Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-16

tary OF the United States special commits
sion to the Paris exposition 1900. position
which brought him in constant contact with
the ministers of commerce and agriculture.
the presidents of trade syndicates and
sections of the exposition and finally OF the
Commercial Geographical Society OF Paris.
of which Prince Roland Bonaparte was
president and the late M. Charles Gauthiot
the secretary general
The Commercial Geographical Society OF
Paris. which may serve as model TOT IKE
prospective American societies. Is unosr tine
direction OF a president. number OF vice
presidents. secretary general. who IL tne
and librarian. The sections are composed
Of general economical produets. inhabitants.
transportation tariffs. customs. commerciaI
exploitation. instruction and advice. nome
administration. characteristics. wants.
trade with foreign countries.
50
The society has inaugurated specia'
feature Of holding It's bi-monthiy meetings
Trade nv ,,nsn,shea restaura-
Breakfasts. teur at minimum cost me
secretary general opens the
meeting at table, where the roll OK
members Is called. The secretary refers by
name to those who have accomplished some
signal work. and passing from one to the
established and business is begun:
The government is represented by the SEE
retaries in person or their delegates. chiet
of bureau, an ambassador, CONSUL
who present in Paris, is notified by tne
minister that he may address the society
on the trade relations with the country 10
which he is accredited. If the subject Is
too long and of sufficient interest TO traoe
q special meeting is announced Tor some
evening when the matter is treated with
the aid of a stereopticon before an auoiehce
interested in the commercial deveiopme"'
of the country.
differs essentially from such commercial
bodies as a chamber of commerce. boaro
of trade or q merchants and manufacturers
association. all Of which are exclusive ,l IN
principle and restricted In numbers Inc
Commercial Geographical Society. on tne
| other hand, Is popular and aims 10 eouh'
its members by thousands. The former SO
cieties may be termed the general stan Vi
commerce, the latter the army.
NJ Camille Guy. a distinguished member
| of the society, to show by practicai 'es-
son the utility of commercial geosraphi-
cal society," recounted the story OF a Ger
| tain merchant who wishing to extend his
commerce, shipped a large consignment Oh
I umbrellas to certain city in South Amer
lea. Much to the surprise of the merchant.
who parenthetically was not MEMBER OF
the Commercial Geogra phcal Society, the
| case was returned unopened. A letter IN
formed him of the fact that Umbrellas were
useless in that country, rain being un-
known
| The daily consular reports of our DEPART
| ment of Commerce and Labor make fire.
quent mention of the want
ooo of method, and the indifrer-
Methods ence of the American mer-
| chant and manufacturer to
the wishes Of the foreign buyer. This fact
| was illustrated some time ago by the
| French government. which purchased an
| nually 1900 hogsheads Of tobacco in Balti-
| more. The administration. dissatisfied with
| the manner OF the packing, protested again
and again, but Intellectually. Finally to pun
! ish the failure to respond to Its suggestions
| II reduced its order to 6, $40 hogsheads as
an object lesson.
| Commercial schools to reform business
| methods and introduce order are thus a
necessity. The commercial man should pos
| sess thorough knowledge OF accounts.
| technology political economy. He should
| likewise be familiar with the consular reg
ulations. foreign languages and finally COM
mercial geography which presents the char
acter of country, inhabitants, soil, climate.
products. profttab bic exchange. all subjects
| of permanent interest to the merchant.
manufa cturer, agriculturist and economist.
| NJ Gustaye Roy president of the French
chamber of commerce of Paris in an ad-
dress at the inauguration Of the School OF
| Higher Commercial Education. said:
instruction at the School Of Higher Com
mercial Studies should correspond to the
needs of modern business, which require of
| the merchant very extensive preparation
| as well as an education capable of develop
Ing In him an appreciation of the elevated
ward movement of civilization. Commercial
| instruction must be advanced in proportion
| as science advances. The vocations of mer-
| chant and banker require as much intelli-
| s.
| sion. This education is as essential to the
| demands OF modern commerce as military
| education is to that Of war.
THE chamber of commerce of Paris, i'm
| pressed with the insufficiency of the serv-
| ice rendered to commerce by consuls due to
/ the conSutS lack of economic knowledge.
suggests that an outlet for the pupils of
| the school might be opened in the direction
| Of a consular career"
The suggestion of the Paris chamber OF
| commerce merits the serious attention of
| the United States Congress.
Two great ministers of French agrcul-
| ture and commerce represented different
] systems. Sully Q560-164D held that the
| riches of country existed exclusively in
| agriculture and said: blowing and pastur-
| age are the two breasts which nourish
France. They are the veritabie mines and
| treasures of Peru Colbert 0619-16S3), on
| the other hand. maintained that commerce
and manufactures were the true source of
the wealth of France. The interests of
these once widely separated Industries have
] been blended into what may be termed COM
mercial industry. which involves the ex-
ploitation of agriculture and manufactures
The multiplication of railways. the aug
mentation of tonnage and speed of steam
ships. the telegraph and cable have un.-
led the markets Of the world.
That which Sully and Colbert achieved
| for France in the seventeenth century may
be accomplished in the twentieth for Amer
lea through the genius and energy of the
Department of Commerce and Labor
CHI. CHALLENGING