The San Francisco call., 1899-08-03
To Be a Branch of the
National Body.
GENEROUS OFFERS ARE MADE
PART OF PHILADELPHIA'S EX-
HIBIT TO COME HERE.
Foreign Buyers and Sellers to Have
the Advantage of Immediate
Dealing With Each
Other.

The Merchants Association has under
favorable consideration a proposition of
much Importance to the people of the en-
tire State. II is the establishment in this
city Of a branch of the Philadelphia Ma
tional Museum. Several of the members
Of the association have recently been in
Philadelphia and from the managers of
the museum they received the assurance
that large quantities Of surplus exhibits
on hand will be sent to San Francisco if
the merchants, manufacturers and peo-
pie In general will attend TO the placing
OF the goods TO an advantage. To prop
erly lit up q local branch Of the national
museum Will cost about 900 and the
move toward raising this sum has pro-
gressed 10 such j point that the project
is almost as good as assured. The OBJ
5ects of the national museum and the
proposed local branch may be summed up
as follows:
To place before manufacturers, export
ers and dealers in the United states and
California samples Of the raw products
OF the world in order that they may Know
and choose such as areuSeluI TO lheIn-
To furnish full information as TO how
and where to obtain these products.
To ascertain through its laboratorieS
by the manufacturers.
To place on exhibition samples of Eu-
ropean made goods which are sold in va
Tious foreign markets in competition with
American goods. together with full infOr-
nation as 10 manufacturer $ price, quail
To show what are the markets abroad
10 which American goods can be most
prOfitably exported.
1t is well-knOwn fact that the export
ers and manufacturers of this city lose
yearly thousands of dollars of trade on
account Of lack Of knowledge of how
10 pack and ship the goods. InfOrma-
ton on this and dozens of similar points
viii ne given. Considering the new terri
tory recently acquired by Uncle Sam and
fre fact that much of the South and
Central American trade is slipping to Eu-
rope when it should come to this coast
is what is waking up the local commercial
people TO a realization OF the necessity of
more practical knowledge upon the sub
The museum at Philadelphia has already
secured a great surplus of raw and manu-
factured articles from all parts of the
world. together with data as to the cost
is willing to part with much of that for
which ii has no immediate use.
In discussing the project one Of the
prominent members of the Merchants
known that a branch of the national mu-
scum is established in San Francisco hun
dreds of purchasers from foreign cOun-
tries viii come here to make their pur-
chases instead of going elsewhere He
says that the information to be obtained
by the local business people will more
than compensate for the cost of establish
ing and maintaining the museum, 10
say nothing of the increase Of trade
which is sure to flow in this direction as
d result Of superior facilities of supply
ing The same While the agitation TO the
desired end is going on no decided action
viii be taken until after the end of the
Mechanics fair which will prove an OBJ
ject lesson in the way of showing the
necessity Of having a permanent bureau
Of useful information.