Evening star., 1901-06-22
Mr.. HALSTEAD'S CRITICISM
AMERICAN EFFORTS TO GAIN FOR
EIGN MARKETS.
abandon the Common Sense Methods
Utilized to obtain Custom in
This Country.

Consul Halstead, at Birmingham in a
report to the State Department, criticises
American commercial methods as follows:
American manufacturers and merchants
frequently open correspondence with
uited States consuls with the sentence
Being desirous Of taking advantage of the
rapidly growing demand for American pro-
duets. etc There is for American goods
no foreign demand of the shake-the-tree
kind these inquirers have in mind. The
sales of goods of all kinds are based
on the merits and low prices of the arti
cIes. after energetic statesmen have made
active demonstration of good points. can
not understand the mental attitude of those
American manufacturers who employ trav-
cling statesmen to get trade in America,
paving good salaries and allowing liberal
sums for travelling expenses, yet wish to
do business by correspondence in foreign
countries. Why do they imagine they can
trade successfully in Great Britain, Ger
many. any other European country
without employing their own travellers,
when the necessity of having them is the
first principle of their home business
The addition of whole province of water
covered land to the kingdom of the Neither
lands is the subject of reports received at
the State Department from Consul Hill at
Amsterdam and Consul General Guenther
a Frankfort, Germany. The plan. which
has been proposed in the states general.
has in view the closing of the Zuider Zee,
which for centuries is said to have been
mere harmful than helpful to Holland, by
a dixie running from the North Holland
coast to the Island of Wieringen. and
thtn nee to the Persian coast. The part of
thu bay thus -encompassed will be gradually
drained. and 1t is thought that in eighteen
years 115,p0 acres of fertile land can be
recovered The total cost of the work is
estimated at about S}SOOOOO, which in
cIudes an indemnity of 81 $4,000 to be paid
u Zuder Zee fishermen robbed of their
vocation The completion of the entire
work is exs4cted to produce 100000 acres of
soil valued at S16n .OD.OGD. 1t Is intended TO
call this twelfth province of the Neither
lands. Wilhelminialand, after the young
queen.
The recently imposed export dues on Co
lOmhian products weigh heavily upon
cattle exporters. says Consul Ingersoll at
Fartagena In report to the State Depart
ment. and they have appealed for the sus-
pension of the decree. In the event of re
fUSal. the consul states, great financial loss
Will he inflicted upon live stock shippers.
as they have contracts with dealers in
Cuba. and the prices In that island are
such that the Colombian trade cannot
stand any export tax at all. The effect
upon other products will also be serious, it
is stated.
The steady decline of the German leather
industry. which the Germans claim Is due
solely to the low import tariff on the for
eign product. is really due TO the vast su-
periOrity of American leather according to
Consul Schumann at Mainz. in a report to
the State Department. In spite of a thor
"ugh study OF American methods In this
regard and factories built on the American
plan, he says. the Germans cannot dupli-
cate the American article.
The prospects are that the trade of Para
quay with the United States will have
reached an unprecedented volume by the
expiration of the present year. according
TO a communication received at the State
Department from United States Consul
1utfin. at ASunCion.
An imperial ukase from the czar DEGREES
the building by the government of the Rus
nan Northern railroad, which is TO connect
ST. Petersburg. Tichwin. Tscherepoyetz.
NalgOda, Bui, GalitCh and Viatka accord
ing to a communication received at the
state Department from Deputy Consul
General Hanauer, at Frankfort, GERMANY