The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-09-30
AMERICANS MUST CATER
To Foreign Tastes in Order Co Sell
Their Wares.

New York, Sept. 30.-A special to the
Tribune from Washington, says:
The consular officers of the United
States continue to warn manufacturers
and shippers of the penalties they must
pay for the neglect or refusal to cater
to foreign tastes and demands. In
these dispatches recently it was shown
that Canadian manufacturers of furni-
lures have built up a paying trade in
England at the expense of the manu-
facturers of the United States simply
because the latter were not willing to
conform to English tastes and preju-
dices, but insisted on trying to educate
their foreign customers to prefer the
American styles. Now comes Consul
Halstead of Birmingham, with other
warning, which may or may not be
needed. According to his reports the
American shippers are taxing business
methods as well as obstinate in their
determination to cram their own tastes
and notions down the English market
Among other things, he says, under
date of August Is:
''The jewelry and fancy goods manu-
facturers of Great Britain make articles
on q forty nine scale In measures for
line is one-twelfth of an inch, but in
the fancy trade line is one-fortieth
of an inch.
To-day a declaration of returned
American goods was sworn before me,
meaning, of course, a big loss to an
American manufacturer, and due to his
with the exact specification of the or
der. A Birmingham manufacturer or
dered from American manufacturers a
lot of indeStructible pearl, giving a
measurement he required in lines. Not
knowing what lines meant to the fan
cy trade, the American, without max
ing inquiry, had recourse to the metric
system and his goods are by this time
on the way back to him"
Two weeks ago $500 worth of fountain
pens were sent back to a manufacturer
in an American city. The Birmingham
purchaser said:
''They were without question better
than I ordered, but they are not like
the sample, and I am not in the bust
ness of educating the public to new
things, but sell them what they want;
and these goods go back"
A few days ago 1 was shown 16 letters
from Is firms, all well known in their
line in America. On II of these letters
there was insufficient postage, most had
only a cent stamp to carry them. This
meant that the Birmingham man who
wanted to buy from some of these
American firms had to pay double the
deficiency in postage and his frame of
mind and opinion of American business
methods can be imagined. Steamer
mails from the United States frequently
arrive after business hours on Saturday
and if there is deficient postage letters
will not be delivered at hotels, etc, I'M
til Monday and the travelling represen-
tatiVeS lose time waiting for home in
realized by any one not aware how
general is the failure of American firms
to pay full postage. One American
house tells it's agent that a deficiency of
postage is a guarantee that a letter will
be delivered to the right party, as no
one else would pay the postage penalty
in order to get the letter.
If an English or a continental house
sends telegram, a letter always fol-
lows, even to points nearby, containing
a copy of the telegram. Very few Uni
ted States houses do this, even with ca
Diagrams and a failure to deliver means
loss of valuable time. If letter is sent
to a foreign point, letter press copy
follows by the next steamer as certain
~ as the second of exchange follows
the first.
With bills of lading, the European
house does not depend on the triplicate
copy forwarded by the shipping agent,
but itself sends the duplicate copy to
the consignee, retaining the original.
American houses are constantly neg
Iecting this and American goods are
constantly being held up in foreign
custom houses.