The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-14
THE AMERICAN EXPORTER.

Ainslee's Magazine.
From the examples of American en-
ergy cited as regards the sale of sew
ing machines, typewrters, cameras BIZ
cycles and graphophones in various ana
distant parts OF the world the infer
ence appears to be warranted that the
American exporter is sweeping the deck.
He is certainly getting the lions share
of the market for inventions that are
peculiarly American or which Ameri-
cans have improved upon, and in ma
chinery and steel products his supe-
riority is conceded and he is doing a
tremendous business at present The
American Bridge company secured the
contract for thirty-four viaducts on the
Uganda railway; an American company
constructs the famous Atbara bridge on
kitchener's Soudan railway; the Allison
Manufacturing company sends eleven
passenger coaches, twenty-five freight
cars and $500 tons of steel rails in one
shipments to Spain: the Norwegian
government awards the PENNSYLVANIA
and Maryland Steel companies con-
tract for 1850 tons of steel rails; the
Pittsburg Locomotive works sells TWEEN
ty freight loe motives to tho Indian
state railways: the Richn ona Locn1no-
tive works send twelve ten-wheelcd pas
sengcr locomotives to the Finland State
for ;he plant of great machire shop
called for by Spain. the items covering
seventeen typewriter. pages, one of
which is a travelling electric crane: the
Pressed Steal Car company, of Pitts
burg, equips the Paris-I1yons- & Medi-
terrancan railway with 100 cars; the
Victorian australian railway orders
z0,eO0 tons of steel rails from the Illinois
steel company; the Baldwin Locomotive
-nrl--
the government railways of New Zeal
and; the Sandusky Tool company crat IS
$4,000 planes for shipment to China These
great contracts are impressive and
when Mr. Andrew Carnegie, eXulting
over such evidences of our Industrial
superiority, says that the nation which
makes the cheapest steel mas the other
nations at its feet as far as nanufac-
turing in most of it's branches is con-
eerned we ought to have NJ misgiv-
ings about the future.
Nevertheless, as regards a thousand
and one miscellaneous products in
which the American manufacturer ex-
cells he is making comparatively little
impression on the foreign market be-
cause of his ineXperience as an exporter
He packs his goods carelessly; declines
to give credit fails to study the needs
and tastes OF the foreign customer
WHICH the E4tSHSn ana Germans never
fail to dol; mails 'dreams-of-art' cata-
logues to the other side of the world,
instead of sending live salesman to
represent him and exhibit samples If
his goods: omitS to arrange for banking
facilities like those his rivals sta5ltsh-
ed long ago; ships in other than An.eri-
can bottoms, and therefore pays e:-
tortionate rates; anu allows himself To
be tricked, cheated and imposed upon
in every foreign market. Some Of
these embarrassments under present
conditions he cannot obviate but others
are due to a self-sufficiency which was
cultivated in a home market that aver
failed him until he produced more than
the American people could consume
Whenever he has a valuable article 10
sell and has established agencies fer
the sale of it in other countries, as lie
should do in the case of every manu-
facture for which there is a foreign de-
mand, handsome returns have reward
ed him..