The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1919-04-09
U.S.. LEADS IN SOUTH
AMERICAN TRADE
QUESTION WHETHER SHE CAN
HOLD PRESTIGE GAINED.

far as this particular country is con-
cerned, American trade will continue
for many years to hold it's own" Rob
ert S. Barrett, commercial attache to
the United States embassy in Bues
nos Aires declared today in report
to the Bureau of Foreign and Domes-
tic Commerce.
In answering the most pertinent
question" now in the minds of bust
ness men of the United States-wheth-
err this country can retain the COM
mercial prestige gained during the
war-Mr. Barrett found numerous rea-
sons for optimism. He said firms
in the United States were coming to
better understanding of their South
American trade because they were
studying it's needs. Increased credit
facilities are being arranged and
closer relations achieved by the es-
Establishment of branch houses in Lat
in-America and buying offices in the
United States.
He warned, however, that competi-
tive freight rates, trained men, abso-
lutte honesty and investment in South
American securities, were necessary
to maintain the position which United
States goods now hold in the coun-
tries to the south OF fhe equator
while perhaps the United States
percentage of the total imports into
Argentina may not be so large as 1t
has been in the past four years, dur
ing which competition from European
countries was greatly affected by the
war, the value of it's exports to Argen-
tina will be larger in the next few
years than ever before" Mr.. Barrett
said.
at cannot be expected that the
| United States will continue to supply
| Argentina with the gerater part of its
| imports of cotton and wooden goods,
glassware, chinaware, drugs, heavy
chemicals, cardboard and certain raw
materials, when normal conditions
are restored in Europe, but, on the
other hand, imports of such goods as
iron and steel, lumber, petroleum
products, machinery, furniture, boots
and shoes, cement, automobiles, Of
| fee supplies and specialties, in which
America had large part before the
war and which have been reduced by
war conditions, will be greatly in
creased.
"In passing, it may be noted that
! in 1917 the United States supplied Ar
gentina with goods valued at Sl33,-
Isl $40 UNITED States currency, or
SO. percent of. the total imports. It's
nearest competitor was the United
Kingdom, whose exports to the Ar
gentine were valued at $S0,OS0,S22
"Theer are several fundamental
erasons which are responsible for
this conclusion:
american manufacturers and eX-
porters are beginning to know and
to meet the requirement of the Ar
gentine buyer The old system of try
ing to force goods which conformed to
the demands Of the market in the
United Staes upon he people OF his
counry is passing away and an in
elligent effort is being made to sup
ply the things which meet the tastes
and desires of the consuming public
Careful studies Of the market have
been made within the past years, not
only by United States government
agencies, but by individual manufac-
turers.
1.-THE establishment by two of the
most important national banks of the
United States of ORANGES in the AR.
gentine, and the general adoption OF
trade acceptances, have made the f.
nal cling of shipments to and from the
Argentine much easier and given the
American manufacturer an opportu-
nifty to grant necessary credits to
compete with other countries. Ar
gentina, like all new countries, re-
quires long credits.
American concerns are establish
| ing their own branch houses or dl-
rect agencies in Argentina to conduct
their sales. Within the last two years
progress in this direction has been
great, but it is expected that when
the companies i'll the United States
now being organized under the pro-
visions of the Webb Law are estab'
lished in foreign countries, large in
crease in their number will be noted.
Large Argentine concerns, many OF
them controlled by European capital,
are locating permanent buyers in the
United States"
Turning from the optimistic side OF
the development of American trade i'll
the Argentine. Mr.. Barrett pointed
out a few things which will be neces-
sary il manufacturers in the United
States are to continue to occupy an
important part in this market.
First" he said, The United States
must be placed on a parity with Eu
ropean nations in the matter OF ship
ping and freight rates. Now that the
war is over there is tendency to re-
vert to old conditions. Establishment
of regular lines of steamers, both for
freight and passengers, between the