Evening star., 1914-10-26

tinental Europe have gotten the best
of Latin American trade because they
have gone after 1t. There have been
no slap-dash. haphazard methods en-
piOyed, but they have trained men TO
treat with the men with whom they
wish to do business. and can meet the
foreigner on his own ground. both A
regards language and methods, ana an
understanding of his life and needs:
This enables them to not only handle
his business inteIligently, but enables
them also to create markets by draw
ing his attention to needs which were
not yet apparent to him. and thus
opening new fields for exploiting their
goods.
ITO turn to more cheerful and more
promising aspects Of the matter, we
may say that, although ignorance OF
conditions has been made very appar-
ent by the suddenly and violently
aroused interest in the southern repub-
lies. it has resulted in a spirit OF In
quiry and desire to learn also, and
never has more information OF a re-
liable nature been disseminated than
at the present time.
Can Get Fair Trial.
Quality has won out every time. and
our manufacturers can always get a
fair trial. These first explorers are
now finding their knowledge valuable
and may get some return for the hard
ships they have suffered in attaining it.
There are plenty OF them to be met
and they should be encouraged TO tell
what they know to the men who knew
nothing at all about the matters when
are so familiar to them.
1T is a most promising sign that so
many business organizations are or
ganizing or have made trips TO the
south and have seen. or will see. Tor
hot xuYnn
there is for our goods, what pleasant
people we shall have to do business
with, and, in short how very far
wrong they have been in nearly all the
pre-conceived notions of our Latin
American neighbors.
The firm which tries to force an un-
desirable or inferior article on people
who want the best or none Is not going
to get very far; the producer VINO
thinks he can work of the surplus of
old goods that has been aceumulatlng
in his warehouses will find himself in
the same boat. The company which
thinks it can send down salesman
who does not speak the language of
the country. the salesman who is so
smart that he can sell thing to peo-
others of that ilk. will find that, in
spite of the millions that may be be-
hind them, it cannot force the natural
conditions, which in this case are the
natural pride of an intelligent people,
the desire to be given what they are
with which they regard the hrm or
salesman who tries to sell them use
less trash.
These and thousands Of other things
will initiate against our getting our
goods into the southern markets, IN
spite of all the millions with which we
may back them. The remedy lies with
ourselves.
How to Gain Trade.
TT can be summed up in q few words,
perhaps, better than any other way. in
the text of Robert Louis stevenson's 8
Christmas sermon:
BE honest
"Give the best goods when they are
called for. Ship the way you are or
dered to ship. without any excuses.
Do not try to sell what is not desired
to any one.
Answer your correspondents prompt
ly without excuses.
BE open and friendly, and treat your
new business friends that way.
DO not feel that even the United
States Treasury and it's resources could
help you to sell pair of shoes to
people in the district awhere they do
not require OF want shoes.
IF you cannot sell in one place you
can in another-your trade does not
depend on one district
Finally, use common sense, energy,
real desire to succeed, courtesy and
consideration, and you will find the
Latin American market all that you
have dreamed and desired it to. be.
Newspapers can profit by teaching
American business men TO pay heed to
the foregoing advice in planning ex-
panSion into South America"