The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-05-05
AMERICA IS POTENTIAL MARKET
 FOR LOCAL METALS
Gulf States Steel Company Representative Returns From Visit to Latin Re-
 publics Where He Got
 Much Information

as 1t is to sell manufactured product
 in the United States" says Carl c.
 Brown. general sales agent of the Gulf
 States Steel Company, who has recently
 returned from an extensive trip to South
 America
 ''The South Americans" says Mir.
 Brown, made a great deal of money
 during the war by exporting their prod
 ucts to Europe and the rest of the world.
 They are in a position to purchase all sorts of manufactured products in large quantities, and banking arrangements are such that no American concern will find difficulty in financing transactions with merchants of that continent"
 Mr. Brown took steamer in New York
 and first visited Rio de Janeiro going
 thence to San Paulo, a thriving city, whose outlet is a splendid port at Sam tos Three-fourths of the worlds cef- fee, much wool and much cotton are raised in Brazil and a large portion finds
 it's way to the world through Santos.
 Southeastern Brazil is splendid grazing and lumber country.
 uruguay MI IolONAy 10 NSiS AANANs
 an enormous producer of grain and cattle.
 It's capital, Montevideo, is beautiful
 city, one of which the United States
 might feel proud.
 MT. Brown also visited Buenos Aires in Argentina. Of the s!eo00oO inhabitants of that country, 1,750,ooO of it's people re- side in Buenos Aires. From Buenos Aires the party of which MT. Brown was a member went across country to the west coast, visiting principal points there, returning to the United States via the Panama Canal and Cuba. Mir. Brown says he was impressed With the fact that the South Americans wish to deal with the manufacturer direct They wish this, because in that way they secure a uniformity of product, while in purchasing from export agents they get first what one factory manufactures and then what another one makes. One make may be as good as the other, but the the time.
 The South American merchant also wishes his own trademark, or brand. That is secured with greater certitude l by direct dealings with the manufac- l turer The South American brands or goods almost uniformly bear the names of historic characters or mark historic events For instance, the cigarette uni formly found in Brazil is known as Gu, ranto Tres" meaning "Forty-three. Something historic probably took place in 1 1s43.
 Asked what the South Americans wish | to import, MT. Brown said: ..They want practically everything pro- , duced in the Birmingham industrial dls- l trict such as pig iron, cast iron pipe, l steel and wire products, structural steel, | hoops and ties, cotton ginning machinery, cotton goods and the like-everything, in | fact"
 Business is easily financed through the many branches of American banks Tn all the principal South American cities. The National City Bank of New York alone has twenty branches in South America placed there to aid American shippers and manufacturers to do business in that countrtv The First National Bank of Boston has a large branch m Buenos Aires These banks, says MT. Brown perform a splendid service for the Amer ican manufacturer in collections, in estaD- fishing credits, in furnishing information
 and in aiding business in any number of ways.
 It is extremely important. according
 to Mr. Brown, to have the South Amer
 ican and other foreign customers made
 familiar with one's goods and methods
 O. doing business even when foreign out
 let for American products is not ~<ces-
 sarv for the moving of a surplus over do-
 nestle wants, because. if the manufac-
 turer waits until the necessity arises, the
 work must be done from the ground ur' amid a world of competition. For this reason the wise manufacturer is nursing
 the South American trade to the extent
 of his ability even when the domestic
 pressure for his entire product is at it's
 height.
 The Gulf States Steel has done bushes
 with over thirty countries, and It was
 to get first-hand information about South
 America that MT. Brown was sent there.
 Judging from his impressions. there is
 splendid opportunity for the Birmingham district through direct dealing.