New-York tribune., 1921-11-20
Latin.American Trade
Why Europe Got a Head Start-Ou
Exports Picking Up

EXpoItS IlCKing UP
10 the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: have read with considerable in
terest the recent letters in The Tribune
regarding American business methods
in vogue with Central and South Ameri-
can countries.
Having been through the Isthmus Of
Panama, visited the west coast, Co.
lombia, Costa Rca, Honduras and
Cuba, can testify as to the excellent
constructive engineering and CONNER
cial work done in these countries by
Americans and with American capital,
as stated by Minor O. f. Keith
During my connection with an ex-
port house in New York, whose business
was principally with South and Central
America, learned to know the reasons
why Continental countries such as
England, Germany, France, Spain and
Portugal have obtained such prestige in
the tropics as compared to the United
States.
j. Previous to 1893 the bulk of the
business was transacted with European
countries, which solicited it industri-
ously and methodically, while the
United States practically ignored the
possibilities of commerce with these
Latin nAmerican countries.
2. The metric system of measure
ments and weights, standardized in
European countries in the manufacture
of their finished products, soon became
standardized in the American
countries and is still the recognized
system.
8. longtime credits are allowed for
payment of accounts, usually ranging
from six to nine months and in many
cases year or more. This system of
longtime credit is dstasteful to the
average American manufacturer, he
being used to turning over his capital
several times year and collecting his
accounts usually within sixty to ninety
days from date Of shipment.
4. Persistence Of American fnanufac-
turers (until the last ten years) in
shipping their products packed as for
domestic shipment and not, as re.
cuested by the purchaser, for export
American manufacturers, however, have
for some time Grated their products
correctly and have marked the weights
and dimensions in kilos and meters on
| all shipments, as demanded by the
| South or Central American importer
! 5. American manufacturers and ex-
porters made grievous mistake in
corresponding and printing their cata-
/ logues in English, when it was we'll
known that Spanish and Portuguese are
the languages spoken in Latin-American
countries.
In addition to the foregoing, it must
be remembered that the same article
can many times be manufactured on
the Continent for one-half to one-tenth
the cost Of manufacture in the United
| States. This does not refer to the
PTOut ucuaHueu ny our manufacturers
| but to the actual cost Of Manufacture
which constitutes the major portion o.
our selling price.
| Irrespective Of all the hafdicaps ant
mistakes which have Been made by the
American manufactures and exporter
up to recent years, we are increasing
our business in some lines and hoidins
our own in others, even In view Of tn,
unsettled financial conditions in 'al
Latin American countries sihce tn,
armistice was declared.
Those who have never been tt
Havana, Port Limon and Bocas de
Toro, in Costa Rica, the Isthmus Of Pan
anna, Lima, Peru, Rio de Janeiro anc
Buenos Ayres cannot appreciate tk'
wonderful work done there by Ameri
cans during the past twenty to twenty
Ave years.
1 feel very confident that there viii
be an increase in American exports Il
Central and South America and Cub.
and . closer personal and social re
| lationship established as tins goes on
ROBERT B. BURTON.
Mount Vernon. NJ ". Nov - 1921