10 Mr. R. J. Kennedy on 



;^i 36,000,000 sterling, and of this ^37,000,000 were British, 

 while ;^99,ooo,ooo went to the other countries. In other words, 

 one-third of the whole trade of South America was British. It 

 was difficult in a short lecture to deal with twelve different 

 Republics, and he would ask them to be satisfied with a descrip 

 tion of one — Uruguay — assuring them that what was said of it 

 applied ten times more to Argentina and Brazil, On the port of 

 Monte Video ;^2, 500,000 sterling had lately been spent in 

 improvements and enlargement. The shipping reached the 

 figure of 6^ million tons, and of these 3s millions were British, 

 1,399,00c German, and 555,000 French. If they took the 

 exports of Uruguay, these to Britain in 1906 amounted to 

 ^384,000, and in the following year these increased to over 

 ^1,000,000. On the other hand, this small republic imported 

 from the United Kingdom goods to the extent of ;!^2,ooo,ooo 

 sterling in 1906 and to the extent of nearly ^3,000,000 in the 

 subsequent twelve months. This was going on increasing. 

 During a period of twenty-nine years Great Britain had headed 

 the list of imports, but the percentage had fallen considerably. 

 That compared unfavourably with Germany, whose imports were 

 increasing. During the last three years while he was in Uruguay 

 Britain's' trade had increased, and he had been able to assist its 

 development. Speaking generally, he might say that America 

 was '' a continent in the making," and up till now it had been to 

 a great extent made by the strong and influential British com- 

 mercial communities resident in all its principal cities, but more 

 especially in those of the River Plate republics. South America 

 had a great future before it. The River Plate republics were, 

 however, passing out of the stage of militarism into that of 

 industrialism, and as their wealth increased their stability became 

 more and more assured. That was the time for forming strong 

 and lasting and influential friendships, and Great Britain should 

 now realise that those Republics were worthy of more attention 

 than had hitherto been accorded them. 



