Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-31
THIS CITY AHEAD
NLATIN TRADE
Philadelphia Shown Wide
awake in South American
Possibilities
VARIED LINES OFFERED
Commercial Museum Praised
for Part Played With Neigh.
boring Nations

Philadelphia ranks among the first
cities of the world in trade with South
America, according to a special dispatch
10 the New York Sun describing present
commercial conditions among the ma
tions Of Latin America.
Far from being SLOW" it is pointed
out, Philadelphia is wider awake IN II
commercial sense than any other Amer
lean city This city furnished the arms
and ammunition which enabled ArSeh-
tina to win her Independence. has put un-
exceIled window displays in tho larger
cities of South America and mas estao-
lished trade relations with the more re-
mote regions of the southern continent
Two Arms whose names are mentioned
a. leaders In the campaign to establish
trade relations with the Latin nations
are the III. X. Mulford Company and
the Henry Disston Company The for-
rer is mentioned as having the most
elaborate window displays OF any con-
Germ dealing with Southern countries
while. according to the writer Disston
saws are found in every South American
hardware store.
Printing machinery. news print paper
and printing presses have been sent TO
South America from Philadelphia since
&,
In the shipment of these articles Many
other items, among them hosiery metal
products and refrigerating machines. are
to be found In little South American
towns.
Museum Is Praised
The Philadelphia Commercial Museum
Is praised for its work In stimulating
trade conditions to the south of the
United States. The article says, in part:
philadelphia manufacturers keep in
constant touch with ,neir South Amer
lean markets through travelling agents.
Long before the war they were compet-
ing with the Germans and English in
South America and in many cases beat
ing them from their own ground. Phlla-
delphians always remember with pride
that the first arms and munitions that
were ever given to General San Martin S
army to win the independence OF Argen-
tina were presented to the Argentine en-
voys by Stephen Girard. The room
where he interviewed them is still stand
ing. Ship after ship left Philadelphia in
the days Of the wars of South American
Independence with guns and munitions of
all kinds.
Well Represented
After the wars of independence were
over and the South American nations
began developing their normal life. Phil
adelphia merchants, engineers and finan'
ciers played very prominent part ir
their development. The present railway
system of Brazil owes a great deal to
Charles j. Harrah, who was one of the
founders OF the Manufacturers' Club OF
Philadelphia. Many other names could
be mentioned in this connection.
"The work initiated nearly twenty
years ago by Professor Leo S. Rowe. now
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury al
Washington and then professor at the
University of Pennsylvania, In attract.
Ing South American students to Philadel
phia long before Pan-Americanism be.
came the fashion is worthy of great
praise. But II was merely a develop.
ment of what had been going on Tor a
long time
-Four years ago I met an old gentle.
man in Ecuador who had graduated from
the University of Pennsylvania in 1871
At one time the chief engineers In two
OF the largest South American republics
were graduates of Lehigh University, sc
that l do not think that any one car
teach Pennsylvania much about culti
waiting intellectual and cultural rela
tons with South America.
The Philadelphia Commercial Mn.