Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-09
SOME FOREIGN TRICKS
American Wares Fraudulent
ly Initiated.
VIEWS OF DIR. BEDL0E
OPPORTUNITIES OF THE BUREAU
OF MANUFACTURES.
Advantages That Will Be Possessed by
the Agents of the New Bureau
-Handicaps of Consuls.
VIEWS OF DIR. BEDLOE

-Handicaps of Consuls.
DR.. Edward Bedloe who for many years
| filled important posts in the consular serv-
| ice in Europe and In the far east, is one
| of the men who recognize the important
| work that Is before the bureau of man
ufactures of the Department of Commerce
| and Labor, which is now being developed
| under the leadership of Mr.. j. Hampton
! Moore. DIR. Bedloe as United States con-
! sui came In contact with many of the diff
| fculties that embarrass men in the con-
sular service who attempt to push the
| products of their own country in OPPOSE
ton to those of the localities in which. they
are located. In his opinion the agents Of
| the new bureau Of manufactures will not be
under any such embarrassment. with the
| result that they will render more efficient
service in many respects than has been
possible in the past. They would also In his
opinion be much better able to protect the
consumers Of this country from undesir-
| able articles exported from their localities.
Handicaps Of Consuls.
Suppose for instance" said DR.. Bedloe in
conversation with a Star reporter, that a
consul in Marseille ascertains that a prom
dimes which contained ptomaines and re-
ported that fact to Washington. When
the news should get back to MarSeille, as
It would In sixty days, what would be that
merchants feelings toward the consul?
How long would it be before he lodged a
protest in Paris against this Yankee inter-
ference with Frenchman's rights? How
soon would the Marseile press denounce
| the presumption, the small mindedness and
| the arrogance of the American consul? How
| long would it be before the French gov
eminent would inform own govern
ment that the consul was persona non
grata?
ut would be different with the bureau Of
| manufactures. Its agents would gather
| all the facts in Marseille without trouble
or delay, and they would be independent
| of all political, legal and social relations
and ties. Being the servants of a govern
ment bureau in Washington their person.
atty abroad would never enter into the
matter.
Requisites of the Agents.
Much of course depends upon the per-
sonnet of the service. The agents must be
| educated, trained and Travelled men. Many
| of them would have to have a thorough
knowledge of chemistry, microscopy, for
eign ways and methods and our CONNER
cial relations. The agents of the bureau of
manufactures. for instance. will be enabled
| to drive out of the market many products
| of European countries that are injurious
| to health. AS an example of the political
morals of the French law may be cited.
| 1t prohibits the coloring of vegetables by
| copper for domestic use. but permits it for
| expectation. In some parts of Germany
! the mixing of wines is prohibited for home
| use, but permitted for expectation. Our
European neighbors object to being poi
| soned themselves, but they do not mind
| turning an honest penny by poisoning us.
Here is where the bureau of manufactures
will be invaluable to the American con-
sumner. '-
limitations Of American Goods.
Our American manufacturers need pro-
lection for their products in foreign
markets. In many instances they have
these markets, but are often put
to a loss by fraudulent practices of
| foreign rivals of various sorts. America
| is a creative country, and American genius
| for improvement and invention is known
| in every land. All people realize this fact
and they recognize that they can make big
profits by initiating or Stimulating Amefi-
| can goods. In the past twenty years this
| criminal practice has developed into vast
| proportions which we view with alarm.
| Every traveller Is aware of the fact and
| every American consul has had it brought
| to his notice in numberless ways
In England and Germany INSCRIPTIONS
| shoe manufacturers counterfeit the popu-
| lar makes of American shoes in great guam
| titles and deceive both their own country
| men and American tourists abroad. These
| limitations wear poorly, lose their shape
| in a short time and SO injure the originals
| in name and fame.
Firearms and Cotton.
Belgian machine shops turn out cheap
| and worthless firearms. label them and
| sell them as American arms. At the lead
ing free ports of entry such as St. Thomas
in the West Indies. Singapore and Hong
Kong in the far east, these bogus weapons
| he DIrchaSpd wholesale toll
| In cotton goods and sheeting every famous
| American brand of Fall River is counter
| feited especially in the markets of Asia and
| Africa. Here the British are the worst Of
| tenders. They turn out weak and fiimsy
| fabrics. pack and label them in Yankee
| fashion, and sell them to foreigners as
simon pure American goods. They even
| go SO far as to send their worthless goods
| to New York, pay the customs duty, re-
| wrap the goods in American wrappings and
| cordage, send them across the continent
| and reship them from the Pacific coast to
| China, where, in the American disguise
| they are sold as genuine American goods
| to the unsuspecting Chinese.
| American kerosene, acknowledged the
| best in the world, has its rivals in the far
| east in the Russian and Batoum OIL and the
| Langkat Dutch petroleum. Wherever all
| these brands compete in the open markets
| there is a general practice among unscrup-
| ulous traders of buying up American ker-
| osene cans and refiiling them with Dutch
| Russian or Langkat oil, with the result of
| ln1ur1nR the preStlSe OF the American prod
| uct Similar methods are employed in re-
gard to American bicycles, sewing machines
| agricultural implements, saws. axes, type
{ writing machines, Rochester lamps, Amer
| lean condensed milk, Florida water Lister
! inc, American lard, Minnesota -four, Call.
| fornia wines and southern cotton seed Oil.
| l could site numerous other instances that
| are of the same nature of those have
| referred to. But all these practices are
| injurious to our trade, and they will come
| directly within the scope of the work of the
| bureau of manufactures.
Openings in Foreign Markets.
Then the bureau Of manufactures will
| be one of information and advice for Amer
| lean producers. Many of our manufactur-
| ers would try foreign markets IL they knew
| thoroughly the local conditions. This
knowledge will be supplied by the new bu-
| reau. Many manufacturers would manu-
| facture exclusively for foreign markets IL
| they could learn what 1t needed there which
they could make at profit. Thus China
| imports wrought iron and cast steel In bulk
| and FORCES the metal by hand into shovels,
| mattocks hoes and other implements. These