Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-01-03
SOUTH AMERICA
TRADE BOOSTED
Reporters and Manufacturers In
crease Business 160 Per Cent
Since Wars Start.

New York--United States manu-
facturers and exporters have in
creased their trade in Brazil and
other South American countries by
more than 100 per cent since the
beginning OF the war, according to
J. W. Sanger, trade commissioner
OF the United States government
bureau Of foreign and domestic
commerce, who recently returned
from a survey OF the business op-
poFtunities south OF the equator.
Imagine 10 large stores in one
big city and one of these stores do
ing more business than all the 9TH
er nine combined" declared Mr..
Sanger, land that will give you
some idea Of the position we are in
today. 1t is an amazing record.
We are now selling South Ameri-
can countries more than half Of
everything they import. Our total
export trade is now counted in bill
lions of dollars"
The commissioner said that with
,srene signing OF a peace treaty a
practical certainty within six
months or q year, it is not a day
too soon to begin making definite
plans to meet the keen competition
In foreign trade that must come al
most Immediately" The hundreds
OF millions of dollars invested in
new factories and ships, he said,
mean that America must find fresh
outlets for hM enterprise and in
dustry.
I'VE need more and better direct
representation Of our manufactur-
ers in the important trade centers
OF Brazil and other South AmeTi-
can countries" he said. This may
come about through taking the full
est advantage of the new Webb eX-
port trade act or in other practical
ways.
I'VE also need fast and regular
freight service to every important
part of Latin America" said Mr..
Sanger. Without it we will be as
crippled as a department store that
depends upon casual messenger
boys to make its deliveries. Then
again we must be prepared to meet
NE actual needs of these countries
regarding the extension of credits.
The biggest single incentive to
foreign trade is foreign invest
ments. Unfortunately our holdings
in South America are practically
negligible. In short time our i'm
mense surplus capital will seek in
vestment. Brazil in particular needs
this capital and will pay US hand
somely for it
How many people in the United
States know that Brazil alone is
larger than all the United States D.?
Yet, except for its thinly settled
coast line, it is practically untouch-
ed. 1t is one of the richest coun-
tries in the world and is destined
to develop along similar lines to
our own country in the last hun
dred years. 1t has every natural
resource that we had, and. in addi-
ton, others that nature did not give
US. Our talking machines, type
writers, sewing machines, safety
razOrs, and a multitude of other
American products are standard
with Brazilians today 1t is up to
US to make just as well known the
thousands of other products that
we make and that they need just as
much"
To accomplish this, Mr.. Sanger
said, it was necessary for American
manufacturers to advertise their
goods down there" In South
America, he said, advertising meth
Jas are crude and much as they
~were in the United States 30 or
more years ago.
I'VE have scarcely even begun to
use this power, this promoter OF
sales and good will in South Amer
lea" continued Mr.. Sanger. Il have
unmistakabIe evidence that the peO-
pie of that country respond amaZ-
inIy even to the crude forms OF ad-
vertising offered them.
''BUenos Aires. the capital Of Ar
gentina, has splendid newspapers
with circuIatiOns ranging around
10000 daily Brazilian daiHes
have proven excellent mediums for
+ advertising.
''The biggest thing that could
happen to advertising down there
would be for broad gagged Ameri-
can advertising men to take more
interest in it. These countries
await the stimulus of American ad-
vertising genius properly adjusted
to meet their needs. But let the
American advertising men put this
in their notebooks: Spanish is the
of all South America eX-
ept Brazil, where Portuguese is
spoken. Brazil,ans are offended if
you write or speak to them in Span
iSh"