The Alaska daily empire., 1921-12-15

Mexico, now listing fifth among our foreign markets, if you please-can, does and will interest the American business man. It is his opportunity and he recognizes 1t. That is Mexico today-a glorious opportunity.
 The Mexicans as a whole like American made goods and understand very well how to do business with American exporters. And they pay their bills They understand American commercial methods better than they do those of any other foreign country. The peculiar superiority that the American manufacturer and exporter enjoys in Mexico is proximity of market The nearness of Mexico enables him to fill orders promptly. Europe is at a corresponding disadvantage, and always will be-
 All kinds of American made cotton goods, shoes mems clothing, electrical products, paper pipe machinery and automobiles fea- ture the Mexican market. In fact in those commodities we enjoy virtual monopoly. The spectacle of thousands of American made automobiles dashing in bewidering confusion about the streets of Mexico City is joy to the visitor from the United States. Mex ico of course leads all foreign markets for American automobiles.
 The wholesale grocery and the hardware businesses are the only businesses that are practically dominated by foreign countries other than the United States At the present time at least 90 per cent of the grocery trade is controlled by Spaniards number of Am ercan wholesale grocery houses established in the principal cities of Mexico would soon, however dominate this industry and in addi- tion be able to do very large export busi- ness. The same may be said for the hard ware business in Mexico, which, up to the present time, Americans have permitted Ger mans to dominate.
 Mexico is potentially one of the greatest foreign markets in the world for the tractor and for American agricultural implements generally, provided sufficient credit is given the local merchants and wholesalers as well as arrangements made to carry a generous stock of repair parts.
 As postwar market for railroad mater ial, am entirely convinced that Mexico leads all foreign countries able to pay. I want to emphasize this immensely important conner cial opportunity. Mexico is, as everybody knows, or should know incOmparably rich in raw materials and its government is de- irving an increasingly large revenue from the tremendous output of them that the world is so urgently calling for. The currency of Mex ico is gold and slver-nOthing else There isn't peso of paper money in circulation in Mexico except along the border where, con- trary to the law certain quantity of United States bills circulates among the people.
 Now Mexico has magnificent system of ralways-10, ,000 (ten thousand) miles long. But after ten years of revolution, it's equip ment, once so magnificent, is shot to pieces, and you have the spectacle of a great coun- try trying to get along on about two ffths of the railway equipment that it had ten years ago At the same time it is trying to move fully four times as much merchandise as it handled in the best years of the Porfrio Diaz regime. That cant be done, of course,
 What Mexico really needs acutely at this m all Ot ma of whatever nature-is at least one hundred million dollars worth of railway equipment. It requires that equipment immediately. If American locomotive and car factories would extend substantial credit to the Mexican Government for the export to Mexico of railroad material, it would be fine stroke of business for them. And it would operate speedily to double American exports to Mexico.
 In general, in all fields of industrial and commercial activity, American capital is being sought by Mexicans, and every oppor- tunty extended it at the present time. There wonderful fields for future development of oil, copper and silver mining, public utili- ties water powers, irrigation projects, bank ing and bonded warehouses.
 Mexico has unmistakaby enterd upon a period of peace and prosperity, and seeing is believing. Wherever I have gone it has been perfectly evident that there was only one government In charge, and that the el- ected government of Obregon Of disorders evidence of disorders you see nothing and there is nothing of that sort to be seen.
 
 I know Obregon personally Like every body else who has that pleasure, I esteem him highly both an executive and as a man. He is vigorous, most attractive per sonality. Strength is written all over him. But the outstanding quality about him is a remarkable intelligence Mentally, he is fast as lightning. He penetrates at once the heart of the subject and, with equal celerity, acts decisively. I have never in my life met man with whom it necessary to think more rapidly. conversation with Obregon, whether about the petroleum situa- ton or the question of recognition is with out wasted word He says exactly what he wants to say; he. expects you to speak with equal precision; and he is the kind of man with whom you know immediately where you stand. Judge Gary has nothing on Obregon when it comes to precision and decision.
 
 The leaders in the Mexican Government are pro-Mexican, naturally. They are in- tensely patriotic. And, after all, the Mexi- cans love for his country is easy to under