CONDITIONS IN PARTICULAR INDUSTRIES. 339

GREAT BRITAIN AND THE UNITED STATES IN SOUTH AMERICA.

British coal (and this means primarily Welsh coal) predominates
in South America mainly because of the investments of English
capital in those markets and the control of transportation, docking,
storage, and distributing facilities. Another factor operating against
American coal is its alleged inferiority to Welsh coal as an export
commodity owing to its friability and percentage of slack.
British investments in South America.—In 1918 British and
American investments in Argentina were estimated as follows:?
Great Britain______________
United States _______.__

cme em mem mmemmm me $1, 851, 000, 000
20, 000, 000
In the same year the coal imports into Argentina from Great Britain
 and the United States were (see p. 326):

Great Britain
United States

Short tons.
meee 4, 136, 801
78. 454

About 90 per cent (Pt. II, p. 180) of the railways (which are the
largest consumers of coal in Argentina) are principally in the hands
of English companies using English material and supplies.
American consular officials in both London and Buenos Aires
report that a large factor in the British hold on the Argentine coal
market is the heavy investments of nationals in railroads and publicservice
 corporations.
This situation in Argentina is typical of that in Brazil and Uruguay
 also.
Control of transportation, docking, storage, and distributing
facilities by Great Britain.—The Consolidated Cambrian, Ltd.,
described above, is affiliated with ship lines to South America and
distributing companies in South American ports as a part of its
export business. The large English railway companies in Argentina
have their own coal fleets coming directly from England. Most of
the British coal dealers in South America are interested in British
mines and own their own vessels.’
England’s extensive merchant marine is a twofold factor in its
export of coal. British vessels plying direct between Wales and
South America provide a rapid and regular service and a favorable
freight rate to such English exporters of coal as do not own colliers.
Of more importance, though, is the fact that the great movement

1 Pt. II, pp. 179-180. See also Pt. II, p. 588, where an estimate for British investments
in Argentina in 1915 is given as $1,689,853,045.
2 Daily Consular and Trade Reports, June 2, 1914, p. 1244,
3Iron and Coal Trade Review, Jan. 15, 1915, p. 81, and Daily Consular and Trade
Reports, Dee. 18, 1914, pp. 1201-1202.
# Special Consular Reports, 1910, vol. 43, Part I, Coal Trade in Latin America, p. 22.
5J, H. Allen, manager, Buenos Aires Branch, National City Bank, in The Americas,
Aug. 1915, p. 11.