The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-02-07

have taken to the duties of ambassa-
doris of commerce with a zeal which
cannot 1 think, be too closely followed
by British consuls in foreign countries.
OF course 1t is only Of late years that
manufacturers of the United States
have laid themselves out for a foreign
trade. But, like new beginners at most
things, they have put a lot of enthu-
siasm into the work and have spared
no trouble. This enthusiasm is shared
by the consuls, and they take a pleas
ure in acquiring information likely to
be useful, even though it may entail
a good deal of trouble and expenditure
of a lot of time. Yet the American con-
suls are not given to the writing Of
long winded reports, or to explaining
at length the principles upon which
American merchants should conduct
their export business"
He further adds: II should say they
take a great deal more trouble over
getting information and go to work in
different fashion. The American con-
sui as rule is a sort of man to Guilt
vate the acquaintance of business men
in his district, and, of course, we know
that the citizens of the stars and
stripes are champions at the gentle art
of questioning, and their questions are
usually very much to the point II a
man in a large way of business Is Will
! ling to open out at all, the American
consul will stick to him until he gets
| all the essential facts likely to be use
| full to the traders supplying the partlc-
ular description of goods used"
If anyone will take the trouble to
read the American consular reports he
will see the truth of what Mr.. Yates
suggests The fact is that the Ameri-
can consul as a rule throws himself as
much as possible into the position Of
the trader, and in many cases follows
the bent of mind of the commercial
traveller. He is taken from the people,
has in nine cases out of ten mingled
with commercial people all his life,
and does not by tradition regard him
self as belonging to a class apart
strictly official class. In some ways
apt to degenerate into the Barnacle
style of how not to do it" which Dick
ems so numerically satirizes in Little
Dorrtt. One Barnacle nearly tainted
because some wretched Radical want
ed to know, you know"
But it is not only in the collection of
information that the American system
answers so well, it is in dissemination
throughout the country that it is so
successful. OF this Mr.. Yates says:
Then again, when he (the American
consult gets anything he thinks of i'm
portance, he does not wait for a month
to include the information in a COM
paratively lengthy report. He writes
out the statement concerning the mat
ter promptly, perhaps even the same
night-as was the case in one instance
that came under my nOtice-he catch
es the next mail, it is published in
/ Washington in two or three weeks, and
| it is circulated all over the United
| States with no longer interval from the
| time the information was acquired
than would be taken by many of our
consuls in preparing the report.
quite admit that the English reports
may be more strictly correct in some
respects, which is only to be expected
as the result of much greater deliber-
alton, but in these days of telephones,
and telegraphs, and steam and scrdm-
BILE, promptitude is almost everything,
and an ideal consul should be almost
as smart as a journalist"
The rapidity with which consular IN
formation is disseminated is a matter
of pride to the state department. What
are known as the advance sheets" of
consular reports are issued daily, eX-
cept Sundays and legal holidays. These
are sent to the Chambers of Commerce
the chief exporting houses and the
leading papers throughout the length
and breadth of the United States. The
consequence is that information does
not wait for a monthly or a quarterly
report, but is put forward as soon as
it is received.
1t is certainly a great compliment TO
the United States consular system to
have it praised by an Englishman like
Mr.. Yates, who has all his life been
engaged in commerce in one of the
! busiest of English manufacturing
towns. And what Mr.. Yates has said
agrees with the view that the Satur-
day Review has been putting forward
in it's columns lately.