Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-04-12
MUST STUDY THEIR TASTES
American Merchants and Their Atti-
tude Toward Foreign Markets.

Germany finds herself in this spring of
the year of grace 1902 fully equipped to
supply not only her Town needs in most
Kids OF machinery, but with a large sur
plus capacity for the supply of foreign
countries This statement appears in
comprehensive report from Consul General
Mason at Berlin bearing date of March Is
Mr.. Mason says that a German merchant
who spent the winter months in the United
states seeking to form connection for the
export of coal and other staple products to
Europe came back to the fatherIand with
his hands up In despair. He found Ameri-
can business men working at white heat
and if he talked longer than three min
utes stealthy gances at the clock told him
plainly to go. The American mine owners
and manufacturers We're too busy supply
ing the home demand to talk about foreign
export and he found they knew or cared
no more about German tariff legislation
than about 'the next proclamation by the
Akoond of Swat"
Mr.. Mason points out that instead of
sending steel and iron abroad the United
States is placing large orders for these
products in Germany, and he saws that
there is no prospect at present of any i'm
portant export of bituminous coal iron or
steel from the United States to Germany
1t is shown that, with the exception Of
not many articles which Germany needs or
will buy from the United States This sit
uation has been brought about by what
has been called the Characterization of
to the United States, studied American
methods and bought American tools, and
then have come back to Germany to make
american articles themselves.
The consul general says that what the
German market seems to want now is new
goodS''-the novelties of many kinds which
are produced by 1.-The restless, unsatisfied
inventive American spirit They want
pneumatic tools, they prefer American
canned lobster to any other, and they
want typewriter that can be good and
cost between $50 and $50 at the same time
They want automobiles also, but an old
Prussian statute now stands in the way
of the use of the motor carriages The
statute provides that every steam boiler
coming into the country shall have a man
hole by which it can be entered and In
spected from within. The effect Of the
statute is to prevent the use Of steam
motor carriages in Prussia, though they
are allowed under certain restrictions in
Saxony and Bavaria. Steps are now being
taken to amend the obstructng law.
In conclusion the consul general says:
Let the American who seeks to develop
an export trade Of anything to Germany
| remember that he is trying to be the seller:
that in Offering his goods to any foreign
purchaser, the tastes and commercial ideas
OF that customer are entitled to a certain
considerations; and that to insist always
upon imposing American home conditions
| Of payment at New York, in American
currency. weights and measures, while the
goods are still eon American SOIL simply
| confirms the threadbare saying that with
| all their cleverness as, manufacturers and
| caterers to their, home market, our coun-
| trymen are, with some notable exceptions,
| still in the kindergarten class as merchants
| IL the large, international sense of that
| term" -