The Republican journal., 1902-03-13
GEN. R. F. PATTERSON

| Lectures in Calcutta on American Trade.
Heisthe L, :, Consul General There, and
a Native of Belfast.
The Englishman, a leading daily of Cal
cutta, printed in full the speech OF Gen. H.
F. Patterson, u S. Consul General for
India, before a large audience IN Calcutta
Jan Doth. on american Trade" Gen.
Patterson was born in Belfast, son of
John r. and Jane (FergusOnD Patterson
and has several relatives in this city. He
lived for several years IN Bangor, where he
still has warm friends among the older
men. He was connected for several years
with the hardware concern of Thomas Jen-
ness. and later was with Plummer 4 Patter
son. He moved to keokuk, Iowa, with Mr..
Plummer and started concern there, the
Plummer, Patterson Co., the third member
of which was William T. Hubbard. AT the
outset of the Civil war he enlisted and en-
tered upon military career. lie organized
A regiment in Iowa and went to the front at
its head He distinguished himself at the
battle of Shiloh and was brevetted brigadier
general. His war record was long and
collector of internal revenue at Memphis,
an important post Following this he be
came interested in the cotton business, and
became one of the largest operators in the
south Five years ago he was appointed
consul general to Calcutta under the Nc
Kinley administration, and has since filled
the Office with great efficiency and dignity.
The Englishman says, editorlally:
Gen. Patterson gave most graphic ac-
count of the almost incredible strides OF
industrial development in America during
the past ten wears. In the last decade OF
the nineteenth century the United States
has advanced from being one OF the greatest
glanarieS Of the world to being the greatest
indus trial country of the word. The Con
sulLtIeneral explains that this has come
about almost uIcou>clUusly SO tar as Amer
lea herself is concerned. 1t was her energy
in developing her splendid natural re-
sources that has made her industrially the
/ power She is today. The lecturer pointed
/ out however. that i'll time the success OF
the [ uted States would doubtless be turn
I Ell against them, as in the course OF few
I wears European countries would be making
such extensive use of American labor saw
ing machinery that they would be able to
compete with their transatlantic rival upon
more equal terms Stjll, as Nh. Carnegie
=. Us. the grip " hich America has obtained
upon the steel production Of the world has
gwen her q position from which it can
,ciIctly ever be able to Gust her. Gen.
I',tterSOu'S reference to the exhibition at
-. Louis should be widely appreciated in
india. which is herself III a modest way.
advancing along the same path oi CONNER
cHi development in which the United
STATES has achieved such stupehduus re-
4 suits.
I he al hf thA fprtI]VE show how
/ trade may be increased between the Tinted
! States and India. 1t abounGed largely in
! statistics showing the wonderful growth of
the United States, industrially and CONNER
ally. Gen. Patterson showed how the tac
! torN system has grown up, how agriculture
aud, in fact, all lines of industry, have beer
! resuutoniZed BY labor-saving machinery
increased in all quarters of the globe. He
. finds that in steel, mineral oils, machinery
/ coal, ard nearly all classes of manufactured
goods, the United States leads all othel
nations. lie also indicated the various
! countries into which our exports are sent,
from the nearby West Indies, South anc
/ Central America to the nations of the fal
East. AS d means OF increasing the trade
between the United States and India Gen
| Patterson suggests.
That our manufacturers combine an(
establish a nuseum OF sales warehous.
III Calcutta, with samples of all manu-
IactureS, under the charge of a cUmpe
tent business man, to have able assistants
acquainted with the native merchants, no
Only in Calcutta, but throughout the country
and Who Know the wants of the trade, Il
solicit orders and make sales from the sam
| pies, the purchaser, after establishing
: credit, to have the goods shipped direct t,
| hlm, and III this way save all middle charges
and that the manager should also fnrnisl
the manufacturers Win samples and de
sctptlUllS of goods adapted to the trade, eS
tcall| u Sly les OF cotton plect-SOodS, ant
other cotton IabrlcS, OF Which there is sucl
an enormous demand, ant! of the Thousands
of articles particularly adapted to thi
country, to enable them to supply JUS
What is required.
The superior quality OF the goods manu-
featured IN the United States, goods repre-
senting al important lines, viii hardly b,
questioned, but they have not been exported
to INDIA III large quantities tor the reason o
the great demand al home and III the neart
markets Of Europe; but the probabilities
are that they VIII appear in India in in
creased quantities IL the near future, Whlcl
will b., Il benefit to the buyer, combining IL
they do durability and cheapness, az the III
dlcaton> are that our manufacturers a1'
locking to this country for an outlet fo
their goods on more extensive scale. The
United states Is d large buyer of Indian
products, taking about 80 per cent of al
jute manufactures in the form of gam,
bags and cloth, and nearly 10 per cent 0
the raw jute exported, besides buying i'm
nense quantities OF hides and skins, ant
receiving large shipments of indigo, tea
mica, carpets. embrOiderieS ETC. and ther,
is no reason why she should not have
much larger share of the import trade
which amounts to S250,00O,000 annually.
/.