The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-25
THE BATTLE FOR TRADE
EUROPEANS NOW MAKING COM
MERGE EXPANSION A SCIENCE.
Interesting Report from Consul Gem
eral Mason Mt FraulxfOrt-Advice
for American Merchants.

NEW YORK. Aug. PA special to the
Tribune from Washington says: THE new
age, just beginning-the age of commercial
rivalry between the United States and the
three or four greatest nations of Europe
calls for a different kind of activity and
knowledge from that which has charac-
terlzed the ore just gone out and its pred
ecessors. In remarkable paper, out of the
ordinary nature of consular reports submit
ted to the State Department, Consul Gem
eral Frank II. Mason, at Frankfort Ger
many, writes, of the quest for export mar
kets,' and shows the development of an
exact specialized science of export The
individual exporter and the association of
exporters are reinforced by an export gov
eminent commission deliberately organized
equipped and maintained The efforts of
France and Germany in this direction are
held up for the emulation of American
manufacturers and exporters and they are
warned they cannot too soon direct their
attention to the record made by these Eu-
ropean countries.
THE German export commission, which
went out in February 1896. to study the
Chinese, Corean and Japanese markets, re-
turned after a year. bringing vast colec-
ton of the ordinary textile and other goods
used by the people in those countries. With
prudence these samples were shown only to
those specially interested. admitted by card,
and like discretion characterized the reports
made by the commission. In the same man
ner the French commercial mission
sent out by the chambers of commerce of
Marseilles, Roubaix, Lille, Bordeaux and
Lyons spent nearly two years in investiga-
ton, and then presented its collections and
reports to the chambers of commerce di-
recty interested. None of these reports has
sions are known. Some of these have been
given, a few messages coming from the
American cOnsulS in France.
Consul General Mason says that in all
the specialized work of these commissions
there is broad recognition of the fact that
in foreign trade it is the buyer, and not the
seller, who determines the kind of article
wanted and the manner of packing and
labelling He makes one important state
heed namely, that the Germans are. per-
haps, the ablest masters of this theory of
export trade, and that the English have lost
much for want of 1t. Circulars and cata-
logues will not compete effectively with the
German, French or English merchant who
is there on the spot with his goods. duty
paid, and fluent statesmen to show and ex-
plain. He cites the fact that there are
specialized courses of study in the German
commercial schools, and to some extent In
those of England and Belgium, with view
to imparting knowledge of the export trade.
and he insists earnestly at some length
upon the need of the period in this country
of a class of trained young men, with good
manners, a practical command of the
French, German and Spanish languages, one
or all, combined with intimate knowledge
of a certain class of manufactured goods,
and the commercial methods, currencies,
weights, ETC.. of foreign countries. AS, he
says, it is not the machine the gun alone.
but the man behind it that wins the bat
ties of to-day on sea or land in the hot
conflict of the busy rivalries of
great force, of the present and coming gem
Grafton must be. like the diplomatic. the
consular or the executive officer broader,
more highly trained and better educated
man than his father or his grandfather has
been. He concludes that. as no people are
gifted with quicker apprehension or more
ready and unerring grasp of opportunitie,S;
than those of the United States. they will
master the science of international COM
merce, as they have those of cheap trans
portation and effective production. He re-
CARDS it certain that the closing years
of the century are opening for the Republic
q new and momentous period of activity and
national Importance"