The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-15
TO AID EXPORT TRADE.
Philadelphia Museum Plan Explained
to Business Men.

The methods used by the Philadelphia
Commercial Museum to increase the export
trade of the United States were explained
by DR.. Edmund Cobbe and B. w. Hanna
to about forty of the business men of the
city at the Commercial Club rooms yester-
day morning. In the course of the remarks
made brief history of the museum was
given. 1t was organized five years ago with
an appropriation of $4,000 from the City
Council of Philadelphia. At present the City
Council gives 100000 yearly and has recent
ly appropriated 100000 for the erection of
buildings for the service of the museum.
The organization has always been intended
TO act as a representative of the manu-
facturers of the country with the purpose
of assisting them in the development of
their business. Quite a number of officers
are required and representatives are sta
toned all over the world and these are paid
by salary. The board of trustees consists
chiefly OF Eastern millionaires, who donate
their services. No portion of the receipts
go for private profit, but all used in
the extension of the usefulness of the
museum. so Tar 1t is only through the APP
propriationS of the City Council of Phia-
delphia that the organization has been en-
abled to establish its extensive connections
and become a positive influence.
One of the chief features of the CONNER
cial Museums work is the bureau of in
formation. TO every member OF the bureau
Will be given upon request all the informa-
tion he desires concerning his line of bus-
ness in every country in the world. If he
desires to export certain articles the bureau
will tell him how much of the same material
has already gone there. 1t will tell the price
which was paid for it and what the demand
promises. 1t explains by what route he
must ship his goods, and if obtaining this
Information costs the bureau much more
than what the man originally gave for
membership the department must pay for
it. At the same time its yearly expenses
must not exceed the appropriation 1t re-
ceives All the industrial papers of the
world are kept on file at the headquarters
of the museum, and besides these the repre-
senta tives are stationed at all trade centers.
The information lureau last year was MAIN
tanned at an expense OF $4,000
The card index file is the method used to
advertise the American manufacturing
houses in foreign countries. Each house
paying for the use of this has its name
and list of the things it has to sell placed
in the card index file cabinet. Fortyfive
cabinets are placed in the chambers of COM
merce, exchanges, etc, OF various countries,
where they will be at the service of the
merchants who wish TO buy American
products for their own consumption. the
cards are in cases properly headed, so that
the foreigner is at no loss to find at once
the particular commodity he desires The
museum claims that the subscription price
is simply what is estimated to be the cost
of carrying out the scheme.
DIR. CObbe believes that the services of
the museum at the present time will be
especially valuable because of the new cOun-
tries which being opened up to Ameri-
can industry and American trade. The in
formation bureau will at once investigate
the actual industrial condition of the
various islands acquired by this Nation and
report to those wishing to take advantage
of the markets there. He says that at the
present time about one-third of the Ameri-
can capital and about the same proportion
of labor is idle, and it is necessary to en-
ploy it in the new fields as soon as possible.
In this work he believes that the Philade-
phia Commercial Museum can be a positive
power He says that the chief difficulty in
the past has been that people have been
inclined to think the scheme purely 10
get money from The subscribers Z he actual
reason that so many are interested in the
scheme is that they believe that the COM
merce of the world will be extended and a
large portion of the profit will come to the
great business men as well as the smaller
dealers.
DIR. Cobbe said last night that the Indian
apolis manufacturers are largely assisting
the museum and taking advantage of its
| services. The fact that indianapolis has
every facility for tlanspo tation he regarded
as one of the great advantages this city
will have in the contest for the trade of
the new countries, which must come sooner
or later. He said that the only way for the
young business man to succeed is for him
to study the condition of his particular
branch all over the world. If the young
man is willing to study the condition in the
Philippines he will have a field where a
fortune NAV be made