Evening star., 1925-06-07
BY HENRY l.. SWEINHART.

TINE childern's game in which
they clap their hands and
shout: Birds have feathers,
l. geese have feathers, ducks
have feathers" and so on ad
infinitum might be applied to prog
resS in Latin America, so that one
could say: Mexico is progressing,
Argentina is progressing, Brazil is
progressing, Peru is progressing" and
so on through the list of American
republics.
This progress is manifest in num-
Der of ways. In the first place, COM
mercial statistics prove 1t. in the
next place. interest is being shown in
practically all of the countries of
South and Central America, Mexico
and the West Indies in various prof.
ects looking to national improvement
commercial and otherwise. Again, it
is reflected in the offices of the Latin
American embassies and legations in
this city. which have never been more
busy than at present, with the collec-
ton of data of interest to their respec
tive governments
Just as the United States has
served as a model in a political way
for most of the 20 other American
republics, its Constitution being wide
ly copied by them, so it is being fol-
lowed, 1t can safely be said, in many
other directions: in the operation and
management of governmental as we'll
as private institutions of many kinds;
in educational, social and health
lines, and in the development of pub
lie works. This has been accomplished
in multiplicity of ways. 1t has been
brought about through aid extended
by the Government in some cases; in
others through private and personal
contacts.
Trade Figures Striking.
The purchasing power of a nation
is a sign of it's economic advance
and the latest available figures show
that all of the leading countries
through Latin America bought con-
siderably more from the United States
during the first 10 months of the
present fiscal year than during the
corresponding period last year. In
the case of Argentina this was, in
round figures, 100000 in 1925
against $50, 100000 in 1924; for Brazil
S62 100000 against $43,000,0 900; for
Mexico. S124 100000 against s1O1,-
900 900: for Cuba, $174,o0O, 900 against
s16O 900 900; for Colombia, 1000, 900
against $4,000, 900: for Central Amer
lea, $4,000, 900 against $4,000, ,000
ports to all South America for the
period named in 1925 totaled more
than $293 100000 against 1921 900 900
last year.
These countries, almost without ex-
ception, shipped more to the United
States so far this year than they did
during the first 10 months of 1924,
the total from South America having
jumped from 1852, 100000 to s426, ,000,-
@f
crease was from S125,000,000 to
S151 200. 900.
In addition to the commercial. at
tache who recently joined the staff of
the Mexican embassy in Washington
to devote his entire time to the de
velopment and improvement of trade
relations between the United States
and Mexico, the government of the
latter country has also appointed an
agricultural attache. Senor Don
Carlos Terrazas has been placed in
charge of this office. Broadly his
duties will comprise the study and
investigation of all matters of an
agricultural nature in which his
country may be interested and which
may help to better farming condi-
tions in Mexico. This will include a
study of what the United States De-
partment of Agriculture is doing in
it's widespread ramlncdIlOnS 10 ala
crop improvement. In this work
Senior Terrazas has been assured of
the friendly cooperation of the Agri-
cultural Department officials, who
have frequently extended similar
advice to the representatives of other
governments.
One phase of his activities to which
Senior Terrazas will devote immediate
and intensive attention is that of con-
trolling the Mediterranean fruit fly so
that a market may be found here for
Mexican citrus fruits, which have
been embargoed from the United
States for several years past because
of the fruit pest which exists in some
sections of Mexico and which, it was
feared, might be communicated to
fruit groves in this country, unless
quarantine were established. A similar
embargo was placed on the importa-
ton of malaga grapes from Spain be-
cause of the fruit fly there. Owing to
the difference in the seasons and the
fact that many of the fruits grown in
Mexico ripen earlier than in this
country, it is pointed out that they
can be placed on the market here,