The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1893-02-13
FOREIGN CUSTOMERS.
Comparative Merits of the Various
Markets for American Goods.

HO4S5Ad1 OOO4OH11IINO
Comparative Merits of the Various
Markets for American Goods.
Albert D. Pentz, writing on "Our Out
look for Foreign Markets. in the current
number of The Engineering Maguz5ne,
says:
The conditions to be met in exporting
goods of American manufacture into the
different markets of the world Cf course
vary widely with the different countries
to be reached. In England American
novelties and machinery are very popu-
lar, but the market is Hooded with
cheap and nasty" German limitations of
American goods, which are sold by I'M
scrupulous merchants as being of Ameri-
can make. This fact binders the sale of
genuine American goods by as many
as are sold under false representa-
| tons, and their reputation is hurt when
buyers are made to believe that such trash
is really of American production. Little
progress can now be made in introducing
the heavier articles of manufacture into
Great Britain. English machinery of the
heavier kinds is very good, and while the
American styles are quicker, cheaper and
handler, British workmen, unfamiliar
| with them, cannot operate them at once
| to get the results called for; hence they
conServatively prefer the tools they are
used to. and often reject superior tool
that is not understood. They as frequently
| try to adapt q superior machine of great
producing power to uses which do not call
! for the operation of its best features.
| Thus an American universal milling ma
| chine Is seen doing common operation
| such as key seating shafts, and all the
''Jim-cracks" are either carefully put away
or promiscuously thrown into corners to
rust away in idle existence. OF course
when our special appliances are thor
oughly understood and appreciated in any
country, the demand will speedily come,
! but as yet this demand is but small
factor OF what it should be in our trade
with Britain.
The French are quicker to see what a
labor-saving tool can do, but they also
sooner initiate and change it to their pc
culiar needs. On the whole it is ques-
tionable if France is as promising a field
for many American made mechanical
goods as many other countries. This is
true of Switzerland, in less question
able sense. 1t is not presumable that the
German nations, with their intense race
preudices and their initiative methods OF
manufacture, can be the markets for any
American line of goods for great length
OF time. Their tariff is high and theiI
patent system requires that alien
patentees shall construct within the terri
tory covered by the grant. The Soandi-
navian people and the Russians are good
cuSIOI1GTS IOT ROOu Vi WGll-uc-
signed mechanical novelties, and these
people are friendly to this country, and
are intelligent and without national
prejudices or favoritisms.
The Latin races are poor per capita, and
while they would be good buyers of nov
elites if they had the means, there are not
enough prosperous people among them
in proportion to the population to make
these countries very profitable markets
Asiatic people are miserably poor, and
American prices are not comparable
with their standard of value in any
sense. Hence, there is seldom a profit
in selling them goods for cash, but some
times, those who know how, can make
enormous profits in buying from OF
trading with them.
The South American countries are
probably the best general markets now
open to our goods, because the people
there do not manufacture engineering
products themselves, but they produce
immense quantities of raw materials OF
the most valuable character and qualities.
These materials give them means to buy,
and they buy freely and pay good prices
for rather coarse goods. One fact in con-
nection with South American trade Is
that in the general absence of railways
and of good roads most goods must be
packed to be carried on the backs OF
mules, and therefore each package fol-
shipment to some places far inland must
not weigh more than a certain amount
which varies with differing goods and
kinds of packages.