Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-13

port business of approximately SPA
100000 with the countries of Latin
America. Last year we sold them
| almost 5000 900. 900 worth OF our
products. Even more significant than
this astounding sevenfold increase. &C
cording to DIR. Julius Klein of the
Bureau Of Foreign and Domestic Com
merce, Is the relative proportion of the
total of Latin Americas overseas pur
| chases. which now comes from the
United States.
In the case of the prosperous and
highly competitive markets on the
East Coast of South America. whereas
In 1901 we supplied them with about
121a per cent Of their total imports.
our share in 1925 was more than "a
per cent. Our gain on the West Coast
Is even more impressive-from 1914
per cent to 81 per cent-due. it Is be-
lieved. very largely to the influence of
the Panama Canal. In the Caribbean
markets where we furnished as per
cent of the imports in 1901 our por.
ton In 1925 was more than So per
cent.
And while we have been building up
our export trade with our, neighbors
on the South, our imports from them
chiefly raw materials, have shown
almost as great an increase. having
risen from $3.50 200, 900 in 1900 to an
annual average well in excess of
s1,0oo,o00,000 during the past three
years.
DR.. Klein called attention to these
ngures In connection with the celebra-
ton at Niles, Ohio. Of the home and
birthday anniversary of William Nc.
kinley, saying that they were a most
impressive verification Of the prophecy
in President McKinley's last public
utterance, delivered at the Pan.Amer.
lean Exposition at Buffalo Just a few
hours before his assassina ton. The
great Ohioan not only predicted that
the time was at hand for a great
expansion Of our export trade with
the other American republics. but
| urged the Importance of stimulating
our imports from them.
I'VE must not repose In fancied
security that we can forever sell
everything and buy little or nothing"
| he said. "If such a thing were posi-.
BILE 1t would not he best for us and
| for those with whom we deal. We
| should take from our customers such
| OF their products as we can use with
out harm to our industries and labor"
Their Rest Customer.
| Development along this line has
| made the United States the best
customer Of Latin America. for our
| importations from them are forming
| a steadily increasing proportion of
| their total overseas sales. quarter
! Of century ago we took about 30
! per cent Of their total exports: last
| year our purchases comprised roughly
80 per cent. Thanks to the Panama
| Canal. our imports from the West
Coast Of South America have increa sed
| in the same period from s per cent
| Of their total foreign sales to IS per
cent.
Clearly these commercial relation
| ships are steadily growing more init
| mate. says DR.. Klein. more essential
( to the general prosperity OF each
| party, and by that very circumstance
| they involve mutual responsibility.
| both on the part OF the business
| groups OF the South and our own. to
scrutinize with great care every
possible element In that relationship.
"For example" continues the head
! of the Foreign Trade Bureau. there
| seems to he necessary some correction
| of the inclination still current among
few business circles in the United
States to nut all Latin American mar
| kets into the same category, to regard
| them at present. for instance, as all
one disturbed area, whereas CONNER
| ciaI conditions are Of course totally
different In the various republics. just
RS their respective standards OF living
| buying power. resources, topography
etc. are profoundly different.
"Some Of the leading republics have
| higher percentage of white popu.a-
| ton than the United States has. and
| in others the great bulk or the people
| belong to native races. Each market
offers it's own problems, In some eases
| very different from our own, but in
| many others strikingly similar, due to
| the comparable geographic environ
| ment, transportation difficulties. SINH
lar raw material exploitation-mintng
| agriculture. numbering and the like. ;"
The problem OF improved CONNER
| cial rela tionship would seem. there
| fore. In the judgment Of this au-
| thority. to resolve itself. not into any
question OF respective superiority or
| inferiority, but rather one of discov-
| ering the many ways In which our ex-
perience with economic obstacles, par
| ticularly in our westward develop
ment, might be helpful to them.
| Obstacles to BE Overcome.
Exuberant enthusiasts who seek to
create the impression that Latin
| America offers absolutely unlimited
| trade possibilities for us only compli
cate the problem of improving trade
| lations. for that idea liz wholly
| erroneous and embarrassing to the
| we'll informed Latin Americans. They
know only too well, that they have