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The National Geographic Magazine 



enlarged import commerce, it is by no 

 means as large as it should be, taking 

 into consideration the fact that the 

 country possesses nearly fourteen mill- 

 ions of people. There has been cause 

 in the past for the comparatively small 

 import trade in the disordered condition 

 of the country, the poverty of its in- 

 habitants, and the habit of the mass of 

 the people of subsisting on the bare ne- 

 cessities of life. The enlarged com- 

 merce under the Diaz regime illustrates 

 the effect of peace and prosperity in en- 

 abling the inhabitants to consume more 

 largely of comforts and luxuries from 

 abroad. If this era of peace and good 

 government shall become the fixed order 

 of the country, there is no reason why 

 the present import trade may not be 

 doubled within a few years, and if 

 American merchants and manufacturers 

 will study more intimately the condi- 

 tions of trade in Mexico, they will be 

 able not merely to maintain their pres- 

 ent preeminence, but even to increase 

 their ratio. 



Examining the details of the export 

 trade, we find that the United States is 

 extending to Mexico liberal reciprocity; 

 for, while we enjoy only about 50 per 

 cent of her import trade, she finds in 

 our country a market for about 75 per 

 cent of all the products she sends 

 abroad. Great Britain follows with 10 

 per cent, France with 4 per cent, and 

 Cuba leads Germany in the consump- 

 tion of Mexican products. If we also 

 consider the mining and agricultural 

 conditions of the country, we shall see 

 that it possesses almost boundless ca- 

 pacity for the increase of its export trade, 

 if the present state of order and govern- 

 ment shall continue. The leading pro- 

 ducts now exported are, in the order of 

 their importance, as follows : Silver, 

 henequin or sisal hemp, gold, coffee, 

 cattle, lead, copper, hides, and precious 

 woods. 



The facilities for conducting the for- 

 eign commerce have been greatly mul- 



tiplied. When I first visited the coun- 

 try, as I have mentioned, the only 

 regular means of communication with 

 the United States was by a steamer to 

 and from New York, sailing once in 

 three weeks. Today steamers sail for 

 that port from Vera Cruz and Tampico 

 twice a week, a new line has been re- 

 cently established to New Orleans, lines 

 of steamers are plying regularly from 

 the two Mexican ports mentioned to 

 England, France, Germany, and Spain, 

 with many irregular steamers to various 

 parts of the world. Then only one rail- 

 road reached the seacoast, and that only 

 from the capital. Now four more lines 

 are in operation, connecting the seaports 

 with almost all the states of the interior. 

 Then there was no railroad communica- 

 tion with the United States. Today four 

 different lines enter Mexico from her 

 northern neighbor. Of the total import 

 and export trade about two-thirds in 

 tonnage is carried by ocean vessels and 

 one-third by the railroads. 



The subject of a reciprocity treaty 

 between the two republics has been 

 often mooted, and it is believed that a 

 judiciously framed convention of this 

 character would largely increase the 

 trade between the two countries. But 

 since the unseemly treatment accorded 

 to the Grant-Romero reciprocity treaty 

 of 1883 bj' the Congress of the United 

 States, it is presumed that Mexico will 

 be slow to make any new advance on 

 the subject. And from the treatment 

 which is now being extended b} T the 

 same body to various treaties negotiated 

 under President McKinley's direction 

 with different foreign powers, I appre- 

 hend the Government of the United 

 States will be slow to propose such a 

 measure to Mexico. 



GOVERNMENT FINANCES 



The most conspicuous evidence of the 

 good effects of the management of af- 

 fairs by President Diaz is seen in the 



