Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-29

were filled with clippings and other litera-
ture relating to foreign products, and all
alphabetically arranged.
Agents All Over World.
To various parts of the world and for
the gathering of all such data, the museum
sends members of it's staff from time to
time. Secretary Schoff has covered South
America in this way and others have been
to the orient, Straits Settlements. Austria
liza, New Zealand, Africa. West Indies and
other distant lands. The bureau OF infor-
nation, in which all Of these data are
filed. is all of the time carrying on corre-
spondence with its large corps of resident
agents, some of whom are paid for the
commercial information furnished and some
of whom contribute 1t in return for similar
information reciprocally furnished them.
At first an endeavor was made to get our
consuls to cooperate in the gathering of
some of this trade information, but this
scheme was unsuccessful, except in a few
instances. OF course the bureau of infor-
nation does not expect busy consuls to go
far out of their way to do unofficial work
of this kind. The writer was surprised to
learn that our consular reports are little,
If ever, used by this bureau Of Information.
In fact, the museum officials do not regard
the consular service as being yet in a posi-
ton to Systematically investigate and re-
port the data which our importers most
need.
What One Consul Does.
However there Is one American consul,
Mr.. Z. ]. Ledoux, at Prague, Austria who
has organized a bureau of commercial in
formation upon lines which the Commercial
Museum authorities regard as especially
useful to American importers. One Of the
great difficulties in securing new custom
ers abroad for American goods has ALWAYS
been the long delay between the time when
the enthusiasm of the buyer leads him to
send to the United States for details con-
corning the goods desired and the time
when a catalogue in English at last drops
in on his already cooling zeal. A second
letter means a second wait and many new
commercial connection thus dies before
birth. Mr.. LedouX established this year a
combination of card index and catalogue
file designed to do away with this disas-
trous delay.
The first Is an index case with the names
of American manufacturers grouped ac-
cording to products and with a separate
card for each manufacturer arranged al
pha betically, giving all that a prospective
buyer would want to know about him for
his Initial correspondence-the languages he
corresponds in, his cable address and codes,
terms, references and the main lines eX-
ported. A second case contains set of
larger cards with fuller information, known
as merchandise record cards, alphabet
cally indexed by articles, and the third
case is large one containing large jack
cts, filing together a firms catalogues, dis
count sheets, and, in the case of small
goods, even samples. These jackets are
numbered in such way as to be easily
found by reference to the small index
cards. This case is divided into two gen
eral sections, American and foreign, and
each of these is cross-tndexed under ex-
ports, imports, merchant and merchandise,
each subdivision having cards and folders
of a different color. American manufac-
turers respond with catalogues and dis
count Sheets, and the result is that there
is at our Prague consulate very excel
lent collection of the catalogues Of Ameri-
can manufacturers, and buyers in Prague
are making good use of it. In one of the
rooms of the consulate there are on file
over 100 Of the leading American CONNER.
cial and trade papers, covering practically
every line that could have any possible in
terest in Bohemia. An index Is made of
special articles likely to be asked about,
and back files kept so far as the some
what limited space in the consulate will
permit. The consul has had prepared a
series of postal cards covering the more
frequent forms of requests-and these are
all ready for the firm to fill out with the
subjects concerning which they want in
formation
Keeping Tab on Swind1ers.
The protection of American houses
against swindlers in the foreign trade is
another important function of this unique
institution. Its agents run down all dis
honest concerns to which they get clues,
and warn members of dangers from these
as well as from a certain class Of foreign
houses winch have reputation for order
ing American goods and forgetting to pay
for them.
One fragrant swindler upon whom the bu-
reau constantly keeps it's watchful eye Is
New York man who habitually visits
manufacturers, asking to handle their
goods in South America. He obtains the
sole selling rights, agrees to push the busi-
ness, assume all advertising expenses, ETC.,
etc, the American house assuming no risks,
its only expense being the outlay Of samples
to be displayed abroad. From firm after
firm this man thus obtains OUTLAWS Of sam
piles, varying from $50 to $50 in value
These he sells for half Of their wholesale
of them to the trade. The many firms
which have been victimized year after year
by this swindler are still waiting to hear
of the trade which he is building up for
them in South America. Circular letters
issued by the bureau warn members against
such bogus agents.
JOHN ELFRETH WATKINS