The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-05-25
THE EXTENSION OF TRADE
Drummers Needed to Present the
Claims of American-Made Goods.
Suggestions by the United states
Consul General ut Berlin to the
Best Means of Promoting the Com
mercTaI Interests of This Country


Consul General ut Berlin As to the
Best Mems of Promoting the Com
merciHI Interests of This Country
The State Department has received from
Frank Il. Mason. the United States Con
sui General at Berlin. an exhaustive re
port concerning the traffic in American
manufactured products in Germany. He
says.
1t is one Of the anomalies Of the pres
ent situation in Germany that notwfth-
standing dull and declining home and for
eign markets for most products of Ger
man manufacture, there is an unusually
brisk and irsistent demand for certain
articles Of American origin. During no
recent period have so many enquiries per
soGaI and by letter. Teen received at this
consulate from German firms and fudi-
vidrsaIs who wish to be put into direct
relations with American manufacturers
and exporters, as during the first three
months of the current year. These en-
qui:ies cover large range Of merChau-
disc. including small machinery Of many
kinds, typewriters, time and cash regis
tiers. furniture and Office supplies shoes
leather, lumber, and even dress goods and
other textiles of wool and cotton which,
surprising as it may Seem are now pro-
duced in the United States under coudi-
tions which, 1t is believed here, viii war
rant their export to European countries
The significant and gratifying indica-
ton in all this is that American manu-
features, as such, are becoming well
known in Germany and are appreciated
and approved for their quality and price.
But while this is true, it must be ad-
mitted that, except in few lines Amer
lean exporters have been slow in learn
ing the best methods Of utilizing the
opportunities which are offered in the Ger
man market The makers Of machine
tools and shoemaking machinery. type
writers, a1.d a few other speciaIties learn
ed the lesson early and wei, and have
prodted by their knowledge But as a
class. the American manufactureT-in-
comparable as such-is still in the primary
grade as q merchant IN foreign fields
That this should be 50 is perhaps q nat
uraI result of his education and environ
ment- His success at home has been 50
complete and satisfying. his confidence in
American methods 50 ingrained and as
sured. that he finds It hard To realize that
/ customers cannot be won IN France. Ger
many. and Russia with catalogues and
price lists in English; with measurements.
weights, and values stated in inches
Z
his inCou2DarabIy superior products for
cash at ten days sight T O b New York
sight draft with bill Of lading attached
The folly Of all this has been explain
ed and written threadbare in consular
correspondence and published reports. 1t
has been emphasized in the letters Of
German agents and importers. but still
the confident exporter goes on in his ef-
forts to teach foreign purchasers AmeTi-
can methods Of business If ne ventures
upon a foreign language it is almost in
variably Spanish, and Germany has been
strewn with Anerico-Spanish catalogues
and price lists which are twice as bulky
and no more comprehensive to Germans
than If printed in English alone By way
Of making It pleasant and easy for the
foreign customer, he often eucIoses q
stamped envelope, printed with his own
address. TO contain the returning order
II he sends q travelling salesman or agent
to study the market and make q personal
propaganda the chances are that the
eInissary viii be a bright. energetic, ca
pablo young American. who knows all
about the goods and how 10 sell them IN
the United States or England, but is ig-
noraHt Of every language but English and
helpless beyond the realm Of his mother
tongue Even with these disadvautag es,
me lllESt4AECLig tR4LtE-e- ocl4E-4-sL-A C-tSt-
renders q valuable service by studying
the actual needs and conditions Of the
foreign market, finding how it can be best
reached, and, as one of them seRtentious-
" remarked, getting the facts to con-
vince our firm at home that Germany is
not in the United States
In respect to size, beauty Of print. and
illustration, the trade catalogues issued
by American manufacturers are the most
elaborate and beautiful, as well as the
most expensive, in the world but for
practical purposes they are often defective
in several respects, the most essential of
which are too many claims to superiority
and TOO little definite and exact infoT-
nation concerning the weight, dimen-
sions. and effective capacity Of machin-
cry: absence Of metric weights and meas
uremeuts and prices in francs, marks. or
other foreign equivalents; and transIa-
lions, when given at all, made by persons
who do not understand the goods, and
which are often 50 incorrect and imper-
| feet as to furnish no adequate technical
description of the merchandise. As a re-
suit Of these defects, intending puTchas-
ers are frequently obliged to open d cor
! resDondence with the exporting naanufac-
turer in order TO obtain clear and def
mite information
For the fact remains that with all that
can be done by other means. II is the ex-
pert saIesmau-thc dTummeT-whO is the
most effective nurse of new trade, either
at home or abroad. The foreign firms or
agents are also important adjuncts when
they are trustworthy and enterpTislng,
but there is always the possibility that
they VIII hold back the sales OF an i'm
ported article while pushing those Of ma
tive production, or they may take advan-
tage Of loosely drawn patent and trade
mark laws to improve their own product
at the expense Of the foreign competitor.
There should be therefore d closer &C
quaintance and more binding agreement
between exporter and agent. and this can
be acquired only by personal contact and
a more careful study of the conditions and
requirements Of European trade. made
here on the spot by competent merchants
or expert statesmen IN large enterprises.
the sale OF machinery and tools sales Of
railway supplies, mining equipments, con-