achievements
in South and Central America and tho
generally accepted boast that German
goods had completely captured those
markets fade under the intense light 81
careful investigation into merely German
propaganda, circulated with tho idcn
of soaring all other competitors out Of
the field
William G. Wells, chief ststis,ician
for the Pan-American Union is authority
for tho statement that for several wears
before The war Germany actually was
losing ground in South and Central
America and that tho greatest gains
were made by tho United States
Just prior 10 the European war,
SAYS Mr.. Wells, German trade in most
of Latin America was III danger at i'm
mediate dissolution For thirty wears.
il is true, German trade showed large
and progressive growth but This wns
almost entirely Mt the expense of France.
In 1911, German trade reached it's apex
In Argentina were conferred the German
efforts TO capture Latin Amerlcan trade.
In 19l the percentages of imports from
the seven leading commercial countries
10 Argentina were M follows: United
Kingdom 2p6: Spain. 81. United
States 1i3: italy. g: France lOA;
Belgium. b.3: and Germany rs; And
this was Germanys best year In thirty
venrs Germany had increased her proper
ton Of the Argentine trade % per cent
Italy gained % per cent, and the Unite
States gained l4l per cent. All the
other countries except Belgium lost.
France most heavily. Most Of the
German gains were NJ her expense
In fourteen Of tho Latin-Amcrican
countries. notwithstanding the strenuous
efforts made by GERMANY to acquire or
10 preserve the trade, the result had been
practically failure The lnpors from
Germany IN these countries wac only
alIgntlv over eleven percent Of the whole
and less than onc-fourth Of The imports
from the mtcd States
" ondcrful stories have peen told and
are sc, bong told uf German commercial
success in Iatin-Amcrica The spread
ing of such stories ~ and always has been
part 81 the German program II creatcs
m atmosphere which ~ supposed 70
have n depressing effect upon rivals
Tho English, frruch. Italian. or Aneucan
exporter is apt IL bC rctIccnt about what
he y doing IN foreign countries Not
so the German lie claims everything
and then aume
As illustrating that some time ago
story came from Sucnos Airce 60 the
effect that agricultural machinery from
thr 'nltcd Statcr imported into Ar
rcutInn SINCE tho war wsa giving great
that German machinery
used PRIOR 81 the war VAS much better
made and more suitable 70 the country
.4,,su II H..
the German machinery in general usr IN
Argentina prior a. the war WAS better
was published extensively IN the nited
States with no comment whatever The
facts are that Germany had M hold on
Argentina agricultural machinery i'm
ports She had been oustcd from thus
field more than twenty wears age horse.
foot and dragons american machinery
had done tho uustlng because Il was ucttcr
made and mere suitable 80 the country
and the crops Tho trade was more
handled by American cx-
portcrS and as consequence they Sc
cured Il
Both Germany and the United States
are new entrants in the race for over
seas trade in manufactures. but Germany
was first in fhc field German manu-
lecturers Mere pouring INTO the Latin
American field from Mexico Ia trgentlun
n competition with British and French
goods wears before Inc nitcd States
yas shipping ANYTHING 70 these countries,
Except -four goldfish lumber and the like .
J 81 III 1913 PRIOR - he outbreak Of he
Rar. the United States has passed Ger
MANY IN fourteen 81 the twenty countries
4 LATIN America that ls the nlted
States exceeded Germany IN export
q these fourteen countries in the ratio
f more than 4 10 $751;. 4l2 $50 to
;43 So 005
In the remaining sly countue, Ar
Brazil, Chile. Paraguay. BOLIVIA
md Uruguay the 'nited States trade
vas over 50 per cent Of the German trade
tnited States SAL. $40 5Sh, Germany,
For the whole twenty
Countries the United sta, ~ trade exceeded
lie German exports IN the proportion Of
10 ?
Figures are sometimes eloquent ii
me knows how to read them, but they
lever tell quite the whole story. The
,oini hat the figures Of trade with LATIN
America do not ell ~ ina. the German
rade Was pTccarlous somewhat artificial,
md bv no means we'll based Its bases
we're long credit and cheap goods Long
redlts and Cheapness are undoubtedly
rood bait with which to fish for trade
tut not necessarily for the hes. kind o!
radc F,rtbennore, long credits and
heGDness are like boomerangs, having
return curve often To the hurt Of the
user
1t was notorious that German losses
"a Iatiu-America were much greater
han British OF American losses Many
sell-inforned persons believe them 10
,e greater than both combined The
iermaus had what amounted To almost