Evening star., 1933-02-26
LATIN AMERICA OFFERS
RICH TRADE AREA FOR US.
Countries of World in Race for Com.
merce There as Business Here
Shows Slump.

dred million people. whose numbers are
increasing constantly. II Is, In the
words of well known American econo-
mist. one Of the miShtiest reservoirs Of
wealth in human his;ory-a reservoir
that has lain virtually untouched for
four centuries.
Fabulous" Wealth.
Or. to quote a recent editorial in one
of the most widely read popular maga-
zines in this country: Fabulous is the
only word that expresses the wealth Of
these 20 republics. They constitute
new Ell Dorado. Stretching from the
North Temperate to the Antarctic re-
No other group of nations approaches
them in variety or even quantity OF
riches"
They possess IN staggering amounts
copper and silver, tin and iron, nitrates
and oil. They produce lumber and
fruits, cattle and sheep, coffee and
sugar. wheat and corn enough to supply
half the world
As a trade market and as an invest
ment field. these 20 republics offer un-
surpassable advantages to the United
States. Nearly all Of them are only be-
ginning to develop their own industries.
hand, have hardly been exploited until
now. and on the other, have not their
industries as yet sufficiently developed
to satisfy their ever-growing needs.
The Latin American countries con-
stitute then an excellent field for the
investment of capital as well as for the
consumption of foreign manufactured
goods. They possess everything that
could be desired in an ideal market.
They have ineXhaustible raw materials
and the means with which to guarantee
all investments and to welcome capital
and imported products.
A common language and similar psy-
Geological characteristics are other ele-
ments which add to the advantages OF
Latin America as a trade market. With
the exception of Brazil, all the Latin
American peoples can be reached in the
same language-Spanish- Identical
advertising and selling methods can be
put in practice in any one of them.
Commercially speaking, there is prob
ably not larger homogeneous area on
the map of the earth.
Logical Field for United States.
The only barrier which may be said
to be still standing In the way-that of
inefficient communications-is gradually
ship services to the Latin American
ports have been inaugurated during the
last few years and new railways or
modern highways are at present under
construction in nearly every one of the
Southern republics.
No doubt the extraordinary success Of
air communications in Latin America
has been, in this respect. worthy con-
tribution to the development Of trade
in that region of the world. Latin
America is today crossed in almost
every direction by airlines which tre-
mendously facilitate commercial trans
actions and personal contacts.
Because the Latin American nations,
generally speaking, produce what Uncle
Sam needs and need what Uncle Sam
produces, they constitute the logical
| field for United States trade and in
! vestments in the future.
BY geography and history, they are
| the natural economic complement OF
the United States. Economically speak
| ing, they are almost indispensable to
the prosperity of this country, for 1t has
been proved that without an adequate
outlet for its surplus products, economic
equilibrium cannot be restored within
| the boundaries of the United States.
In spite of this fact, In spite of the
resources and needs, in spite of the
statement of a prominent American
leader that "the Latin American coun-
tries and the United States are likely
to need one another for many genera
tions to come" inter- American trade
has been falling off at tremendous
pace during the last three years at
pace strikingly fast. even in these days
of economic depression. Indeed. at q
pace out of proportion with the eco
nomic crisis.
Perhaps the explanation to this may
be found in the fact that the advice
given by Henry George, the great social
philosopher, has not been needed. He
said, about SO years ago: "The send
ing of delegations to ask the trade Of
our sister republics of Spanish America
avails nothing so long as we maintain
tariff which repels their trade. We
have but to open our ports to draw
their trade to us and avail ourselves OF
all their natural advantages. And more
potent than anything else would be the
moral influence of our action"
Copyright. 1881