Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-13
A GOVERNM ENT DAILY
Prompt Publication of Consular and Diplo-
matte Reports.
Innovation Recommended by Chief
Emory Adopted by the Sec.
Rotary of State.

Rotary OF State.
Beginning January 1 next the miscellan-
eous reports of consular and diplomatic Of
hcers upon commerce and industries in for
eign countries will be printed Immediately
after their receipt at the Department OF
State in the form of advance sheets, here
tofore issued at intervals as occasion SEEM
ed to require. The change to what will
practically be the daily publication of these
reports, excepting Sundays and legal holt
days, has been ordered by the Secretary of
State, with the view to the promptest and
widest possible distribution of the COM
mercial information obtained by the De-
partment of State for the benefit Of the
mercantile and manufacturing interests of
the United States. The daily edition is in
tended especially for the use of the news
paper press, which will thus be enabled to
obtain the reports in full with the least
delay, the boards of trade, chambers of
commerce, associations of exporters and
manufacturers. and other organized bodies
engaged in the development of our foreign
commerce. and of individual firms especial
ly interested in obtaining such data without
loss of time. The monthly consular reports,
being a reprint of the advance sheets in
convenient form for preservation, will be
issued as heretofore.
Mr.. Frederic Emory, chief Of the bureau
of foreign commerce. is entitled to the
credit of the important innovation involv-
ed in the daily publication of consular re-
ports. In report to the Secretary of
State, which resulted in the adoption of the
plan, he described the condition and pros
poets of the bureau with the view to its
further Improvement The chief function
of the bureau is the collection and publica-
ton of diplomatic and consular reports re-
lating to the commerce and industries of
foreign countries. Since the publication Of
the monthly periodical. Consular Reports,
n no n
bureau have undergone a process of grad
ual development, until now the Department
of State, notwithstanding inadequate re-
sources for this purpose, has become
great agency for the dissemination, by
means of its own publications, the news
paper press, and correspondence with trade
organizations and Individual firms, Of fresh
and reliable information from all parts Of
the world as to commercial movements, in
dustrial activity, development of new fields
of enterprise and the practical application
of inventions and scientific discoveries to
agriculture mining and processes of manu-
facture.
Five Classes of Publications.
Five distinct classes Of publications are
now issued by the bureau as follows:
Commercial Relations of the United
States. in two large volumes, being an
nual reports from consular officers upon
trade and commerce, manufacturing and
other industries, finance, customs, laws,
transportation facilities, ETC., with special
reference to the opportunities for, or OBJ
stacles to, the extension of the sales of
United States goods abroad; Consular Re-
ports, issued monthly, and containing, be-
sides the reports of consular officers, either
voluntary or in response to instructions
from the department, great variety OF
valuable matter from our diplomatic rep
reSentatives advance sheets, consular re-
ports, being selected reports printed in
advance for the special benefit Of the pub
lie; special consular reports on particular
subjects prepared under special instructions
from the department., and lastly, declared
exports.
For some time past" says Mr.. Emory.
"the fact has been fully recognized that
the element of timeliness in getting these
reports before the public is of great i'm
portance. To this end every effort has
been made to secure the utmost prompti-
tude in publication in the order of their
relative value. and in spite of the en-
barrassment caused until quite recently by
an insufficient working force and meager
appropriation, steady, and I trust, sub
stantial improvement has been effected.
Complaints of tardy publication. which.
under old conditions, was in many cases
unavoidable. are no longer received. and
within the past two years commentator
of the celebrity with which the reports
are printed has come from so many quar-
tiers that the department may be con-
sidered as responding satisfactorily to the
demands upon 1t for this class of infor
lndllOll, tnOuSn the capabilities Ol us SeEN-
ice to commerce and manufactures are
still but imperfectly developed. The &C
tual degree of progress attained Is best ex-
emplified by the fact that, as long ago
as June, 1895, 1t had excited the atten-
ton of the British chambers Of commerce,
and, during the past year. it has elected
many complimentary expressions from
leading financial, commercial and indus
trial journals of Great Britain. In all Of
these comments, the practical value Of
the reports of United States consular OFF,
GERS and the promptness with which they
printed and distributed are the points
especially dwelt upon. If we take
into consideration the fact that 1t is only
within a recent period that our manufac-
turers have turned their attention seri-
ously to the export trade and that the con-
sular officers have received the stimulus
of such activity. supplemented by special
instruc tons from the Department Of State,
the results which 1 have endeavored to
indicate would seem to be remarkable.
shadow a great future Of usefulness for
our diplomatic and consular representa-
tives in extending the sales Of every class
of American goods. as well as of raw
products, abroad The average America
Is almost sure to have the business In
stinct well developed, and added to this
is a spirit of enterprise and an energy and
dash which give him great advantage
in competition with the slower and more
cautious traits of the average European.
These the qualities which, in my judg-
ment, have given the consular service OF
the United States the superiority so freely
admitted by the best opinion in Great
Britain. What has actually been accom-
plshed gratifying though it be, seems
to me but indication of what may easily
be done Thus far, this bureau has had
to work under great disadvantages. and
1 respectfully call attention to the i'm
portance of liberal provision for future de-
velopment in the interests of American
commerce. to which our industries must
look for the distribution Of their surplus
product"
Chief EmOry's Plan.
Mr.. Emory then details his plan already
briefly described, and says:
1.-The proposed change involves an in
creased cost of only about twelve hundred
dollars per annum, owing to the fact that
the additional expense will be merely that
Of paper and presswork, and perhaps addi-
tional help in the mailing department.
The change, on the other hand, will insure
economy ard promptness in answering re-
for inf in