BRITAIN'S PUSH

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 73, 27 March 1931, Page 15

BRITAIN'S PUSH

ARGENTINE TRADE

DRIFT TO AMERICA

The Argentine Republic, where the Prince of Wales recently opened a trade fair, presents one of the largest strategic centres where world trade i competition is focused. The British Empire Exhibition at Buenos Aires is an example of the efforts which one of (ho cliiuf competitors for this trade is making to retain and if possible to increase its share of the very large market available. This market is that of a. country nearly half aa big as the whole of the United States, but with a total population not very much larger than that of tho one city of New York. It is a country engaged almost entirely in the production of 'primary products, and obliged therefore to look abroad for tho greater part of the manufactures it needs. It has in all 90,000,000 head of livestock, including cattle, sheep, horses, goats, and pigs. It exports annually 5,000,000 tons of wheat, 6,000,----000 tons of maize, besides vory considerable quantities of wool, meat, liicles, butter, cotton, linseed, timber, copper, and manganese. It also possesses promising oilfields which have not, however, yet been sufficiently developed to supply more than a portion ol; its internal needs. It is a big importer of railway rails and rolling stock, bridging- materials, coal, textilo goods, lubricants, and machinery, including automobiles. DEOP IN PUBOHASBS. The Argentine's best customer has long been Great Britain, which, having itself to feed a population of 47,000,000 people, mostly engaged in influstry, is in a. position to buy vast quantities of food and raw materials of all kinds. In 10"9 Britain took from tho Argentine roughly £60,000,000 worth of produce, being three times that bought from the same sourco by any other nation. The next five biggest customers wero Germany, the United States, Belgium, tho Netherlands, and Prance. Tho story of the Argentine's import 1 rude is different. Britain was ancc dominant in this field, but lu'is now yielded tlio lion's sliaro of tho business io tho United States. The competition l.lius begun accounts for the efforts which Manchester and Birmingham arc now making to regain their lost position. In 1913 British imports into the Argentine wore-31 per cent, of the uliulc and American 11.7 per cent. In

1927 the respective figures were 10.4 and 25.4. In subsequent years the United States' preponderance has been still further increased. TRADE PUSH. I In 1929 Viscount D'Abernon was dis- | patched to South America at the head of a British trade mission. Lord D'Abernon advertised British goods widely and made various arrangements for reciprocal purchases between his country and the Argentine. These arrangements have since then largely 1 broken down. Now another British push is to be made. It is a push quite legitimate, but one rendered difficult by the special position in which Britain finds itself as the senior member of a Commonwealth of co-equal nations. Britain is moat anxious to consolidato its Commonwealth and at the same time to help its own manufacturers by developing markets in Canada, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand. But thoso countries are all sellers of produce very similar to that which the Argentine has to offer. It has become a question, therefore, whether Britain should not increase its purchase of wheat from Canada, wool from Australia and South Africa, and dairy produce from Now Zealand, in which case it must obviously take less, instead of more, from the Argentine. On the other hand tho merchants of tho Argentine are believers in the slogan, "Buy from those who buy from us." There are thus two sets of mutually antipathetic conditions at work. At present the tide of "Argontin 0 business is setting toward tho United States. Whether or no Britain can bring.it back depeuds partly upon such advertising as the Buenos Aires exhibition affords, but also upon tho merits of the goods themselves and the efficiency and punctuality with which they can be supplied.