Washington sentinel., 1898-04-09
Valuable HInts TO Manufacturers
ana Exporters.

&hO NAROESoEbs
Commercial missions, says the
London Consular .1oHyHGi. must
bring large results to nations who
take intelligent methods to ascer-
tain the needs of the worlds mar
kets and adjust their manufactures
TO the demands Of distant pc oples.
Our Chambers of Commerce might
have been much more active in
this respe ct, and it is unfortunate
for British trade that their inaction
has not been shared by Chambers
in other countries. In order that
we may enlarge our foreign trade,
II is OF the first Importance that our
manufacturers should know not
only what suits British tastes and
prejudIces, but what our custom
ers like and will have. Closely
allied to the previous grounds of
the success OF foreign producers is
the question of packing, as to
which there is general consensus
OF opinion that our foreign COM
Petitors, and in particular perhaps
the United States, take much more
trouble than we do. The following
instance we recently cited: Hong
kong-Candles. British makers
absolutely decline to alter their
system of packing to that adopted
by continental markets; conse-
quently they have lost the whole
trade. The personal factors which
enter into successful competition
must not be ignored. 1t is import
ant that our manufacturers Of tex
tile fabrics should know what are
the desires or prejudices Of pur.
chaserS in the different markets of
the world, as regards quality,
weight, sizing. dressing, and the
finish which often sell low priced
goods; preferred lengths and
widths; and the manner OF putting
up and packing, freight charges,
&c. An unfortunate trademark
will often doom an otherwise desir-
able product to failure. This is
particularly true in China.
Mr.. Gardner, the British Consul
at Annoy, reporting on this subject
last autumn, said:-"It has not un-
frequently occurred that the sale
OF foreign goods has been greatly
crippled by having some label
placed upon it that was offensive
to Chinese superstition or tastes.
Many colors have peculiar recog-
milton by the people: some offend
their tastes and others their super
StItions. Some are all right on
some kinds Of goods and all wrong
on others. The Chinese will often
buy biscuits, needles, thread,
matches, soap, medicine, scent,
sweets, &C.. for the sake of getting
lucky label. Some colors
and combinations OF colors
are to the Chinese unlucky." Mr..
Gardner at the same time furnished
us with some four hundre d de-
signs for trade marks and labels
which, in his judgment, would be
popular with the Chinese people.
Many OF these designs we have al
ready discussed. and we are now
in receipt Of further important par
ticulars from a Consul in China.
Il must be remembered that
Chinese art is very peculiar, and
tiger as ordinarily represented by
foreign artists would not meet with
iavor with these people. It must
be a tiger according to Chinese
imagination and art, of unreason-
able length of body or bigness of
head or curve of tail, and impos-
sible attitudes. On popular Jap
anese match box is displayed a
monkey standing on its front feet,
head nearly touching the ground,
with hind feet up in the air, and tail
whipping the skies. The grotesque,
and even hideous to the British
mind, tickles the fancy of the
dwellers in Far Cathay. No des-
eriPtion can supply adequate in
formation to an engraver or col
orer by which he could produce
the real thing, and any departure
from the Chinese fancy in such
things would brand the goods at
once as the product of foreign
devil" and doom it to defeat. A
Chinese dragon differs from a Jap
anese dragon in its contortions. A
royal dragon must have FIVE claws,
while the plebeian beast has only
four. A stork must always stand |
on one leg, or, flying, must present
an enormous spread of wings and |
trailing long legs. All Japanese