The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1899-05-19
A COMING BIG SHOW.
Philadelphia's Commercial Exhibi-
ton Next Fall.
Foreign Manufactures and Merchan-
disc to Be Placed on View in
.. Company with American
Products.

AEOuWSeS'
In December last congress appropri-
ated 100000 to aid the Philadelphia
Exposition association to erect build
ines in which to hold the exhibition
next fall of foreign manufactures and
such other objects as fnay be useful IN
comparison with our own products. An
additional sum of $4,000 has been APP
propriated for the collection OF sam
pies of foreign merchandise that are
demanded by various countries and to
illustrate how foreign goods are pre-
pared and packed for shipping. a large
tract of land has been given for the en-
terprise and the erection of the build
ings is about to begin. The purpose of
the exhibition is to present in the most
striking possible way the opportuni-
ties for foreign trade and the require
ments of various nations. 1t is de-
signed for business men and in the in
terest of the export trade. In addition
to the money appropriated by the ma
tional government large sums have
been provided by Pennsylvania, Phila-
delphia, and q considerable number of
corporations and individuals. II is eX-
pected that the exhibition will be
great success.
Philadelphia already has permanent
exhibition we'll known all over the
world as the Philadelphia Commercial
museum. 1t is possibly the finest ex-
ample of the permanent institutions
that are rapidly being established in
various countries for the convenience
and education of manufacturers and
the promotion of foreign trade. The
larger number of them thus far are to
be found in Belgium, France and Ger
many.
The Philadelphia Commercial mu-
scum occupies the large buildings on
Fourth street once occupied by the
Pennsylvania railroad as it's general Of
fees. The rooms are crowded with ex-
hibits, arranged by countries and also
with foreign manufactures which are
exported to lands where our own goods
come into competition with them. In
the department devoted to Mexico, for
instance, there are shown not only the
products and arts of that country, but
also the goods that are now being made
in various European countries and sold
in the Mexican market. Suppose that
q Rhode Island manufacturer of cut
lery wishes to extend his trade to Aus
tralia- 1t is important to him to know
the quality, shape and price of the goods
now selling in the Australian markets.
At this museum he will find samples
of these goods with their prices and can
ascertain all the technical points, for
instance, of the various sheep shears
preferred in that country.
One department of the museum is the
bureau of information which collects
and disseminates large amount of in
formation about trade conditions in
other countries. The museum is free
to the public, but a great many manu-
facturers who desire special informa-
ton bear the cost of collecting and re-
porting it. The catalogue system
makes it easy to refer at once to any
article or country represented in the
museum. The institution is in CORE
spondence with over $4,000 business
houses in the United States and about
10000 in foreign countries. 1t is sup
ported by the city of Philadelphia and
by fees received from subscribers to
whom the regular and special reports
are sent.
When the industrial crisis that swept
over Europe in 1879 greatly reduced the
export trade of Belgium, a government
examination of the consular system
was made in the hope to devise
scheme by which the consuls would be
more effective in promoting the COM
mercial relations of the country. The
first result of this investigation was the
founding of a commercial museum in
Brussels at the expense of the govern
ment, with the twofold purpose of ex-
hibiting Belgium manufactures and
goods that might be successfully sold
in foreign countries and also to show
foreign buyers what articles suitable
for expectation could be produced in
Belgium. The Belgian consular agents
throughout the world were instructed
to send specimens of every article i'm
ported into or manufactured in the
countries where they were serving.
The museum was at once successful
and many other smaller museums were
Immediately founded in other towns of
Belgium.
During the past few years France,
following the example of Belgium, has
established some IS or 20 of these insti-
tutions in her principal manufacturing
and commercial centers, and they are
regarded as an unqualified success.
Among other commercial museums,
some of them private and others sup
ported to greater or less extent by
governments, are those in Vienna, Ber-
lin, Stuttgart, Berne, Milan and Rome.
A large commercial museum is sup
ported in the japanese city of Osaka to
afford n central place for the exhibit
ton of the goods of native ahd foreign
producers.-N. Y. Sun.
True Thrift.
Hicks appreciated the shrewd as well
as the humorous sayings of the Cornish