The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1902-07-26
MUST STUDY THEIR TASTES.
American Merchants and Their Att;.
tude Toward Foreign Markets.

Germany finds herself in this
spring of the year of grace 1902 fully
equipped to supply not only her own
needs in most kinds of machinery, but
with large surplus capacity for the
supply of foreign countries" This
statement appears in a comprehensive
report from Consul General Mason
at Berlin. Mr.. Mason says that a
! German merchant who spent the win
ter months in the United States seek.
ing to form connection for the eX.
! port OF coal and other staple pro,
ducts to Europe came back to the
fathcrland with his hands up in de-
spair. He found American business
men working at white heat, and if
he talked longer than three minutes
stcalthy glanccs at the clock told him
plainly to 90. The American mine
owners and manufacturers were too
busy supplying 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 ont that instead
of sending steel and iron abroad. the
United States is placing large orders
for these products in Germany, and
he says that there is no prospect at
present of any important export Of
bituminOuS coal, iron o. steel from
the United States to Germany. 1t is
shown that, with the exception of raw
materials and food products, there
are not many articles which Germany
needs or will buy from the United
States. This situation has been
brought about by what has been
called the characterization of Ger
man industries Germans have
gone to the United States. studied
American methods and bought Ameri
can tools. and then have come back
to Germany to make "American' artl
cles themselves.
The consul general says that what
the German market seems to want
now is new goods s'-the novelties of
many kinds which are produced by
"the restless. unsatisfed, inventive
American spirit" They want pneu-
matte tools, they prefer American
canned lobster to any other, and they
want typewriter that can be good
and cost between $50 and S65 at ,ne
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 pro-
vldes that every steam boiler coming
into the country shall have a manhu,..
by which it can be entered and IL
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 re-
strictions in Saxony and Bavaria.
Steps are now being taken to amend
the obstructing law.
In conclusion the consul general
says:
Let the American who seeks to de.
velop an export trade OF anything to
Germany remember that he is trying
to be the seller; that il Offering his
goods to any foreign purchaser the
tastes and commercial ideas of that
customer are entitled to a certain con-
sideration; and that to insist always
upon imposing American home condi-
tions Of payment at New York, in
American currency, weights and
while the goods are still on
American soil. simply confirms the
saying that with all their
as manufacturers and ca
terers to their home market, our coun-
trymen are, with some otable excep-
tions. still in the kindergarten class
as merchants in the large, interna-
tional sense of that term"