Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-05-28
FOREIGN TRADE
. CONFERENCE At
CAPITAL OPENED
Delegates Attend From All
Parts of the Country, Rep
resenting a Wide Variety
of Industry.

d washington. May 2S-Several hun
dred delegates filled the assembly room
of the Hotel Raleigh when the national
foreign trade convention was called to
order at 10 o'clock this morning by
/ loyd C. Griscom of New York. The
delegates came from all sections of
the country and represented wide
variety of manufacturing, commercial,
transportation and exporting interests.
The purpose of the convention,
which will continue in session two
DAYS. is to give expression to the views
of men representing the productive
activities of the country in regard to
the more effective promotion of Amer
lean commerce in the markets of the
World
Secretary of commerce Redfield de-
livered the opening address at the ses-
sion of the convention this morning.
Another notable speaker was President
James A. Farrell of the United states
Steel Corporation. Secretary Redfield
explained to the convention his plans
to reorganize the bureau of foreign and
domestic commerce. so that the bureau
may become the basis "for productive
effort in developing American indus
tries in every field which Is open to
them at home and abroad" One fea-
ture of the proposed reorganization is
the provision for commercial attaches
at each Of IA designated foreign capt.
tails. and whose business ii Will be to
study commerce and industries of the
countries in which they live The
carrying out of these plans, 1t was ex-
planned, will depend upon congress
making the necessary appropriations
to cover the expense. At the present
time congress makes an annual ap-
preparation of 100000 for the promo
ton Of foreign commerce. which sum
Secretary Redfeld considers altogether
inadequate to the needs of the service
Discuss Commercial Conditions.
The remainder of the forenoon ses-
on was devoted to an open discus
sion of the present commercial condi-
tions in the United States, with special
reference to foreign trade. Edward G
Simmons of St Louis led in the dis
cussion The conditions existing in the
different sections Of the country were
set forth in papers presented by James
], Hill OF st. Paul. representing the
northern states; by II. G. Herget o!
Chicago, representing the central
states; by DR. Clarence j. Owens, man
aging director of the Southern Com
mercial congress, speaking for the
south: by James J. Arnold of Fort
Worth. representing the gulf states
and by Captain Robert Dollar, repre-
senting the Pacific coast.
Among the subjects discussed at the
afternoon session were the following:
The Importance of foreign trade to the
railroads, foreign trade as affected BY
the Sherman law, the federal reserve
act and its effect upon foreign trade
the tariff and foreign trade, the rela-
ton of the merchant to import and
export trade, and government assist.
ance in foreign trade.
Hill Sees Grave Danger.
James ]. Hill, discussing 1.-THE Flu
ture of Our Foreign Trade" intimatet
that the United States might be II
danger of running into such wide
spread industrial distress as England
now found itself from attempting Il
hold the mark ct against competitor
while maintaining a wage scale tina
pHSloes not permit her to meet thei
prices and does not offer to capital al
inducement to new fields of develop
ment.p
Till sdlu Iei many Nei7 SoAt'''e''i -
contemplating English markets beeaus
of English manufacturers inability t
change working conditions in con
formity to general conditions. TIL
United States was following England
example He said: THE power 0
English trades unions became practl
cally arbitrary in fixing wages, hour
and general working conditions. Ger
many found that with more advant
ageous wage scale she could get int
the worlds markets at prices Englan
could not meet. Hence the enormou
growth of German exports and com
petition which the United States can
not meet in many lines and which
could not meet at all did not its nature
resources give temporary advantage.