Salt Lake Tribune | 1917-02-19 | Page 4 | Hard on Brazil

HARD ON BRAZIL. The distress of the coffee trade of Brazil bids fair to become acute before the next crop is marketed ou account of the interruption to trade. A heavy yield is assured, according to information informa-tion furnished by the American consul general at Rio de Janeiro. The Baltic ports are still closed, Italy and Norway have sent in but small orders for col fee, and Holland has ceased ordering. The coffee men of Brazil are just now speculating spec-ulating as to the course of trade with Denmark, which country was permitted by the overseas trust to take 25.000 bags during December, and which may or may not continue to order. Apparently the submarine warfare of the Germans has put the finishing touches on the coffee trade so far as all the neutral nations of Europe arc concerned. To make matters worse for the Brazilian Bra-zilian coffee producers, the port of Vladivostok, Siberia, has been closed, and one more outlet cut off for. the coffee accumulating in Santos. The French situation likewise occasions worry, for there is a possibility that the government may stop the importation of coffee on the score of economy. England Eng-land continues a fair buyer, or did until recently, and Spain has been taking its usual small quantity. Just now the exporters ex-porters arc looking towards the United States more anxiously than ever, and it is said that this country has been ordering order-ing freely. We are a nation of coffee drinkers, and that fact may prove the salvation of the Brazilian market. The people of Brazil are naturally indignant over the indiscriminate sinking sink-ing of neutral merchantmen by German Ger-man submarines, as the result will bring certain disaster to the trade of the South American country, and if the government gov-ernment should adopt the attitude of the United States and sever diplomatic relations with the imperial government the act would doubtless be approved by the masses, notwithstanding the fact that Geynany has large interests in Brazil and enjoyed a goodly share of the trade of that country prior to the outbreak of hostilities in Europe. German Ger-man influence has been steadily waning all over the world, aud it will be difficult diffi-cult indeed to induce the neutral nations na-tions to continue quiescent while their trade dwindles away to zero. This is particularly the case with Brazil, whose chief article of export uow depends almost al-most entirely upon the United States for a market. It is too much to suppose that this country will be able to purchase pur-chase the entire crop of Brazil, or, even if that were possible, to pay the customary cus-tomary prices. We look for a break in South America.