Evening star., 1939-10-01
BY HAROLD X. MILKS,

BUENOS AIRES Correspondence
of the Associated Press).-The war
in Europe, with its far-hung roper
cuSSiOns, Is rapidly blowing away
the barriers between the United
States and Argentina's OO,OG0, ,O00-
a-year import markets.
The swing toward free admission
OF American products began during
the last European crisis, when war
threatened to shut off Europes ex-
ports of essentials to this country.
1t reached a climax September IL,
when the government abolished its
"free market" for foreign exchange,
In which importers of United States
goods paid at the rate of 20 Argen-
tine pesos to the British pound,
while imports from most other ma
tions-particularly Great Britain
came through an official market"
at II pesos to the pound.
A few days earlier pressure from
Argentine manufacturers led to the
removal of 66 groups of United
States products-mostly raw mate
rials used in factories here-from
the blacklist" of forbidden imports.
Other Barriers Going.
The pressure continues to grow,
with labor and capital alike bringing
every possible force to bear toward
further loosening of restrictions.
The Federation of Construction
Workers posted huge posters show
ing an open letter to President Ro-
berto Ortiz, asking the admission of
building materials from the United
States and warning that in the last
war Argentine construction was par
alyZed by lack of materials.
There remain on the Argentine
blacklist" 225 classifications of
products on which no import per-
mits are granted, including all types
of textiles, clothing, shoes and SIM
liar goods. Economic experts de-
clare many of these will be removed
as demand passes supply here.
With British blockade OF the
Atlantic Coast halting the flow of
German products and Great Brit
ain herself too busy with the war to
maintain her Argentine markets,
the United States is in a splendid
position to recapture the trade she
lost last year when import restric-
tions cut her sales to this country
in half.
May Get All German Business.
Argentina in the first half of 1889
had imports of $147,384 900 Omitted
States dollars), and is expected to
buy even more in the second half
of the year.
OF her imports, Germany supplied
SIT ,511 ,966, the United States $22,-
1885, ZOO, and the United Kingdom
s31 ,909,150 Economists believe the
United States, through the rapid
negotiation of a trade treaty with
the Argentine, can take over" Ger
many's business here and seize at
least share of the British sales.
British cruisers patrolling the
mouth of the River Plate have dried
up German shipments, bottling up
or sinking the German merchant
men who once brought their loads
of manufactured goods, railway
equipment and machinery to Argen-
tina. At the same time Germany's
submarine warfare has curtailed
British shipments.
Unless the war terminates with
unexpected suddenness, trade ex-
perts declare the United States will
find in the Argentine her most i'm
portant and valuable customer of
the Western Hemisphere.
Ships Big Need Now.
Argentina still imports a great
portion of the manufactured goods
she consumes" said one expert.
To-day Germany and Britain are in
no position to supply that demand.
The logical answer is to buy from
the United States"
American firms which literally
went begging for Argentine business
during the last year begged just as
loudly today for ships with which to
handle their flood of urgent orders.
Almost submerged by the rush of
orders, representatives of certain
American firms, particularly those
dealing in raw materials for Argen-
tina's growing industries, sought
vainly for means of filling the de-
mands quickly.
The United States Chamber of