But the improvement and progress in the means of communication which produce these results, and by bringing together the remotest regions make the world a single market, and level and equalize prices, far from diminishing, widen and deepen the line which separates civilized countries from those which have not reached an equal degree of prosperity and development. Doubtless these less-favored countries participate also, although in a very limited way, in the benefits which such transformation has produced. Considered in their relation to the rest of the world, it is observed that those countries which lack railways actually obtain, at a lower price than formerly, foreign articles of necessary consumption. The reduction in the cost of production and in maritime fares explains the reduction in prices.

But, as producers and exporters, the only influence which might help to lower the cost of transportation of their commodities to foreign markets and allow them to contend with the competition of those who produce them under better and more favorable conditions, is not always felt, because their limited trade offers no field to competition and generally falls into the hands of steam-ship lines which monopolize it and impose upon it excessive burdens, thus reducing to the least figure the earnings of the exporter. Undoubtedly, the countries which are found in such condition possess great advantage in the fact that the maritime communications at their service may be more rapid and convenient and, especially, cheaper. But, more than new lines of steam-ships and greater facilities for maritime communication, these countries need railways, which shall develop their domestic trade, and shall enable them to import the heavy and bulky apparatus which their industry lacks, and transport to the sea-coast their agricultural products and the fruits peculiar to their soil; the dye, cabinet, and timber woods, which abound in their forests, and the ores of their inexhaustible veins.

The export trade of these countries is not limited by the lack of maritime transportation, but by the production which finds in the absence of railways the principal obstacle to its development. The day in which it shall increase there will be no lack of steam-ships to contend in the ports for the freight which will arrive there for foreign markets, and that will bring from the latter the products which shall be sent in return. New lines of steam-ships which may be established now will divide the existing traffic, but will not increase it. Colombia desires to possess better and more convenient means of communication with the United States than she actually has, but her foreign trade can not support more steam-ships than those employed now. She desires cheaper and better means of transportation, but not in greater number. If her production and export trade increase, her maritime communications will surely improve, just as Venezuela has seen hers improve, with the growth which her exports have lately experienced.

CLÍMACO CALDERÓN,

Delegate from Colombia.

WASHINGTON, January 27, 1890.

DISCUSSION.

SESSION OF MARCH 21, 1890.

The PRESIDENT. The order of the day is the report of the Committee on Communication on the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. The report having been printed and distributed, the Chair will direct simply the reading of the concluding paragraph, which includes the question to be voted upon.

The conclusions of the report were read in Spanish and English.

The PRESIDENT. What order will the Conference take?

Mr. ROMERO. I take the floor only to correct a statement contained in the committee's report. In speaking of Mexico, mention is made only of one of the lines of steamers connecting the Gulf ports of Mexico with the United States, ignoring the fact that there are two other lines of steamers subsidized by the Government of Mexico for the service between New York and several Mexican ports.

I, of course, recognise that the port of New York is not in the Gulf; but the Committee on Communication on the Atlantic has likewise omitted to mention these lines, perhaps for the same reason as the Committee on Communication on the Gulf, as we have no ports on the Atlantic Ocean. So that these lines are really out of the scope of all three of the reports of the committees charged with the study of these subjects; but, as the lines in question are ren

dering what, in the opinion of Mexico, is an efficient service, and one which it would be difficult to improve, there being competition between two of the lines, there is no objection on the part of Mexico to make the specific recommendation presented in the report.

I have, then, taken the floor simply to correct the statement of fact in the report, since otherwise-were no account to be taken of the two other existing linesthe means of communication between the Mexican Gulf ports and the United States would seem very insignificant and inadequate.

I will say, in passing, that there are important differences between the three reports of the committees named by the Conference to report upon this subject; but, as the orderly course will be to deal with one report at a time, and determine the attitude of the Conference as to each, I abstain from pointing out these differences, and will make the comments I desire to offer as occasion may arise.

Mr. ARAGON. When the Committee on Communication on the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, whose report is under discussion, began to collect the data for that report, it applied to each of the nations concerned, begging it to furnish the desired information, so that nothing should be overlooked in the committee's statement. With reference to Mexico in particular, such a request was addressed to Mr. Romero, who replied that he could not immediately furnish the data requested, as he would have to procure it from his Government; but that he would supply it at the earliest opportunity. Probably the collection of the data required too much time, but the days were

passing by, the facts were not forthcoming—to this day the committee has not received them-and on the other hand it was being urged that as many reports as practicable be submitted to the Conference for consideration. In view of this the committee deemed is best not to wait any longer, and presented a report based upon the data which it had been able

to secure.

Besides, as Mr. Romero himself has just told us, the lines in question connect directly with the port sof New York, so that, as the scope of the subject referred to the committee included only the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, these lines did not properly fall within the committee's jurisdiction.

In any event, however, I take pleasure in assuring Mr. Romero that there has been no desire on the part of the signers of the report to omit the facts referring to Mexico, facts which are very interesting and which it would have given them pleasure to put on record in the report.

Mr. ROMERO. Mr. President, I did not mean to censure the Committee on Communications by the Gulf of Mexico for not having made any mention of the lines of steamers connecting the Mexican ports of that gulf with the ports of the United States outside of the Gulf of Mexico, and far from that I stated the reasons why the report had taken no notice of those lines. My object was only to inform the Conference that we have an efficient steam service between this country and our gulf ports.

I bear witness to the correctness of the statement of the chairman of the committee in having asked me. for such information as I might have on the subject.

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I expect to receive before long the data called for, and as soon as I obtain it I will be most happy to place it in the hands of the chairman of the commit

tee.

Mr. ALFONSO. There has been distributed a report by a member of the committee, the honorable Mr. Calderon, and I should like to have it taken into consideration in the debate, as it is one of the essential documents upon this subject. And, if practicable, action should be taken upon the conclusions of that report.

Mr. ARAGON. Mr. President, the report of the honorable delegate from Colombia, to which reference has been made by the honorable delegate from Chili, does not embody any recommendation; it was in response to the committee's request for particular reports that the honorable delegate from Colombia sent in the one referring to his country. In it he made no recommendation, but even had he done so, he, Mr. Calderon, has signed the report offered by the committee. I think, accordingly, that the propositions of that personal report need not be separately considered, inasmuch as the committee's report includes or sums up all that it was thought expedient to state upon this subject.

This is clear from the difference in date between the particular report of the honorable delegate and the report of the committee in charge of the matter. Besides, the committee has no objection to the consideration either of this or any other statement which there may be; but I hasten to state that on the special point mentioned by the honorable delegate from Chili that report throws no light, since Mr. Calderon him