The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1897-01-21
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Made II Germany" and the Havoc It
Has Wrought In Trade-What the
Thrifty German Accomplishes.
Especial Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
There are 5000, 600 German Ameri-
cans in the United States-so Congress.
man Bartholdt of Missouri tells me-und
every one of them would be interested
IN little book which has just como
into my hands called made In Ger
many" You have seen that mark on
many things you buy at the stores, no
doubt.
BY the merchandise marks act of Eng
land every article coming from Ger
many had to be stamped "made in Ger
many" In passing this law the Eng
llsh intended to deal deadly blow to
Germany's export trade and to those
branches Of German industry which, not
many years ago, Professor Reuleaux
qualified as "billig und schlecht" {chcap
and bad). The "made in Germany"
was meant to DO equivalent to German
rubbish and to prejudice the sale Of
German products i'll England.
It Was Boomerang.
The effect was contrary. The Ger
mans themselves claim at present to be
glad of the enactment Of the merchan-
disc marks act, declaring it has assisted
them great deal III their trade. At first
they feared great losses would result to
them from tho English act and from
the corresponding French law, but ex-
perlcnco has proved that q better service
could not have been rendered to German
industry than by the continual adver-
tisement they have enjoyed from "made
i'll Germany. The little book before me
is M Englishman' 3 wall over German
competition.
After the enactment Of the law it be.
came known how many German articles
formerly sailed under foreign flag
foreign importers having given, up to
that time, French and English marks TO
German goods-but as the foreign con
sumers continued to buy the same ar
tlcies as hitherto they discovered to bo
OF German origin what they had
thought to be French ard English. They
learned thus what goods were really of
German manufacture. Transoccanic i'm
porters who formerly went to London
and ordered from tho samples shown
them there (Which they generally
thought to DO English) now 90 to
Germany TO buy German goods and to
France to buy French goods, the London
sample rooms being to some extent done
away with.
Tho English Alarmed.
Tho consequences Of this are such that
the English realize the seriousness of
the situation and begin TO look about
Tor remedies. Tho statements in Will
liams' book arc held up as Il mirror for
his countrymen to enable them to see
clearly their position-statement which
have made him, nevertheless, many ell
emies and few friends.
Our own trade with Germany has
been growing like that of Great Britain.
The United States bought from Ger
many, i'll 1884, goods to the value of
Sal, S23, 600 and in 1894 to the value of
500, 900, though prices were declin-
ing. Germany's exports to Canada
We're, Ill 1894, ten times the amount of
those in 1884. and her exports to South
America rose from IS, SCI, 600 in 1884
to $40, 13l, OO0 in 1894. Japan imported
from Germany i'll 1869 goods to the
value of $23S, 600 and in 1883 81, 2SS. :
600.
Australia imported from Germany in
1854 goods 70 the value of 81, 500. 600.
and i'll 1893 81, 2SS,OOO. Four fifths OF
all musical instruments imported there
are made Ill Germany
Fall In English Exports.
y very striking contrast is shown by
tho figures of England's total exports.
which were III 1872 $1,247, 973, % |
and i'll 1895 81, 101, ll3, 7SO-this. too.
in spite of the fact that the population
OF the United Kingdom increased from
81. 1878 i'll 1872 to 80, 1874, 1876 in
1895. While within these 90 years the
population, productivity, CONSUMPTION
and purchasing power of foreign lands
has greatly increased the English ex
ports fell from 1921 per capita in 1879
to $27 0S in 1894. This is due to for.
eign competition.
Most remarkable of all has been the
decline of the production OF iron and
steel i'll England and its increase in
Germany.
Iron and Steel.
Mr.. Williams finds tho cause of this
fact i'll the low cost of production in
Germany, which, however, is not based
OIL lower wages, as is generally and er-
roneously thought i'll England, for
wages III the iron industry in Germany
are, on the average, higher than in Eng
land and tend TO become still higher.
But hochofen (furnaces) are so con.
structed rs to be more productive. and
the economy is that less waste is ex-
perlenced than i'll England. This is con
iirmed by members of the British Iron
Trade association who visited German
mining establishments last year.
In order to strengthen English trade
Mr.. Williams suggests the abolition of
the merchandise marks act, reduction of
shipping cost in London harbor, Lowing
Intinc on nnrtni,, ..oa.l J.