The Indianapolis journal., 1903-10-05

use. and tuy large quantities of them. He
urges, hotsever, that all machinery. espe-
cially wagons, should be more heavily con-
structed. lit is also urged here, as else
where. that the statesmen should be respon-
sible. capable men. familiar with the Dutch
language and with a very general and
thorough knowledge of the country in which
they are working Catalogues are OF little
use. except as they may be used by sales
man In personal interview.
The Tratnsvaal consuls make the same
complaint to the State Department that Is
| received 90 frequently from all foreign
countries, land that is that the American
manufacturers do not use sufficient care in
| filling orders and in attempting 10 meet the
| desires of :the buyers Defective goods are
shipped TO, fill orders for first-class articles
n number. of lawsuits have resulted In the
| TransvaalS which have seriously injured the
American trade, and Consul Profit states
| that the largest number of complaints OF
| American goods and American methods
| arise from the methods employed by the
| American exporters of agricultural imple-
| ments.
Consul Tairden, of Java, says that the
| European machines are sold much cheaper
| at the present time and that the trade In
| American machinery has fallen or lie
| urges a reduction OF prices as being the
| principal method of increasing the trade.
He thinks there could be a good market
found for wagon wood, fencing, rails,
| hardware harness, lawn mowers, vehicles
| and bicycles.
Vice Consul Smith, of Milan, Italy, notes
a decided tendency TO use improved methods
| in Italian agriculture. An experiment sta
| ton has heen established in Milan for the
| purpose OF advertising agricultural ma
chimes lie thinks that the low price OF
| hand labor in remote farming districts does
not promise an immediate extension OF
trade in machinery. but he speaks OF
projects TO reclaim vast tracts of land
| which have lying idle for centuries, which,
| If they n7aterialize, will result in an in
creased demand for imported manufactures.
GEFMAN'S LEAD IN ITALY.
He finds that Germany has the inside
track In this line of business, one reason
being that the machines can be mounted
and shipped by rail direct from the Ger
man factories to Italy. American-made
engines and thrashing machines have not
been successful in Italy. They are con-
sidered complicated and not sufficiently
economical. The English and Germans
have given this matter more attention and
have met with greater success The consul
predicts ah immediate rapid increase in the
use Of improved machinery on the farms
and he thinks that something should be
done Immediately by the Americans to Sc
cure fair share of the increased trade
| thus promised.
Consul General Lay, writing from BARGE
Iona, Spain, finds that the importers OF i'm
proved agricultural machinery have met
| with great difficulty in securing their intro
ductiOn, diving to the small size of the
| farms, the cheapness of hand labor, and the
inertia of the people. He thinks. however
that Notwithstanding these drawbacks the
| prospects are very good for the future. Ii
| is only within the past three years that
modern agricultural machinery has become
known on the Spanish farms. He thinks
| that the american manufacturers should
| bear the initial cost of exploitation. The
| farmers there must see the machines at
| work and will not be convinced by testi-
monials or illustrations i'm catalogues of
| their merits. The local agents, he finds,
are not enterprsing enough to furnish
samples and show the farmers their good
qualities and value as labor-saving de-
| vices. Ans American agent who could speak
Spanish Snd who would bring TO Spain
enough samples of his implements to per-
NIT of their being employed in actual work.
where thet could be inspected by the Span
ish farmets, would, it is believed, build up
a very satisfactory trade.
In Costa Rica. Venezuela and Mozam-
bique the people do not seem to have awak-
ened to the advantages of improved i'm
plements IN cultivating the land, but the
American representatives resident in those
countries ;all take a hopeful view of the
future AMI all report a transition stage
which promises to lead to a complete revo-
luton in the methods of production In no
department of industry is the world ad-
vancing With more apparent rapdity than
in the cultivation of the SOIL and this
movement is not confined to easily acces-
SIble countries or countries which have re-
Gently been the scene of foreign invasion.
The general tenor of all the consular re-
ports. treating of the sale Of Am srican
agricultural implements, is to the effect
that in no line of trade is there a greater
opportunity in the immediate future than
in this direction.
The American consulS i'm the Orient are
| apparently thoroughly alive TO the interest
taken In that territory by American ex-
porters, and they are all very positive as
TO the immense value of this trade in the
immediate future. Consul Miller stationed
at Niuchvan China, says: 81 would ad-
wise all Americans doing business in this
territory, and those expecting to do so. 10
make careful study of Russian systems.
ideals. me- hods and character. In four lines
| cotton goods kerosene, lumber and flour
our goods will be met by Russian competi-
tion In the matter of economic conditions,
think Russia has every advantage in flour
and lumber and will soon be our most ac-
tive rival in these lines in the general
trade of China. Kerosene, L am advised,
Russia can produce cheaper, and / know
ii sells cheaper although the product is
inferior in quality, but this is not seri-
Gus a dra wback for the Chinese trade In
cotton goods. while her trade is growing
it is Handicapped by ina bility to meet
American prices.
"Manchura is a rich and undeveloped
| country and Is capable of sustaining many
| millions more people than now occupy it,
Under the Chinese government ii was
growing fast in population and I'm trade. Its
| growth of exports and imports were far
in excess of any other part of China. and
in no pari was American trade improving
so fast Manchuria has great opportunity
for further expansion in agricultural lines
and under Russian occupa ton there should
various kinds of agricultural implements $