FINANCE  AND  CREDITS  293
ler,  the  house  he  represents  and  the  customer
he  sells  in  the  accommodation  it  can  afford
them  and  the  service  it  may  render  all  parties.
One  of  its  chief  uses  will  be  to  give  reliable  information ­
  as  to  the  credit  rating  of  customers.
From  a  financial  point  of  view  all  of  Latin
America  may  be  divided  into  seven  groups:
(1)  the  east  coast  countries  of  Brazil,  Argentine, ­
  Uruguay  and  Paraguay;  (2)  the  west
coast  countries  of  Chile,  Peru,  Bolivia  and
Ecuador;  (3)  the  northern  countries  of  Venezuela ­
  and  Colombia;  (4)  the  Central  American ­
  Republics  of  Guatemala,  San  Salvador,
Nicaragua,  Costa  Rica,  Honduras,  with  which
Haiti  may  be  considered;  (5)  Mexico;  (6)
the  countries  wherein  American  banking  systems ­
  exist,  such  as  Panama,  Cuba,  Santo
Domingo  and  Puerto  Rico,  and  (7)  the  extensive ­
  group  of  foreign  possessions  and
islands  such  as  British,  French  and  Dutch
Guiana,  British  Honduras,  Trinidad,  Barbados, ­
  Jamaica,  Martinique,  Guadeloupe,  Curasao ­
  and  St.  Thomas.
The  first  and  second  groups  of  these  South