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Show TRADE GOES BEGGING. Some of the South Americans, more particularly those of Chile and Peru, are said to be disappointed because' no greater efforts have been put forth by our merchants and manufacturers to sc- cure their trade. This is the word j brought back by Dr. L. S. Bowe, soere- I tarv general of the Pan-American finan- cial congress, who has just returned from j a throe-months' visit to South America, j whjere ho studied financial, commercial and industrial conditional Br. Rowc was commissioned by Secretary McAdoo to confer with the finance ministers of the southern republics with a view to giving giv-ing early effect to the resolutions pasted at the recent Pan-American congress. The unfavorable report will not cause any great amount of surprise. All the exporters of the ITnited States are busy filling orders for the belligerents at fancy prices or trying to get advantageous advan-tageous contracts from the countries now at war. Of course, the South American Ameri-can trade should be looked after, but the merchants aud manufacturers of this country will never sell goods for low-prices low-prices on time a.ricl conform to other South American customs and ideas when they can obtain high prices aud the ready cash from the Europeans. This may be bad for our trade in the long run, but there is no help for it. The United States will probably supply sup-ply the wants of the South Americans in some degree while the European war lasts. Then we shall be compelled to face the fiercest hind of competition. There is no such thing as occupying the South American field to the exclusion of Great, Britain, Germany or any of the other commercial nations. It is possible pos-sible to entrench ourselves to some extent ex-tent while the other countries are busy fighting, but we will have to meet their prices when they are again at liberty to enter the field. Dr. Rowe declares that the opening of the Panama canal has not had the effect ef-fect of saving any great amount of time jl etween New York and Chile, which is a somewhat surprising statement when one takes iuto consideration all that has been writ ten and said" regarding the possibilities pos-sibilities of the great waterway: But whether time is saved or not there are other advantages resulting from the use of the canal and Dr. Rowe's statement will not be interpreted as meaning that the great enterprise has proved a failure. As to South American trade, nothing can be done in the premises unless the exporters ex-porters of the United States are willing to make some sacrifices for the future at the expense of the present, a rather doubtful proposition. |