The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-03-31
TRADE IN THE TROPICS.
Eject Of Weather IN Goods-The
American Consular System.

Zip in New York Press.
Our trade in the tropics is not what it
should be because our merchants have not
taken the trouble to learn how to pack
goods for shipment 60 extreme southern
ATTITUDES. Special COMMISSIONS George
Hargreaves Aubrey. of the South Carolina
Interstate and West Indian Exposition, adj
vocates a feature Of that show which
should appeal to every wholesaler in the
United States. He wants 10 pay every
American consul in the West Indies, South
America, southern Africa, China and the
East Indies TO send to Charleston practical
Illustrations of the methods of packing
goods most approved by the merchants in
those countries. 1t is we'll known that the
Germans are far ahead of us in these mat
ters, and in not a few cases the conserva-
tive British manufacturer gives US cards,
spades and a beating.
The damp air of the tropics is destructive
to many articles of American manufacture
Mildew is ever present. In Panama it
grows mushrooms on shoes that are left
out over night. Throughout the equatorial
region it attacks all textile goods, leather.
books and stationery. while arms, cutlery
and metal work of all descriptions require
constant attention to preserve them. The
dampness is such that a piece of woven
fabric made i'm the United States and meas
ured for length will have different lengths
in South America and the Indies. The Ia
bells on cans become moist and fall of,
leaving a most unsightly stock of timed
meats and vegetables on the shelf of the
native merchant. The Germans cover all
cans with shellac, which preserves the la
bells, which keeps the stock looking bright,
new and attractive. Our hardware is ship
ped in plain brown paper, the Germans ship
theirs in ozokerite paper, which is impervi-
Gus to moisture.
Mr.. Aubrey, who is an extensive traveller,
has watched the progress of American
goods after arrival at a tOrrid seaport city
tor transportation to some interior town.
In Brazil, for example, nearly all American
packages have to be broken open and their
contents repacked in small parcels, so that
they can be handled the more easily by the
poems, who even at this late day are the
real freight lines of the greater part of the
republic. This is a source of trouble and
expense, and much valuable time is con-
sumed. Trade cannot be maintained under
these conditions when importations from
other countries arrive properly packed. Our
mail trade with China is extensive, yet
nearly all registered packages addressed to
shanghai reach that postoffice broken. Most
are In paper boxes, some in wooden. They
are burst by reckless slowing in ships
holds. One shipment of q gross Of valuable
eyeglasses, packed in a flimsy wooden box,
was utterly destroyed, the small particles
- oAAI1 bNAAAo oil lllOUEH lHE
mail pouch. Carelessness,
We are fighting for the trade of Vene-
zuela, yet our merchants, apparently in ig-
nOrance OF the fact that the customs duty
is collected on gross weight, persist in using
enormously heavy but weak packing cases.
immense clumsy crates are employed,
which fall apart before the tax is paid. An
American resident in a foreign city OBJ
tanned an order for a bicycle, and especial
~ instructed the firm in the United States
TO ship the wheel securely boxed. Instead
of needing the instructions tho rnorohonf
shipped 1T in a crate, the result being that
all the tools were stolen in transit. which
cost a delay of six weeks and another set
of tools. What might have been the begin
ming of a profitable trade was thus de-
stroyed.
Congress refused to appropriate s250. Ooo
for the Charleston exposition, but the show
will proceed. Governor Odell has kept his
promise, and New York's $4,000 appropria-
ton is assured. Massachusetts, Rhode
Island. New Hampshire, Pennsylvania. all
the Southern and many of the Western
States have fallen in line with the Empire
State. In others. the legislatures having
adjourned. nothing can be done. There Is
one branch of the federal government that
can be of much assistance even without an
appropriation, and that is the Bureau of
Foreign Commerce. Department of State.
Did YOU know that the United States gov
eminent publishes a daily trade paper of
large circulation? Ii is just three years old.
and getting better every day. The editor
in-chief is our old friend Frederic Emory.
of the Department of State. who has had
charge of Consular Reports for seven
years. These reports originally were pub
lished only monthly. but on Mr.. Emory's
recommendation "A daily. entitled Advance
Sheets of Consular Reports" was author
lied by John Sherman, then secretary of
state. and thus we were provided with n
means of disseminating Information con-
corning foreign trade requirements not pos
seSsed by any other country i'm the world.
Mr.. Emory modestly submits that such sue
cess as he may have achieved is largely
due to some twenty years previous expert
ence in various branches of newspaper
work. He has been through the miil-re-
porter, travelling correspondent, editorial
writer and copy fiend.
At first the great increase of questions
from merchants TO consular officers, for
which Mr.. Emory was mainly responsible
Gin his desire to improve the service and
encourage trade), caused a rebellious senti-
ment among the pampered pets of the serv-
| ice. and many informed the Department of
State that they were embarrassed by the
extra work entailed. But they have be, n
carefully nursed past that stage of sine
curism. Whereas three years ago COM
| plants were pouring In all the time to-day
not a murmur Il heard Our consuls often
J exhibit the zeal OF the missionary In pro-