Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-03-14
Trade Rivalry in Latin America.
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

Officials Of the Department Of Com.
nlerco are warning manufacturers.
other producers and exporters OF the
United States that tho megaphone era
IN foreign trade promotion Is thing
to get business abroad by telling the
world how good we are and how super.
excellent our products. and telling
that story in reeounding generalities.
The day Of facts. cases and brass
tacks trade promotion has arrived, II
Is stated, and the coming conflict for
our proper share In the trade OF the
great neutral markets has become.
perforce. one dealing with actualities.
Buyers In foreign markets are no long
er to be wooed and won with brass
band tactics. no matter how pleasing
or jazzy T. tune the band may play.
This IL especially true OF Latin
American countries which, IN the ag.
gregate. comprise the most Desirable
customer Of American and European
exporters. Nowhere Is this fact more
appreciated than It 10 on the other
side OF the Atlantic and exporters
there are going after Central and
South American trade as never before.
They have opened up selling cam
paign that combines tireless energy
anu pdtlGUCo Will Sui GwNhCSo sSAAA %AA
telligent appraisal OF the field.
Competition In Mexico.
Very active foreign competition Is
apparent in many lines in Mexico.
says the departments foreign trade
expert. Germany has again taken the
lead in some lines, and In several cities
German. Mexican chambers OF com.
rnerce have been established. Other
continental countries and Great Brit.
ain and Canada are equally keen in
going after Mexican business and are
getting constantly growing share
Of It.
In Central American countries and
in Cuba Germany seems to be most
active. It Is said that the manifest
OF q German vessel arriving in Ha-
vara not long ago showed goods rang.
from mirrors to pienos and from paper
and ink to automobile accessories.
American paper products are being
given especially stiff competition by
Germany and the scandinavian coun.
tries.
European Canniness.
European manufacturers are report.
ed as having been successful recently
in public tenders for machinery. cleo
trical equipment and mill supplies In
Argentina. These concerns usually
maintain resident engineering staffs
equipped to handle installations for
their own account, while competing
American companies often have te
rely on native or foreign subcontrac'
tors. This absence Of resident Amer
lean engineering STATS, particularly IN
the interior or out-of.the-way sections
Of Latin America, makes possible the
1sYa n.
tracts to foreign interests, according
to DR.. julius Klein, director OF the
Bureau Of Foreign and Domestic Com
n1erce. 1t Is not uncommon, he says
for native or foreign engineers EN-
ployed by municipalities or states
there are frequently no adequate pub
lie engineering departments main
tained---to draw up specifications
which favor our European competl'
tors.
recently underbid American companies
on railway materials in Uruguay ana
British and Belgian sources In railroad
supplies and from Germany in locomo
ttves.
The Latin American Market.
This evidence Of the activity Of our
principal European competitors should
not induce any hysterical fear that Eu'
rope Is going 10 walk or with the
American market in Central and
South American countries" says DR.
Klein, ut does indicate, however, a
plain intention to accomplish this pur-
pose, and It does indicate that the
American manufacturer and exporter
must coo. innate and concentrate his
efforts If we are to Illustrate this pur.
pose.
"The present status Of our trade
with Latin America Is generally salts.
factory, and there Is nothing orgar,i-
cally wrong in our present trade re
iations with Latin America Accord.
ingly the problem becomes a matter
Of what shall we do and what shall we
avoid In order to advance and reinforce
our position in this market. It IL obvf.
ously impracticable to give rules Of
thumb instructions on how to do bust.
ness in the great diversity Of lines in
which we are now interested in that
region, but there are certain funda.
trlentais which have such wide applica-
ton to Latin American trade problems
that they may be emphasized profit.
ably
First Of the fundamentals cited by
this authority Is the matter OF credit