The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1898-08-25
ApylcE TO EXPORTERS.
United States Must Bes,ir Itself 90 Meet
Commercial Rivals

SEw YORK. August ?i-A special 20
tho Tribune from Washington says.
Tho new axe Just beginning m" age OF
commercial flyalrt~s between M, United
states ana tho three or four greatest ma
lions of Europe. calls for q different kind
Of activity and knowledge from thai,
which has characterized tho onr gone out
and lts predecessors.
In "A remarkably able paper. out OF the
ordinary nature ~ consular reports. sub
mlticd TO the state department. counsel
General Frink ~. Mason AZ Frankfort,
Germany. writes. under the title:
Quest for Export Markets" and shows
the development OF an exact. specialized
science of export
The individual exporter and the associ.
alton OF exporters are reinforced by "a.
port government commissions. claboratcly
equipped and maintained
The efforts of France and Germany In
this direction ar held up Tor th- cmula.
ton " American manufacturers and eI-
portrr- ana thoy are warned that they
canno, too soon direct their attention 10
the record made by these Europun coun-
tries.
The German export commission which
went out Ia February, lSsS. 20 study the
chinese. Coreih and JApenese markets
returned after year. bringing a vas, col.
lection Of the ordinary textile and other
goods used by the people In those voun'
trtea
With prudence these samples were
shown 90 those specially intercepted. and
admitted by card and like discretion
characterized the reports made by the
committee.
In the same manner, the French com.
mcrclai commission OF MarSelllss. Rou-
bllx. LIN. bordeaux and Lyons spent
nearly two ycArs IN invc, ig'ung and
then presented ~ COLLECTIONS and r,T1-ts
TO the chambers Of commerce directly In.
tcrcatcd. One o. ,here trchplral i'Tptls
have been published ah'l oty geL"rol con-
illusions are known. Some OF these have
been given few months ago. coming
from the American consuls In France
Consul General Mason siy4 that ir all
the specialized work - these cpumls tons
there Is brpad recognition of the fact IN
American trade Il II the buyar and not
the seller who determines the Find uf
article wanted and the uttns e.. pScKinG
and labelling,
He makes one i.Jro te>t strtrm,nt
which Americans would do well TO heed
namely. that the Gsrnlns az. perhaps
the ablcst masters @! this a cory Of cN-
port trade and hat the Eng lsh have !, It
much Tor want Of IL.
Circulars and catalogues viii ao' com.
pete efficiently With the l'rNch, German
or English merchant who d, tnerc on the
spot His goods are lIty paid sid he has
fiuont statesmen to show and explain,
lie cites the tct mat there are special
iEcu courses of study IN German COM
mcrclal schools and To some extent In
those NJ England and Belgium with a
view to impartIng knowledge ot the cx-
some length upon the nct,ls oi the period
In this country ot a class of trained young
men with good manners, practical COM
maRd ot the French, German and Span.
ish languages, one or all, combined with
intellectual knowledge OF q certain class
of manufactured goods and the CONNER
chl methods, currencics, weights, etc, OF
foreign countries,
As he says, Il II not the machine the
gun alone, but the man behind 1t that
wins the battles OF today on sea or land
IN the hot conilIc, OF war or the busy
rvalres Of pcace, The merchant, he con.
tinues with great force, with the present
and coming generation, must be, like the
diplomatic, the consular or executive Of
hccr u broader, more highly trained out
and better educated man than his father
OF his grandfather had need to be-
He concludes that, az no people are
gifted with quicker apprehension or. more
ready and unerrng grasp OF opportuni-
ties than those Of the United states they
viii master the science of International
commerce as they have those Of cheap
protection and effective productions,
lie regarus It az certtlin that the clos
Ing years OF the century are opening for
the republic new and momentuous
period OF activity and national import
anCe