The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1897-02-11
/ WASHINGTON LETTER.
nrovth Of Our Trade with England
American Goods That Sell Abroad.
Undertaking. the Briton.
Especial Correspondence.l


merchants in the United States how
they must approach foreign markets.
and for years our consuls have been din
ming instructions into their ears. First
the South American CONSUL said we
must pack our goods so that they could
be loaded on muleback. Then a consul
I'm France showed us how badly our cot
ION was packed in comparison with the
ootton from other countries. Again and
again coDsuls in different parts of the
world have pointed out the necessity Of
the personal introduction of goods
Exporters Are Slow.
But the exporters seemed slow Of
comprehension. Instead Of sending
agents to England, for example, they
solicited London or Liverpool firms to
take agencies for American specialties
In manufactures or in certain products.
The older and wealthier these firms, the
more conservative they are. Operating
On recognized lines. they have hesitated
70 take up new commodities and have
been slow in pushing them when they
did. For this reason many an enterpris-
ing American firm has found itself
with very respectable agents in Eng
1and, but without trade. Recently some
United States houses have discarded
this old time method, have sent over
their own agents and their own travel
ers and called upon large retailers, di-
Dectly soliciting import orders. Writing
shout their experiment, Consul Meeker
says that if the result has been as bene-
fetal in other parts of England as it has
been in Bradford the firms have reaped
q rich harvest and have inaugurated a
business that will continually grow.
An Astonishing Fact.
Some weeks ago, he says, the repre-
sentative of New York brass founder
called at prominent hardware estab-
lishment in Bradford and offered the
agency for brass valves. The house did
not see its way clear to take it up, but
q rival establishment did. The first firm
soon found out that the travelling man
for the rival firm was making $50 per
week extra as his percentage or commits
sion on the sale Of the brass valves
alone. A second man, representing an
other brass founder in New York, now
appeared on the scene, and the house
that was first approached was only too
glad to take the line up. The astonish
ing result is this: They pay the Amer
jcan firm $3.6 for the same quantity
and quality of goods they paid British
makers So for, and the carriage by sea
and rail from the United States to Brad
So, fhoy
don by rail alone to Bradford.
Carrying Goals to Newcastle.
But if you want TO see Goals brought
to Newcastle go intoany cutlery or hard
ware shop in Bradford and ask for
shears. You will receive a pair bearing
q Newark or Trenton IN. j., imprint
They are considered superior in every
say. and one of the strange things
about it is that they must be purchased
through Sheffield, which is supposed to
be the rival of American cutlery manu-
4acturers These shears, dealer said to
Mr.. Meeker, are superior to all others
because they aref'sweet cutters. b" The
shears used by tailors and cutters are al
most entirely of American make.
The safety razors on sale at English
cntlers are of American make. They are
sold in sets of seven to the case-one
for each day in the week-for 50 per set.
This places them beyond the reach OF
all but select few. Judging from the
advertisements to be seen on billboards,
In railway stations, on the landscape
and in the newspapers one would think
England land overfowing with soap,
get it is fact that shaving soap made
In Connecticut now has the call. It is
nsed and sold in all first class barber
shops and is recommended by BARRIERS to
their customers as being the best and
purest extant. It retails in cake or in
shaving stick for 90 cents and has be-
come quite an item in American expor
fation. The thousands of hair clippers
operated on the lawn mower principle
which are used SO much instead of
shears to cut hair are of United States
manufacture.
Other Things England Buys.
Furniture from the United States of
nearly every description can now be had
in England. 1t is good and cheap
Lumber for boxes and various woods
used in manufacturing and for picture
frames are also imported from the
United States. One daily newspaper at
Bradford uses the Thorne typesetting
machines. The proprietor of the Brad
ford Observer has just returned from the
United States, whittier he went to pur-
chase new printing press. One Brad
ford firm of jewellers alone has stock
OF 90. 900 American watches. The small
American clocks and alarm clocks are
also in great repute. These are initiated
by German makers with an inferior ar
ficle, which is sold cheaper.
American food products, such as
cheese, bacon, lard, hams. -four, wheat,
prepared oats, barley, corn, mutton,
beef and an enormous variety Of timed
or canned goods are on sale at all Eng
fish grocers and provisioners In the
latter are included canned tomatoes,
peaches, pears, apricots, plums, cher
Ties, green corn, baked beans and beef
extracts; also pressed or corned beef.
mutton and beef tongues and the va
rious other edibles put up by Chicago
and Omaha packers This year apples
are rolling in from the United States
nv the thousands of bushels, and the