The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-01-28
UNITED STATES COMMERCE WITH
 LATIN AMERICA

The foreign commerce of our Latin American neighbors aggregated near ly or quite $5,000,0OO,0OO in 1919 against slightly less than S3,000, ,0o0,- 900 in 1913. Their aggregate popu- ulation is nearly 100,000,000 and the area of the Latin American countries 8,287,000 square miles.
 Latin American trade during and since the war period has shown great CT fluctuations, says a statement by The National City Bank of New York, than that of most other parts of the neutral world. Prior to the war the chief exports of the 20 countries so designated were coffee, cocoa, fruits. India rubber, tin, copper, nitrates, wheat, meats, wool, and sugar.
 The war cut off much of the Eu- ropean markets for the coffee and cocoa and fruits and rubber and tin, while on the other hand it increased European as well as American de- mands for the other products, meats, wool, sugar, copper, and nitrates As a consequence, the grand total of ex- ports of Latin America made but very slow growth during the first half of the war period, and the imports dur ing that period actually declined.
 The total exports of the 20 coun- tries classed as Latin America were in 1913: 3,ooo,000; in 1914: $1,- 552,000,000; in 1916; $1,671, 100000; and in 1917: $1,838, 100000. Then in 1918, when the ability of Argentina, Uruguay, southern Brazil, and Chile to supply meats, wool, and n1trates became fully recognized, the exports Jumped to $2,S78, 100000, and in the first year of peace, 1919, the con tinued demand for meats and wool, coupled with the great advance in prices of coffee and sugar and cocoa, brought the grand total of Latin American exports up to nearly or quite $3,000, 100000, as against S1,- 500, 100000 in the year preceding the war.
 This, says the Banks statement, the exports of Latin America in the first year following the war, 1919, are about double, in stated value, those of the year immediately preceding the war, 1918, or in other words, will apparnetly aggregate about $3,O00,- 100000 in the calendar year 1919 as against $1,5O0, 100000 in the calendar year 1913.
 Imports have shown a similar f1uc- tuation, g, decline in the opening years of the war, a slow recovery in the second half of the war, and a sharp advance in the first year of peace, 1919. The total imports of the 20 countries were $1, ,403, 100000 in 1913, then dropping to $978,oO0,o00 in 1914. and S867,000,000 in 1915, advancing to $1,510, 100000 in 1918, with a probability that the 1919 totals when received will show nearly or quite s2,000, 100000, this sharp increase in A0 1,n 1T0o snd VnI1r chasing power resulting from the high prices and popular demand for the coffee of Brazil, the sugar of Gu ba, the cocoa of Ecuador, Santo Do mingo and Brazil, and the wool and meats of Argentina, Uruguay and Chile.
 The grand total of international trade of the 20 Latin American coun- tries, says the Banks statement, thus advanced from about $3,000,0Q0,D 100 in 1913 to nearly or quite $5,000, ,0O0,- 900 in 1919, the exports showing an increase of nearly 100 per cent in stated value, and the imports and in crease of about 50 per cent: though 1t Is proper to add that those increases in the grand total of values are due in a, very considerable degree to the higher prices in 1919.
 
 statement, has fared generously at the hands of her Latin American neighbors during this period. Prior to the war the Latin Americans were, as a great group. taking only about 28 per cent of their total imports from the United States, while in 1913 they took from us, as nearly as can now be estimated, 46 per cent of their greatly increased imports Their az gregate imports advanced from $1,- 4O0,OOO,O00 in 1918 to about $2,000,- | 100000 in 1919. Our total exports to Latin America in the fiscal year 1914, all of which preceded the war were 100000, and in the calen- dar year 1919 approximately s93O. .oo0,- | 900. They increased their imports about $6o0,000,000, while our exports to them increased about $65o, 10000 i in the same period.