Evening journal., 1901-04-19


seven short stories. home notes--deal-
ing with fashions and other matters
more particularly interesting to women
seven short stories, including one
for children by Seumas MacManus, and
half a dozen other features.
A floating exposition, carrying SAM
pies of our merchandise around the
world and putting our merchants in
touch with those of all nations, seems
tomea fitting American enterprise for
the beginning of the new century. The
nineteenth century has made the
United States the greatest exporting
nation of the world; why not begin the
twentieth by showing to all the world
" ---. we have to sell and how to sell it?
Exhibitions Of the products of indus
Try have proved beneficial to trade
Wherever undertaken, whether the an
cient fair" or the more modern lex
position" The travelling salesman
with his sample cases has become a
necessity Of modern mercantiles success;
Commercial Museums" exhibit to the
dealers of one country the class of
goods required in ether lands. and the
great European nations now send out
commercial missions" to inquire into
and report upon the trade opportuni-
ties In distant countries.
But each OF these methods has its
limit CT influence. The fair or exposi-
ton is dependent for its success upon
the number OF people 1t can attract TO
its doors, the travelling salesman repre-
sents but a single establishment or in
tustry, the commercial museum con-
yeys its information only to the seller
and not TO the buyer. and the CONNER
cial mission gathers information re-
sarding the wants OF distant people,
but is unable to offer them samples OF
the goods which its own people have
10 meet those wants
Why not combine the valuable feat
ures of these various aids to commerce
in a single great enterprise float
ing exposition, which shaIlr carry sam
pies Of cur merchandise to the very
doors OF the people whose trade we
would foster. and by bringing the
buyer and seller into personal contact
establish such mutual understanding
OF wants and conditions as to facin-
tate the interchange for which each
is desirous?
The imports of Asia, Oceania, Africa
and the American countries south of
the United States amount to over two
billion dollars every year. Nearly all
of these importatiOns are OF the very
class Of goods which we want TO sell
| foOdstuffs, textiles, mineral oils, ma
chinery, and manufactures of all kinds:
yet our sales to these grand divisions
In the best year of our commerce, 1900.
only amounted to about 5000. 900 900. or
10 per cent OF their purchases. The
annual imports of Asia and Oceania
are over a billion dollars. those OF
Africa over four hundred millions. and
those OF the countries lying south of
the United States about six hundred
millions
Most Of the cities through which
these two billion dollars worth OF
goods are first distributed lie on the
seacoast. and could be readily reached
by fleet of vessels loaded with sam
rles Of American products and manu-
factures. It is well-known chat the
/ lack Of practical knowledge as to the
local trade requirements, such as
methods Of packing, kind of goods re
quired, length of credit. etc, is the
chief obstacle to the introduction o
American goods in these countries. ant
that until this obstacle shall have beer
overcome we cannot expect to obtair
the share in that trade to which ON
location and facilities of production
/, and manufacture entitle us.
II a floating exposition were system
. aticaliy organized, loading one vesse
with exhibits OF foOdstuffs, anOthe
with textiles another with agriculture
, implements and vehicles. another will
, manufactures Of iron and steel. anothe
/ with household requirements, an
another with Yankee notions, an,
sent from port to port and continent t
continent il should prove highly ad
+, vantageOus to our commercial relation
/, with all Of the countries visited.
, Every manufacturer or exporte
! sending IN exhibit would naturall
send with it a capable representative
who could discuss with the local mer
/ chant the qualities of his goods an
their fitness or unhtness for local mar
, kots
I The coming of an exhibition OF thi
4 character would attract at each por
not only the business men OF that city
o but those of other commercial center
in the vicinity. and by this process tn
= Wholesale merchant of the Unite
: States would speak face to face Wit
a those OF every country visited, and /
these discussions would learn I'm a praS
= tical way the obstacles which now pr,
: vent a free Interchange OF commerC
and the methods by which they can /
= overcome.
In addition 10 this, a corps Of G,
perts could gather samples OF n
d goods now being sold In the countTi,
visited she prices. obtained. the lenrt
Of credit eiven. the banking and q
change facilities existing and require