The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-01-16

Consul General Mason at Berlin has
made a report. in obedience TO special in
structions 10 the State Department. con
corning the restrictions imposed By Ger
tain trade journals in Germany upon the
publication Of advertisements Of American
products He says:
This movement dates from the year 1895
ana as at first directed against American
bicycles. bicycle parts. and materials.
which i that year began 10 seriously in
y562 the German market TIE league of
German bicycle manufacturers held sew
eTaI meetings, ~ which lAe growing com
petition Of American wheels was earnestly
discussed and IN organized and determined
cEort made 10 secure from the Imperial
Government decree Increasing by several
hundred per cent the nominal duty on I'M
ported bicycles. Il Viii be remembered
that whza the present German taIin VAS
enacted. bicycles Tere rot al important
article Of international traffic, and they
were Tot therefore specifically named in
the schedule, but nave since been c-assi-
fed as 'febjcles' at q rate which makes
the duty on an American wheel weighing
from twenty 10 thirty pounds from $I.19
10 Si-6T Only. rate which naturally I'M
poses no serious obstacle 10 importations-
Failing to secure any advance in the
rate of duty, the Association Of German
manufacturers adopted the plan OF boy
cottiGg, so far as possible, advertisements
CT American wheels and bicycle par IN
the trade publications Of this country
There were q that time hall dozen or
more papers devoted almost wholly to
hi-E--fa trade n
&c understand that they must choose be
tween the patronage Of The German BIZ
cycle makers and their foreign c3mpeti-
tors. especially these Of American ma
IiaasIiJy- Uadef this pressure, most II
not all the German bicycle publications
refused TO accept American advertise
ments, and this restriction IS ssh main
tanned u the ''Hadwelt' iBerIinJ. tae
IA dH1aElsJ' tBieleield) and tnt 'DeuG-
she Radf2h-erzeitUHg' published at Is
sem. none CT which. so lar as can he
aScsrtaIncd. RON accept adTer, iSemGuJs
Of American bicycles CT materials
Several leading German b. cycle max
ers are also l&EGTIc5UTs Ts CT sewing IA
chimes. and az effort was made 10 Ike
wise exclude advertisements Of American
I sewing machines from German neWsDa-
pers, including even the daily press. ms
movement, nc7-evcr, 1ailst-a5 least so
far as the daily newspapers were con-
| cerned- They refused 10 oe bound by
any such narrow pplioy and freely &C
! cept advertisements OF American products
/ on the same terms as those Of native
! origin. Seine Of the trade publica Ions
which are dependent upon The patronage
+ Of The home traGe have been competed
! 20 exclude advertisements CT American
I machines. though 20 what extent this
/ form CT boycott mas been developed IL
/ proves difficult to ascertain
/ 1T VIII be understood that publications
! which have been dominated b. this move
/ ElenJ are Of relatively small Importance
I At the outset the American bicycle com
! panies which sought 10 reach This market
| were undoubtedly delayed and TO some ex-
! tent injured by the exclusion Of their ad-
/ vertisements from the trade papers: but
/ they expended their money IN sumptgous
| circulars, catalogues, posters. and other
! special forms of advertising which as
| they now tzink we're more effective and
/ attained the desired result
| The manager Of leading American
! bicycle company which has its wholesale
/ depot at Hamburg and has built Up since
! 1885 a large and permanent trade writes,
! IN reply 20 a special enquiry on this sub
/ ject:
We have paid no attention 10 the ~
/ Gle papers during the past four years.
Five years ago we advertised IN the Rad
/ welt aud the 'RadfahTerbundes lei
! tung." and at the end Of 1895 they refused
10 take further advertisements from Us.
/ We therefore spend the same money on
. illustrated papers published II Germany.
/ and, We think 10 much better advantage.
/ IN fact, i all those papers should now Of
. fer 10 take cur advertisement I do not
( think We E-oL I'd accept their offers. A few
/ years ago this undoubtedly hurt us; but
under present conditions OF the bicycle
/ business. the trade paper does not nave
/ tho same influence that tt-formerly had
This would appear to describe the pres
! ent slruaJica correctly in so far as the bi-
I cycle trade is concerned