The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-07-19

Germany is extremely expensive as cam pared with the prices charged for Am erican made furniture, an ordinary suit costing about double at wholesale what 1t would cost in the Unitde States at re- tail.
 There is little solid furniture made or sold in the Bavarian market. Practi- cally all of the homemade furniture is veneered, and the veneer employed is ot poor quality, thin and not durable. The natural result of the use of this thin veneer is that after q short time Warps and cracks, and the furniture becomes valueless for ornamental pur- poses. Furniture dealers in Munich de- mand and obtain profits which to the American dealer would seem incredible The system of quick sales and small profits does not appeal to the more con- servative Bavarian He prefers to make large profit on one sale, which causes hlm less trouble than a small profit in many eases, which latter, of course, would extend his business more, rapidly than the former method.
 The American manufacturer, how ever, who seeks to obtain market in Bavaria must reckon with the system Of long credits which obtains there. It is the custom there for manufacturers to send their customers bills about every six months, and many of them only send out their bills at the New Year. This system naturally is the cause of a larger proportion of bad debts, and therefore increases the cost of the goods sold. That the cash system of trading can be introduced, however, is indlsputable, as has been proved by the department stores of Munich, which sell for cash only, and from all appearances are doing pro- titable trade
 As Munich is the German art centre, it is not surprising that considerable value is placed upon the design or furn- ture offered for sale in that city. There are trade combinations there as in America, but in Germany combina- ton is formed, not with the idea of re- ducing the cost of production, but in order to keep prices above stipulated minimum. This system practically abol- ishes all competition, as 1t is more in the interest of the trade to join such q combination than to suffer the disad- vantages of an uphill fight against superior odds. In spite of freight chages and duties, Consul General Wright is concinced that the American manufacturer could place furniture of a superior quality on the Bavarian market, at lower price than the home made product and sell 1t at a profit.
 The best method of introducing Anl~ erican furniture would be in a suitably placed showroom, where tastefully de- signed furniture of solid manufacture could be exhibited to advantage. The system of the mailing catalogues is a faulty one, as they are generally in the English language of which the German dealer has no knowledge and, in ad- dition to this objection, the catalogue is usually placed aside and forgotten. A showroom, in charge of live business man, speaking German and understand ing his trade and the points of superior ity over the German article would al-
 though more costly at first, bring a greater volume of trade In one year than the sending of catalogues would in
 ten years years The existing pre-
 judlce in Germany against machine
 made furniture would easily be over
 come when the people had the chance
 of examining the goods personally
 with their merits pointde out by an in.
 telligent salesman.
 The export trade of the United States
 in furniture Is not nearly as great as
 it should be, considering the advantage: which American manufacturers possess
 in the material ready at their hands for it's manufacturer The volume o exports is increasing steadily but slow. ly, and an effort to capture the Bavar'
 ian market, such as the one suggested by Consul Wright, seems to give pro. mise of success, which should attrac
 the attention of some large dealers an( exporters. During the last ten year! American exports of all kinds hav
 more than trebled in value, and furni z ture has by no means assumed tn t leading position which is It's just dut
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