The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1905-11-09
Our Foreign Trade.

o..
TINE tariff question has caused
more sOlicitude and more an
noyance to our government than
the silver and several other
important questions combined. The
Mckinley Bill, even after its modifca-
tion by DINGHY, was severe blow to
all countries from which we imported.
Retaliation was to be expected. The
trade between nations is business
proposition, just the same as the trade
between merchants, and is based on
mutual recognition of advantages and
disadvantages. That Mckinley, dur
ing the last years of his administration,
became a thorough believer in this
theory, is clearly, almost prophetically,
demonstrated in his last great speech
at Buffalo, just prior to his assassina-
4 tiOn.
The rapidity with which our foreign
business increased during the last
three decades, has never even approx
mately been equsled by any other
nation. The foreign business of
nation does not consist exclusively In
the Importation and expectation of
commodities. Under the same cate
CORY also comes the business done with
foreign countries by transportation
banking and insurance companies, and
a variety of other things. But it is in
the export line where we have made
the greatest strides. The bulk of our
exports, representing over four-fifths
of their entire value, consists in the
raw products of our soil, such as cot
ton, cereals, illuminating oils, minerals,
etc. Tho we also export many different
kinds of manufactured goods, Of which
agricultural implements, specific
American inventions, and shoes de-
serve special mention, we are as yet
. not doing nearly as well in this respect
as could be desired. There are several
causes for this, many of which seem to
have been brought on by carelessness
and shortsightedness on the part OF
those of our exporters who entered the
foreign markets insufficiently prepared
and who frequently undersold oul
3 home market while trying to undersel
foreign market.
f Sometimes it is sound business
! policy to make sacrifices OF that kind
5 in order to obtain a foothold in for
Q eign country; but it often proves un
: profitable and disastrous to those whe
? try the experiment. There are still 6
Q great many countries with which WI
;, have failed to enter into business re
Q lstions worth speaking of. Even il
y our own hemisphere, in South America
q the foreign trade is almost entirely il
d the hands of Europeans, principally il
q those of Germany.
O In relation to our exports, the pub
J. lie press of this country, in the weel
t before last, brought several news item
d which, If properly explained, will fur
# nish striking illustration of tn
I. culpable negligence with which som
q of our exporters ruin certain branches o
our export business, and impair tn
- good name of our business method
= and our integrity. These news item
Ihave taken for the text of this article
- and shall place them before the reade
= with my comments. may be pei
!, mitted to explain that these com
= ments are based on study an
experience gained by writing exter
sively along these lines for Europea
= publications.
!" In the week mentioned, New Yor
70 jobbers refused to accept no less tina
% twenty-six carloads of California car
= ned peaches, because, instead of bein
" peeled by hand, which is somewhs
expensive process, the peaches ha
al their skins removed by being steepe
Il in an acid preparation, which gave tt
ve fruit good appearance, but left it
b. a condition highly detrimental to tt
Id health of prospective consumers.
It. In that same week grocery trad
Mt journal, prompted by many complain
IL about ground spices, purchased san
ct pies of ground pepper in thirty mir
On different grocery stores of Brooklyn
I prices ranging all the way from eleve
to eighteen cents per pound. At Il
he same time whole pepper could not
purchased at retail for less than twent