Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-31

| Swift & Co., and I asked my porter at my
| hotel where to find them. He took me to
the corner and pointed to big white build
| ing facing the river at the end of the
| Boompjes. THAT" said he, lis the White
| Huis. 1t is the only American building
| in Holland and is the headquarters Of the
chief American firms"
! 1 crossed several bridges, and. strolling
down to it, found 1t even so. The building
is on the American plan. although it was
| erected by a Belgian. It Is made Of bricks
! faced with white porcelain tiles. The
Dutch call 1t a sky-scraper and talk of its
| dangerous height, although it has only ten
stories. 1t is, 1 am told, the only ten-story
| building in Europe; it is a giant in Rotter-
| dam, although in New York it would be but
baby. 1t is perfectly plumb, notwithstand-
| ing nine hundred trees were driven down
| into the sand to make it's founda ton. The
| average building of Rotterdam is Of from
| three to five stories, and many buildings
lean this way and that SO that parts Of the
| city are apparently drunk.
| The American house has electric elevators
| worked by little Dutch boys dressed in
white smocks. 1t was by them that I
| went from story to story calling on some
OF our largest American agents. 1 find that
! the meat men here are selling vast quanti
| ties Of our meat and lard not only to Hol
| land, but to all the countries along the
Rhine, and that the American Cereal Com
| pany is pushing it's goods into this part of
Europe. 1t has its offices in the American
| building, and it's advertisements are every
| where. Indeed, the Americans are far bet
ter advertisers than the Europeans. and
| you see "Kwaker Oats" American type
| writers, kodaks and California fruits every
| where.
Like Our Sewing Machines.
I find great many American sewing ma
chimes used in Holland. They are scattered
| over the continent, and are considered far
! superior to any made in Europe. One or
| two of our firms are pushing their foreign
business more than any other, and especial
| ly the Singer company, which has its ad-
vertisements everywhere and branch
houses in all the cities Of England and the
continent. In fact. 1 found store here
on the Hoogstraat-the Broadway Of Rot
| terdam-which had photographs of some of
the sewing schools Of Holland, in which the
| little Dutch girls are working away on
American machines. One of these pictures
! is Of school al Alkmaar, one of the Oldest
| towns of Holland.
Not far from this shop are hardware
! stores, with a great variety of American
goods, including Philadelphia lawn mowers
and Michigan pitchforks, and in the
| dows filled with the marches Of Sousa
printed with the American flag on the cover
| They are made by Rotterdam firm and
| sell in sets at 40 cents copy.
The American shoe does not seem to be
walking into Holland as rapidly as could
| be desired. The climate is SO wet that
thicker soles than ours are needed. Never
| theless, 1t Is no worse than England, and
| our shoes will sell IL properly pushed
! There is one store in Rotterdam with a big
sign above it advertising American foot
wear, and another store, which was in
tended for selling American shoes, is vacant.
! The Dutch merchant opened his place on
| contracts which he had with Americans
leasing one Of the best places and planning
10 make our shoes speciality. His goods
| owing to the carelessness Of the American
| exporters, failed to come on time, and the
result was that he compromised his lease
! and gave up the business.
Are We Poor Business Menp
Indeed. the Americans have a bad repu-
| tation in Europe as exporters and traders.
| We make the best goods, but we don't
know how to sell them. Such trade as we
| have is because our goods are SO good, and
not because Of our business ability in SELL
ing or care in filling orders.
Take for instance an order which a sta
tionery dealer here sent to New York and
had filled at loss. The man has a shop
| right next to the Witte Huis, and / dropped
into 1t to buy lead pencil He offered me
one made in New York. and when I aked
MIN II ne handled other American goods
TOOK me through rooms filled with unit
book cases desks and office furniture and
showed me cases or American inks pencils
and pens. AS l looked at them he said:
care especially to do so, for your people do
not watch my interests nor try to save
money for me. Only last month I had a
customer who wanted a certain brand Of
American pen l wrote New York ex-
porter to send me three boxes by mail. and
supposed that the charges would be about
20 cents The exporter sent the pens by
express. so that they cost me. in commits
sions and freights. 1870, and the result was
that l lost on the transaction. This is a
little thing. but it is only one Of many in
! which the carelessness Of you Americans
| causes us to lose money"
FRANK G. CARPENTER.