Evening star., 1927-08-28
Move to Standardize
Latin American Trade
BY HARDEN COJrAx
BY HARDEN COLFAx.

Means to facilitate commerce among
the american republics, O. subject
| which holds elements of interest for
every exporter and importer of the
united States and his colleagues to
! the south, are to be considered at a
meeting OF the Pan-American Com.
mission for this Simplification and
o.anoardlZation of Consular Pro.
| cedure. which will open i'm WASHING.
ton, October 10.
| FRANKLY projected, not only to make
| exporting easy, but also to reduce it's
cost, the approaching conferences af.
1ects the entire population of each OF
tne countries concerned, for interna-
| tlonat trade spells the difference be-
| tween prosperity and depression. un.
DER all save the most abnormal con.
ditions. eoii
Latin America is an important mar.
ket for the United States and prom.
lses 10 increase in proportion to ship.
, 11ents from this country. But the
on1'eo states is even more important
products of the Southern republics
Last year. the value of exports to the
/ ~ Latin American countries was
sS56,000.O 900. while imports from those
countries aggregated $1,O45, ,O00, 900.
Ihls is an international trade acere.
eating close to two billion dollars an.
| nually, very respectable sum. Even
those most distantly removed from di.
rect connection with export business
can imagine that If $S36, ,Oo0, 900 were
subtracted from the total export trade
OF this country. there would be some
enact upon their individual prosper
ity and wellbeing.
l MI
The Latin American republics trade
much less among themselves than
might be thought without knowledge
or the situation. The exports of the 20
| repuplics to one another aggregate
around $200,000,000 a year, or about
8 per cent Of their total export trade.
The United States accounts for an.
proXlmately IS per cent Of the export
shipments of this score Of countries.
/, Some of the Southern republics have
practically no trade with the others
for the readily understood reason that
| the others within shipping distance
produce only the same things.
! Cuba's principal exports are sugar
| and tobacco, both Of which are pro-
duced bountifully in the other Latin
American countries with which the
island republic might expect to have
an exchange Of commerce otherwise
Mexico exports about $4,000 900
worth of goods annually to other Latin
American republics. but imports only
about $800,000 from the same region.
On the other hand, 80 per cent of Para
guay's exports are to Latin America
| and 40 per cent of her imports are
from that area. this being the only one
Of the 20 republics which has a larger
! trade with it's immediate neighbors
| than with the United States.
! That commerce can overcome poll
tics is evident from the fact that, de-
spite territorial disputes, almost 20
per cent of Peru's exports 60 to Chile,
these exports bring principally food.
stuffs for consumption in the mineral
and nitrate mining area of Northern
Chile.
! Iinproved transportation Is increas.
| ing inter Latin American commerce
each year. The Southern American
and Central American republics are
getting into much closer communica-
| ton with one another, through more
and better railroads, highways and
water routes. The economic position
of their populations Is being placed
higher, with resultant greater buying
~