The morning call., 1893-06-11
Australian Trade Belongs
to This City.
WHY WE HAVEN'T GOT 1T.
Mr.. Flavin Says San Francisco Mer-
chants Can Capture the Austria
Iian Trade Hands Down.


Flavn is here on visit from Chicago,
where he is conducting business fully as
extensive, if not more so. than lie once did
in this city.
II speak from knowledge CLEANED from
observation in Australia and long eX-
perience as merchant" continued Mr..
Flavin. To-day Australia gets all her
imported goods from England. with the
exception of her agricultural implements.
We supply Australia with any Kind OF an
implement used in tilliDg the earth. Be-
yond that we have no trade at all with
one of the greatest markets In the world
The Australian trade is ours by right of
geographical juxtaposition. We are the
nearest manufacturing country to these
colonies. yet we serve them with nothing
but agricultural i'm plemenis.
by the Suez canal, which is the shortest
route between England and Australia. the
former country sends its inferior and out
of-iaShion goods down in forty days. The
English merchants use Australia for their
dumping-ground. You can buy no we'll
made manufactured goods of any kind in
Australia. Why. | bought collars and
shirts and underclothing there at the best
stores in Sydney and Melbourne that the
Kearny-street merchant would be ashamed
to offer for sale.
There isn't a single manufactured
article of clothing, from shoes TO halrplns,
that we could not sell TO Australian mer-
chants and the latter wouldn't be glad to
get.
And Sydney is free port open alike
To the merchant ships of all the world.
There isn't single reason why ships from
San Francisco should not be carrying
down to Australia all sorts of things need
full and ornamental TO mankind.
II consider the commercial future of
San Francisco depends upon the Austria
liam trade, and | think | can prove il.
What trade Has San Francieco now beyond
the local trade? That question is easily
ans nswered-comparatively none.
Once we had She northern ana the
southern trades. Both have left US, never
to return. All efforts to regain this trade
will be useless, just so much energy ex-
hauSted for nothing. In the nature OF
things 1t cannot be otherwise. The mer-
chants 10 the north OF San francisco will
never be willing to let the overland freight
pass almost at their doors, follow ii down
TO San Francisco, and then paw the freight
on 1t up to their cities. lis exactly the
same case in the south. The trade from
either point can never be recovered by San
Francisco merchants.
And San Francisco hasno other natural
trade, eXrept the islands of the Pacific
Ocean. And the largest and richest of
these is Australia. Here is market
worth stalking something to secure, and 1t
can be secured very easily.
Already American goods have a stand
Ing IN Australia. no mater of what kind.
Things from America, no better than Eng
llSh-made goods, already sell better there
than the latter commodities.
I'VE can reach Australia in thirty days.
Why. even the Canadian merchants could
compete successfully with England in the
Australian markets if she could secure our
manufactured products to send there.
And already the Canadian merchants
are casting about to gain possession OF this
valuable market. Witness Canada's
eagerness for reciprocity with America.
Once we can exchange goods with Canada
on basis OF equality the Canadians will
be sending all our manufactured articles
to Australia. That is clear. isn't il? And
it cannot be gainsaid but what Canada
would make a fat thing out of 1t.
The merchants are wide awake up there, |
can tell you, to every possible avenue for
increasing their trade.
Another thing that San Francisco has
got to look out sharply for and that is the
New \ ork merchant. He, too, is begin
ming to see what Il profita BILE market Aus
tralia affords. The New York merchant
Is nearer Australia than the English
merchant.
But the merchants of this city are
nearer than either of them by matter of
thousands of miles. That's the point that
our merchants have got to realizs before
long II they don't want the bottom to drop
out OF things even worse than it has.
"Of course, If we send manufactured
goods TO Australia we must take some Of
their goods In return for them. Well,
what Is the matter with Australian wool
and hides? The finest raw wool in the
cuts very little Of figure in this question.
About everything that Australia produces
IS untaXed and there is no good reason
why we should not be buying them.
AS matter of fact we do buy them
now. we get Australian wool out here.
we nave to have it because it is superior
to all other wool. But where do we get it
from? Why, from England! And the
same with the kangaroo leather we use
here. Ii all comes from England. either
overland or clear around Cape Horn.
How foolish this is. There is nothing
Australia produces that we cannot use and
pay higher prices tor than she gels else
where. And the converse is also .rue,
!here Is nothing that we produce that
Australians cannot use, are glad to get
and will pay higher prices for than are
now secured anywhere in the world.
ana the best of it all is that the sea-
sons OF the two countries are exactly the
'NS' W "Sll III 10 WINTER up mere 1t is
summer down there. I on can readily sec
whaf an advantage that would be to the
merchants of 10th countries were thew
engaged IN an extensive trade.
~, rake a single trade for illustration:
lhere's the straw hat business. LIS prac-
tlcally over here early in the year. while
IN Australia IL IS just beginning Tue San
francisco straw-hat manufacturer who
mad trade with Australia would be busv
the whole year round, for as soon as the
uoipe market closed he would begin his
shipments of the same styles and makes tn
Sydney and Melbourne.
England herself Is establishing nuicker
communication with Australia by way of
vancouver The English mails now 20
down there in English bottoms from Van
conVer, and the Canadian Pacific Railroad
gives n ready means of communicating
wlth the Atlantic seaboard on English soil
NOW, the only reason that American
merchants in general, and those of San
FRANCISCO particularly. do not control the
Australian trade is that they have never
made an effort to get it. But this condi-
tIon OF things will not last long. l have
oeen travelling around good deal in the
last dozen years. and | know that men
are waxing up all around 10 the importance
Oh ms Australian commerce.
ne hrSt thing the San Francisco mer-
cnants know will be that New York man.
uIacturers are shipping goods direct to
Australia. Then it may he too late. We
want the Australian business right in this
ciiy, and ought to have it at once. The
prices are excellent down there and wages
nigh. The present financial disturbances
DOWN there ought not to hinder us from
IN hat ira