The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-07-05
Persistent Stories of Germany's
Commercial Achievement
Fade in Light of Truth.
ALL LIES AND
PROPAGANDA
Several Years Before War, Real
ly, German Trade Was
Rapidly Crumbling.

washington, IL. Co July 4.-PerSlSt-
ent stories of Germany's commercial
achievements in South and Central
America and the generally accepted
boast that Germany goods had com
pletely captured those markets. fade
under the intense light OF careful in
vestigation into merely German pro-
paganda, circulated with the idea of
soaring all other competitors out of
the field.
VIM. C. Wells. chief statistician for
the Pan-American Union, is authority
for the statement that for several
years before the war Germany ac-
tually was losing ground in South and
Central America and that the great
est .a.ns We're made by the United
States
Just prio~ TO The European war"
says Mr.. Wells, German trade in most
America was in danger of Immediate
dissolution. For thirty years it is
true, German trade showed q large
and progressive growth-but this was
almost entirely at the expense of
France. In 1911. German trade reach
ed it's apex. In Argentina was CEN
tered the German efforts to capture
Latin America trade. In 1911 the per-
cenage of imports from the seven lead
NAi3 IohhAhCA CidA countries 10 ATgen-
tina were as follows: United King
dom. 2e.6; Germany. Is; United States.
14.s; Italy, 8: France, 4; Belgium, So:
Spain, 81. And this was Germany's
best year. In thirty years Germany
had increased her proportion of the
Argentine trade "a per cent, italy gain
ed "a per cent and the United States
gained 141 per cent. All the other
countries except Belgium lost France
most heavily. Most of the German
gains were at her expense
In fourteen of the Latin-American
countries, notwithstanding the strenu-
Gus 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 eleven Ger
cent of the whole and less than one
fourth of the imports from the United
States.
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
program. It creates an atmosphere
which is supposed TO have a depress-
ing effect upon rivals. The English.
French, Italian or American exporter
is apt to be reticent about what he is
doing in foreign countries. Not so the
German He claims everything and
then some.
As illustrating that some time ago
| story came from Buenos Ayres to the
effect that agricultural machinery
from the United States imported into
Argentina since the war was giving
great dissatisfaction; that German
machinery used prior to the war was
much better made and more suitable to
the country. This story, with much de-
tail as to why the German machinery
is general use in Argentina prior to
the war was better. was published ex-
tensiveiy in the United States with no
comment whatever. The facts are that
Germany had no hold on Argentine ag-
ricultural machinery imports She
had been busted from this field more
than twenty years ago-horse, foot and
dragons. American machinery had
done the ousting because il was bet
ter made and more suitable to the
country and the crops. The trade was
more inteiligently handled by Amerf
can exporters and as a consequence
they secured IT.
Both Germany and the Trntta5
States are new entrants In the race for
overseas trade in manufactures, but
Germany was first In the field. Ger
man manufactures were pouring into
the Latin-American field from Mexi
CO 10 Argentina In competition with
British and French goods years before
the United States was shipping any
thing TO these countries, except flour.
Goldfish, lumber and the like Yet in
1913. prior to the outbreak of the war,
the United States had passed Germany
in fourteen Of the twenty countries OF
Latin-America-that is, the United
States exceeded Germany in exports
to these fourteen countries in the ratio
OF more than 4 to 1-s1s7412o TO
$4s, So. .005.
TN the remaining six countries car
gentina, Brazil, Chile. Paraguay. Bo-
livia and Uruguay. the United States
trade was over so per cent of the Ger
man trade-United States sI4I54o5s5
Germany s175.744271 For the whole