272 SELLING LATIN AMERICA 
officials. European nations suffer equally 
with us and it would seem that the time is ripe 
for some united action on the part of the great 
exporting countries to remedy this growing 
evil, for that it hurts trade cannot be de 
nied. 
Not only are there unwarranted and exces 
sive duties charged on imports but on exports 
as well, and on these exports we as the largest 
user of the things produced in Latin America 
pay the bill. These conditions should be at 
tended to at once, and it should be the business 
of our State Department to adjust them prop 
erly. 
On hides, coffee, rubber and sugar, which 
are the leading exports from these countries, 
the United States charges no duty, or a merely 
nominal one. The remarkable feature of this 
trade is that every Latin American country im 
poses on all of these articles heavy export 
charges, which according to their own laws are 
unconstitutional, and we pay the bills, at the 
same time allowing them to impose exorbi 
tant duties, outrageous port charges, and il