Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-02

One hears complaints from two sources
regarding the status of American trade
ABROAD One is from the American manu-
idcturer, usually in a small way of BUSH
ness who thinks that the consul is sent
abroad to act his selling agent. The
o'iiei Is from the consul who year in and
year out reminds the manufacturer
through his reports to the State Depart-
ment that he must send a good man
abroad with samples If he wants to get
foreign trade and hold it. When one has
seen the situation abroad one cannot holm
sympathfzing with the consul
During the time II. Clay Evans was CON
sui general IN London he used to be con-
stantfy in receipt of letters, sometimes
even OF samples of sort from Americas
hrms asking him to see to the sale Of tbeir
goods. NOW, as a matter of fact one
might almost as well address a request of
that sort to the English premier as to the
American consul in London or Liverpool
or any other English city. There was one
man man VINO even sent over a package of shin
sieS' very nice shingles they Were too
with lhe request that the consul would do
what he could in the way of distributing
samples and working up foreign connec-
ton for him.
Now. popular belief to the contrary
notwithstanding. this is not what the con-
sui Is sent abroad for. He has enough to
90 In looking after invoices, passports Aft
uaVlts' seeing such American visitors and
statesmen as do come, and attending to a
thousand other thongs that come within
a consuls Jurisdiction without irving to
go out and drum up trade for individual
nrmS- III he did there would soon be a
howl from the other firms of America
that the consul at such and such a point
was displaying undue favoritism. And he
would be, too.
There have been a number of PROPOSE
tons put forward from time to time for the
establishment of American commercial NIL
seums abroad that should carry a stock of
samples of various lines OF goods. and be in
charge of either government agent or an
agent appointed jointly by American houses
interested in pushing their goods abroad
But there are several difficulties In the way
of such a scheme. The unanimous testi-
mony of those who know is that as soon
as a man is sent abroad on a living salary
to do commercial hustling he will settle
down with his family, If he has one, in the
most comfortable place he can find and let
the hustling take care of itself. On the
other hand, send a man abroad with a good
knowledge of the business he IS to engage
in and equipped for the work Pay him
small guarantee and let his income depend
on percentage from the work he actually
does and you will find that he delivers the
goods all right.
1T is In furnishing him with this COM
mercial equipment that the commercial
school comes in. There is no DENYING that
America is lamentably deficient in the study
of languages. How many commercial tray-
elers are there who have a working knowl-
edge or the language that would allow them
to go into Naples, Budapest or Moscow and
sell goods? This is one Of the several things
that the commercial school would furnish
Them with Then, too. foreign banking and
financial methods are often radically differ
ent from those at home and a commercial
man must know them by heart Also there
Is the question of long credits which most
countries, especially in Central and South
America, demand, and which the CONNER
cial traveller may understand when he gets
on the ground, but which it is hard for his
firm TO grasp at home. In fact IL would
do most heads of commercial houses good to
attend such school for while and find
out great many things of which they
seem lamentably ignorant. judging from
their correspondence with our consuls
abroad.
Another thing American firms will have
TO understand is that while goods can sell
dom be sold abroad by catalogue .alone
their representatives abroad must have cat
alogues we'll samples. And imagine
the ignorance of any otherwise intelligent
firm that will send catalogues printed in
! English with American weights and meas
ures and prices in dollars and cents into
Russia or Hungary and expect them to be
understood. Yet this is constantly being
done. II is very much like the experience of
the famous McTodd. who got a berth as
third engineer on a German cargo boat He
said the most of the engine room STAFF
could talk English-naturally they had to-
having such ungodly language of their
own" That seems to be the principle on
which many American firms go when they
send their literature In English to a foreign
| he n no nj hot he
vast majority of such illusions simply 90 at
once to the waste basket
1T is certain that American goods are
good enough TO hold their own abroad when
they have the right men TO handle them on
the ground. But the American manufac-
turer is due for a whole. lot of education
before he can successfully grasp and hold
the foreign market. and the first thing he
| will have TO learn is how to pick the right
! statesmen and properly educate them for
their work abroad"