DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR REPORTS.

MEXICO.

REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1909

ON THE

TRADE AND COMMERCE OF THE CONSULAR DISTRICT OF VERA CRUZ.

EDITED AT THE FOREIGN OFFICE AND THE BOARD OF TRADE.

REFERENCE TO PREVIOUS REPORT, Annual Series No. 4258.

Presented to both Houses of Parliament by Command of His Majesty,
JUNE, 1910.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE,
BY HARRISON AND SONS, ST. MARTIN'S LANE,
PRINTERS IN ORDINARY TO HIS LATE MAJESTY.

And to be purchased either directly or through any Bookseller, fron
WYMAN AND SONS, LTD., FETTER LANE, E.C.; and
32, ABINGDON STREET, WESTMINSTER, S.W.; or
OLIVER AND BOYD, TWEEDDALE COURT, EDINBURGH; or
E. PONSONBY, 116, GRAFTON STREET, DUBLIN.

1910.

Price Three Halfpense.

[Cd. 4962-76.]

Reference to previous Report, Annual Series No. 4258.

Report on the Trade and Commerce of the Consular District of Vera Cruz for the Year 1909

By MR. CONSUL L. J. NUNN.

Judging by the volume of increase in imports and exports-not only through the port of Vera Cruz but covering the entire Republic— during the last three months of the year 1909, it would seem that the stagnation in trade in this country-which began in 1907 in sympathy with the financial crisis in the United States, and which continued through 1908, and practically the better part of the first half of the present year is now passing off. The opinion of those engaged in commercial enterprises of one kind or another as to the outlook for the near future is more hopeful, and this notwithstanding the fact that crops of all kinds suffered severely on account of the very poor rainfall during the year (the rainy season having proved to be one of the shortest on record), the situation being rendered furthermore worse by the early frosts which prevailed in the autumn in the high tablelands, which completed the damage already done by want of rain.

Imports. Whilst general imports from European countries for the whole Republic show a decrease in values equivalent to 3,750,000l. when comparing the years 1909 and 1908, this is no doubt due to the curtailment of orders for new stocks that had been rendered necessary by the financial troubles of 1907, the full effects of which were not felt until the latter part of 1908 and the earlier months of 1909. This was only natural, as many orders had been placed which, in the ordinary run of business, it was impossible to cancel.

A sign that the pendulum is swinging back towards normal conditions is evidenced by the steady increase of values and tonnage coming into the country during the last quarter of this year, of which Vera Cruz is enjoying the full benefit.

It is further gratifying to note that, notwithstanding the period of depression, the United Kingdom still continued to keep the second place in the import trade of Mexico, the first naturally going to the United States, owing to its great advantage from geographical position; Germany occupies the third place, the value of goods imported from

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that country being 2,645,000l. less than those from the United Kingdom.

The value of the imports from Canada represented the equivalent of 143,640., an increase of 61,470l. over the year 1908; whilst goods of declared Indian origin were valued at 97,7447. in 1909 as against 102,2707. in 1908, or a decrease of 4,5261.

Imports of specified origin from other parts of the British Empire represent a relatively insignificant amount.

The total imports from all sources for the years 1908 and 1909 were respectively 22,175,7467. and 15,650,445l., showing a decrease of 6,525,3017., or a falling-off of very nearly one-third of the total of 1908.

The following table of passenger and freight traffic of the railways entering the port of Vera Cruz for the fiscal year of 1909, as compared with the year 1908, go far to show how greatly these were affected by the reverses in general prosperity already referred to :

Trade with the United Kingdom.-It is gratifying to note that the Mexican market is receiving more attention at the hands of British exporters, with the result that during the last two years, especially in the city of Mexico, several British firms have decided on opening offices in order to get the benefit of direct

representation, generally conceded to be the only way not only to further expand but to hold such trade as we have, with the desperate competition of modern times. British firms, it is alleged by those who have resided any length of time in this country, have had considerable difficulty to contend with through not having direct representatives, but there is no question that British machinery especially is making great headway. Neither is it confined to any one particular branch, but it would seem that the excellence of the work of our manufacturers is becoming more appreciated by the Mexican public at large.

The fact that British capital was largely invested in Mexico but that its management was not in the hands of British subjects, has been a good deal of a handicap against which to contend, as it was only natural that managers of other nationalities should prefer to place their orders where they have always been accustomed to, instead of giving these to a British firm for a type of machine strange to them.

I would like to say a word on the matter of catalogues. In general the catalogue as a means of obtaining trade is of very little value, the more so especially when only 1 or 2 per cent. of the catalogues that reach this Consulate are printed in Spanish, the balance being purely in English with English weights and measures and values. Possibly it would be argued that it would be as expensive to introduce catalogues printed in Spanish, and with weights and measures calculated on the metric system, as it would be to introduce the goods themselves. Catalogues are useful in following up an established trade, but their initiatory power is very small, and I believe they are productive of little or no good, excepting when distributed by the personal representative of the manufacturer. The traveller readily learns the needs and requirements of a country, and he can very often obtain as a new-comer a good deal of information by a visit to Consular officers in the different districts. The catalogue is a mere matter of chance-the traveller produces lasting and permanent returns.

It has recently been reported that an association has been formed in London, the object of which is to persuade manufacturers to conform to mutually agreed standards in the size and arrangement of price lists and catalogues, and facilitate reference to these publications by the systematised classification of their contents. While shape and size of catalogues may seem a small matter, anyone, especially a Consular officer who has attempted the classification and arrangement of catalogues in general, will appreciate the great difficulty of making anything like an orderly collection of them. The result is that frequently catalogues cannot be preserved as carefully as they should be, and they consequently fail to carry out the full purpose for which they were intended. Just take into consideration the outlay in the get-up of these publications, which are often handsomely bound and compiled at considerable expense, and, in addition the heavy expense for postage, the advisability of taking steps for their issue in a manner that will enable them to take their place in a reference collection is evident.