The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-07-22
AMERICAN CHANCESI IN TURKEY
MANY LINES or BUSINESS THAT
MIGHT BE MADE PROFITABLE.

MANY LINES or BUSINESS THAT
MIGHT BE MADE PROFITABLE.
ono Fault 10 tho Failure o. cur l~sesehants
20 Deliver Goods nc b Consumer o
Deer -steamshlp Limo Needed tho
Meefsehaum Asineas Of Es&ishehr.
LONDON, July A.-writingf from Constanti-
nople. TEE suN's correspondent at the Otto
man capital draws attention to some Amerie
can opportunities In business ways IN Tur-
key. His letter La an ~outgrowth OF q series
Of Intervene with English, German and
American importers and shippers at Con-
stantinople, who point out. with the knovlS
edge Of residence and familiarity With tho
Turks, various phases OF business develop
mens which Americans oan utilize 70 the
prodt Of their commerce.
The same crislciams Of American methods
In Constautinopie are made there a. are
made by consular agents and returned
travellers Of tho business ways pursaSdtby
American firms in Central and South Amer
ica, the West Indies aud China. And
tho r~esults-rRther the want OF results-yin
the way Of American profit are tho anne
as In tho case Of the last mentioned cpun-
tries. namely, Europeans-chieay th6 Ger
mans-eet the business because the prefer
enoes Of the natives are not considered by
Americans.
1t 10 a little more strange, however, In the
case Of tho Levant trade to hear these critis
cisms, In visw OF the fact that what the
Turkish people want Is TO have wares
brought literally TO their very doors. while
that 10, additionally, just the method Of
operation in which American business men
have distinguished themselves at home In
the other countries named criticism bas.
been t. the effect that Yankee firms would
not bother to put up goods In the formspre-
ferred by their prospective customers. In
Constantinople the complaint 10 thaeahey
viii not take the trouble to put down goods
at the peoples doorsteps.
One Of the ways suggested by the Constan-
tinople merchants for accomplishing this
he the establishment Of m American line OF
carriers from New York to the capital Of
Turkey. At the present time, when the
shipping subsidy question is 80 actively dis
oussed throughout tho United Statse, this
suggestive comment from Q waiting patron
carries Its own argument. .
Already the freight on 60, 1000 900 of Turk
ish products imported to the United States
annually awaits such an American line Of
steamships. And while the present east
bound cargoes do not reach any such total
the Sultan's subjects await the opportunity
to make increased American purchases
under the improved conditions OF quicker
transportation and lower carrying costs
which such q service would give.
"The new Turkish law governing the
analysis OF imported alimentary products
and drugs,' THE Suns correspondent
continues, permits many American prod
ucts to compete moro freely with European
goods in the Turkish market. One Of the
chief Of those products Is -four. Con-
stantinople and the Immediately surround
ing districts alono require 10000 sacks per
day. The major portion Of this supply Is
drawn from abroad.
HALF q dozen years ago some consign-
ments Of -four shipped here from the United
States were brought. unfortunately. In ships
not provided with means to .ventilate the
cargoes. The sacks were piled upon each
other, and under the blazing Mediterranean
sun, as the vessels called at various ports,
the nOuT Q6t0TIOIaOCu' OHOh u LtCA
the gluten did not possess sufficient elias
ticity to pass the customs requirements
and a trade Of excellent promise was
abandoned.
@Under the new regulations no mention
of the elasticity Of the gluten In -four Is
made. Opinion among the business men
interviewed Is that the opportunity Is
renewed for American exporters Of -four
to obtain a large share Of the Turkish mar
ket, il they will see to it that their -four is
shipped under suitable conditions, and
will also offer their product to the people
in a manner which the people approve.
We do not go to market here. The market
comes to us-to the homes OF the inhabi-
tants. Here in Turkey a house abutting
rental than one standing in greater indie
pendence within its W grounds. The
reason is simple. 1t Ia that the occupants
NAV sit at their window and make pur-
ohases, They may. bargain through the
shutters-the Oriental lattice, the 'Rafess'
in the streets. Accustomed to this method
Of market supply, they do not welcome
ways strange to them.
aThis example Is typical Of the general
method OF trade in Turkey. II the Ameri-
can manufacturer wishes to capture the
IuTKlSn mhTh0s HC SVhhothh W VIC
Eastern way. .
$50 far, only one American firm seems
10 have grasped this fact,
1t will scarcely surprise Americans with
memories of half q generation to learn that
the firm the Const antinople letter refers to
Ia a maker OF sewing machines. The de-
scription OF the simple method pursued re-
calls the days when in the States the sew
ing machine man and the lightning rod
mar followed close upon each others heels
through town and country.
sThe Singer Sewing Machine Company"
The correspondent points Out, "has some
$50 agencies throughout Turkey, Each
agent canvasses his WI district from
door to door. The result, furthered by
installment plan payments, has been that
the company has virtually a monopoly
Of the sale OF sewing machines through
out Turkey and the Levant generally, and
Il Ia certain that II cannot be readily pusted,
no matter what the merits Of others.
4The system Of credit employed by
Europeans dealing with Turkey, more lib
eral than that generally praetised by Amer
loan dealers, also tends to leave American
products in the background. Merchants
here say that II European manufacturers
oan be liberal with credits, and still make
profits, it is reasonable to presume that
American manufacturers are In position
to do as we'll. And II should be borne In
mind that the Turkish importer has fire.
quently to sell to his customers on three
to nine months credit. European sellers
are ready to allow for this. The ffrst to