The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-02-06

He Pictures AS Splendid
Field for Made in Bridge
port Articles.
Urging the manufacturers and
business men of this city to go after
trade in the Argentine Republic, Hon.
Charles H. Sheriff., our minister to
that country, addressed 125 members
Of the Board Of Trade and Manufac-
turers' association after luncheon at
The Stratfeld this noon.
He said in part:
within the past few months I
have been trying to tell our home in
dpstries of the opportunities that
await them in the foreign markets.
I have addressed the members of 135
board Of trade and chambers Of COM
'merce and have talked with the rep
resentatives of 1000 or more labor
unions, believing that both the en-
ploye and the employer can give dou-
BILE help in simplifying the relations
between this country and Argentina.
'1t is we'll known that the trade
organizations are doing much to ad-
their members and to increase their
output in foreign countries will not
alone help them but their employers
and the country at large.
you all know that James J. Hill
has said that we will not have our
Of the two years. Our manufactur
ers in the past have not done much
to develop their foreign trade. There
have been a few instances, however.
where the development of an export
trade has shown to. great advantage
to the firms possessing it.
For instance Fay, Egan e Com
pany of Cincinnati worked up a
foreign trade prior to 1907 and when
the dull times came in the fall of
that year their plant was running at
full time. The officers and employees
works had the satisfaction of going
down to the plant of Fay, Egan &
Company and watching it in full
operation.
when we go in for the European
market for trade we have to meet the
ground, but when we go into the Far
East and South America we meet the
European manufacturer on equal
terms. In South America there are
no local conditions against you. The
people there want new things and
spend. Argentina is the commercial
wonderland of the world. There are
more sheep raised in Argentina than
in any other part of the world, There
are no negroes in Argentina. The
Ayres. has increased 100 per cent in
the past twelve years. Argentina has
built it's docks to take care of the
trade for so years to come. It's peo-
pie are not Latins any more than the
people of this country are Anglo Sax
ons. There are no drunkards. no beg
gars, and no slums, in 'Buenos Ayres.
"It has two opera houses. and they
are supported at all times. a thing
which New York was not able to do.
The people there dress better ftha-
they do in this country. They have
jewels. but they do not wear them at
the opera. keeping them to wear at
private functions. There are no bloat-
ed fortunes like the Rockefeller for
tune there-the wealth is far better
distributed. The initiation fees in
some of the best clubs Of New York
are s400 and $500 and $500. The initia-
ton fee in the best club in Buenos
Ayres is ST. 500.
sThere are 10000 Germans $4,000
English and 10000 French in Buenos
Ayres and 400 Americans. Notwith-p
standing this we have got together
there and increased the value of goods
annually purchased in America from
$47, 600, 900 to $50, 100000 in two years.
I would suggest to you that if you do
not wish to send representative for
one concern to this country that you
group into a number of concerns and
have one representative for the group.
zone American manufacturer who
came to me asked me how much bust-
ness I thought he could do in Argen-
tina. I asked him how much busi-
ness he thought the National Cash
with after having representatives there
for the past ten years. He said that
he thought they would be satisfied
with about $4,000 worth of business a
year.
him that the National Cash Register
company sold 100000 worth of cash
registers there last year-and sucn
are something that do
not wear out every year.
There are great many people
who argue against the establishment
here to talk politics, but I think l
may be privileged to go as far as the
two great parties went in their last
national platforms. The Democratic
party said the merchant marine
ought to be improved and L will not
go any farther than that. Of the
goods we sent to foreign countries.
last year, only eight per cent. went
in our own bottoms. We paid $780,
100000 to foreign boats to carry our
goods.
"In the early days of our country
we used to give governmental assist
ance to our merchant marine. 1t was
this merchant marine that made it
possible to defeat England in 1912
and the early fortunes of this coun-
try were made through our merchant
marine.
Suppose the nations whose flags
are flown by the vessels carrying our
goods should declare war. War may
be remote, but the newspapers of
these foreign countries are continual
ly talking about it. If you thought
that your merchandise was to be con-
sidered contraban would you feel
like shipping it on foreign vessel.
You may think you have seen a busi-
ness panic, but you have never seen
the equal of the panic that would fol-
low the piling up of American goods
on the wharves for want of ships to
carry them.
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