Evening star., 1928-02-05
BY o. X. DAVIS.

Secretary. National FoFe.sn Trade Council.
II business men are united on one
suggestion for improving the language
instruction in American schools with
a view 10 bringing it more in line with
the practical needs Of the near future.
IL is to teach more Spanish. There Is
10 language which has more rapidly
increased in practical Use among
Americans in the last 10 years engaged
in all phases Of our international
commerce. accompanied by greater
intimacy and closer understanding with
the Latin American peoples who, for
their part have turned 10 the United
States as never before to appreciate
and embrace the American standard OF
living.
Similarly. We understand and respect
the Latin Americans. for our part, more
than ever before. And We find our
selves committed To selling them one
third OF all the manufactured goods
exported from this country. year-by-
year process Of intricate mutual deal
ing in which thousands Of young
, Americans are going 10 be called on To
! carry on the connection. No element
In our future growth offers more un-
! limited possibilities than this new un-
cerstandng between the Americas. and
no American with imagination doubts
that the future development OF Latin
America during the twentieth century
viii rival the growth of our own Nation
during the nineteenth.
Exports Highly Developed.
The boldly outstanding fact in
American trade development during the
last l5 years is the astonishing progress
{ Ia b.t
! the art and science Of exporting. and
| particularly of exporting 10 Latin
| America. all OF whose 20 republics save
! two speak the Spanish language.
/ The United States is now the first
supplier Of goods TO every republic In
i Latin America except Paraguay. and
there Is only per cent difference be-
/ tween the British trade with Paraguay
and ours The great prep0nderance ot
aour exports southwark Is made up oi
| finished manufactures, Practically one
| fifth Of oug entire export trade finds
/ it's market III the countries between
! the Rio Grandc and Cape Horn. our
/ imports from Latin America are
| habitually greater In value By about
a hundred million dollars than our eN-
ports 10 those countries. The total
OF our foreign trade with them Is ap-
proxmately $4,000. 900 900 "A year.
This represents an astounding de-
| velopment In the last 10 or Is years
. Our exports TO Latin America nave
more than trebled in value since 1918.
/ In that year our sales 10 the markets
south nf the Rio Grande aggregated
only about S300 900 600 Last year they
were well over 5000. 0.000,00 In 1910
we furnished IA per cent Of South
Americas imports, against Sc per cent
kH ha "a World
our share was 28 per cent and the rest
! OF the world had dropped 10 70 per
| cent.
New Record Established.
In Central America and the West
| Indies combined our share OF their I'M
port trade grew III the same period
from IS per cent 10 81 , per cent. In
| Central America alone IL increased
! from 40 per cent Ia Cd per cent, No
other country In the world has made
such record
Throughout the whole of Latin
America We are selling more Of our
products TODAY than are our three prin-
| opal competitors England Germany
| and France put together. Our prior
ity 0t interest is firmly established. and
u Is time that this should be recog-
nized al home together with the re-
| sr0nsihlitics IL entails
When We come Ia an investigation or
| the reasons for this remarkable dftel-
| Cpmrut IN our valuable trade win
these apanifh-hp"aking countries We
md, at once. and every open" minded
investigator 40 reports, that De have
| greatly improved our understanding of
the markets.
Spanish Language Gaining.
| More aud more Americans have
learned and are learning the 5panlsh
Language. really learning IT, getting
acquainted with its intricacies ana
possibilities as well as It's heautira
There are thousands OF Americana to-
day who aie tar beyond The al, aenof
and muchns gracias Stage They can
tell the difference between sewing ana
cooking by sight and sound and have
uo more nrtd ~ an interpreter In "A
government 0iflre 0r counting house, or,
Tor that matter III drawing room,
tiihE la restaurant IL counts, has
counted hnd will continue Ia count
Along With the improvement IN The
ability tn Use The Spanish language
there has come vastly better under~
standing of Latin American psychology
snd culture. This has been accom-