298  SELLING  LATIN  AMERICA
in  Central  America,  the  general  tendency  to
political  unrest  and  the  existence  of  an  inconvertible ­
  paper  currency  in  some  of  these  countries, ­
  (similar  conditions  being  current  in
Colombia)  serve  to  emphasize  distrust  in  local
banks  and  concentrate  banking  operations  in
the  hands  of  the  larger  mercantile  houses.
Prior  to  the  revolutionary  troubles  which
are  now  convulsing  Mexico,  American,  English, ­
  German,  French  and  Spanish  banks  were
to  be  found  throughout  that  country.  The
presence  of  the  American  banker  in  this  territory ­
  and  the  great  bulk  of  trade  movements
between  Mexico  and  the  United  States,  kept
the  price  of  exchange  within  reasonable
bounds.
In  Panama,  Cuba,  Santo  Domingo  and
Porto  Rico,  American  banks  exist  and  American ­
  currency  is  in  use  almost  exclusively.  All
financial  calculations  are  made  in  dollars  and
cents  and  a  complete  and  perfect  system  of  exchange ­
  on  leading  cities  of  this  country  is  current ­
  so  that  the  subject  need  not  be  further  discussed. ­