The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1919-04-09
South American
Trade Prospects

Washington, April "a study of
market conditions and methods in Ar
gentina has convinced me that, so far
as this particular country isc concern
ed, American trade will continue for
many years to hold It's own" Robert
S. Barrett, commercial attache to the
United States embassy in Buenos
Aires, declared today in a report to
the bureau of foreign and domestic
commerce.
In answering the ''most pertinent
question" now in the minds of bust
ness men of the United States
whether this country can retain the
commercial prestige gained during the
war-Mr. Barrett found Numerous
reasons for optimism. He said firms
in the United States were coming to
a better understanding of their South
American trade because they wer2
studying its needs. Increased credit
facilities are being arranged and clos
er relations achieved by the establish
ment of branch houses in Latin Amer
lea and buying offices in the United
States.
He warned, however, that comperi-
tive freight rates, trained men, abs0-
lutte honesty and investment in South
American securities, We're necessary
to maintain the position which United
States goods now hold in the countries
! to the south of the equator.
while perhaps the United States
percentage Of the total imports into
Argentina may not be so large as i
mas b2-n in the past four years, dur
ing which comp~tition from European
countries was greatly affected by the
war, the value Of its exports to Argen
tina will be larger in the next few
years than ever before, Mr.. Barrett
said.
at cannot be expected that the I'm
tied States will continue to supply Ar
gentina with the greater 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
an dstcel. lumber, petroleum products,
machinery, furniture, boots and shoes,
cement, automobiles, Office supplies
and specialtics, in which America had
O large part before the war and which
have been reduced by war conditions,
I'm passing, it may be noted that III
1917 the United States supplied Ar
gentina, with goods valued at $780,
Psi ,9l9 Omitted States currency, or
Sc per cent of total imports. It's near
est competitor was the United King
dom, whose exports to the Argentine
were valued at $80,0SO,322.
"There are several fundamental roa-
sons which are responsible for this
conclusion:
fA2nericaN manufacturers and ex-
porter2 are beginning to know and to
set the requirement of the Argentine
buyer. Tho old system of trying to
force goods which conformed to the
dnno"nds cf the market in the United
States upon the people of this coun-
try IS passing away and an intelligent
effort is being made to supply the
things which meet the tastes and de-
sir@s Of the consuming public Care
ful studies of the market have been
made within the past years, not only
by United States government agen-
cies, but by individual manufacturers.
"Tho establishment by two of the
most important national banks of the
United States of branches in the Ar
! gentine. GCd the general adoption Of
trade acceptanccs, have made the fl
nancing of shipments to and from the
/ Argentine much easier and given tn.
/ American manufacturer an opportuni-
ty to grant necessary credits to COM
pete with other countries. Argentina,
like all ne wcountries, requires long
credits.
american houses are establishing
their own branch houses or direct
agencies in Argentina to conduct their
sales. Within the last two years prog
ress in this direction has been gr-c:.,
but it is expected that when the COM
panies in the United States now being
organized under the provisions of the
Webb law are established in foreign
countries, a large increase in their
number will be noted. Large Argen-
tine concerns, many of them controlled
by European capital, are locating per-
manent buyers in the United States"
Turning from the optimistic side of |
the development of American trade in /
the Argentine, Mr.. Barrett pointed |
out a few things which will be neces-