The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-02-04
What American Exporters
Are Doing to Lose Trade

due printed OF each sack. A merchant
ordered about three car loads, and it came
IN with the device printed in green. The
customers would not take 1t. They want
"a the blue sack. The millers explained
lhal the bag makers had run out of blue
INK and thought 1t was all right to use
me green. After a long while and much
eiioIt the merchant managed to get rid of
the Hour, but it took almost as much work
as introducing a new article.
Renee, when a merchant from Latin
America orders anything, it is the best
policy to send him precisely what he or
GERS. He knows his trade, it's whims and
vagar1es, and there is a reason for his or
DER. There is nothing 'just as good for
MIN. This one item of shipping precisely
what IS wanted is most important. and the
export firm %devoting close attention to this
feature is going to retain its trade.
Packing Is Still Important.
Next in Importance is the question of
packing. 1t is a threadbare and worn out
question. People get tired reading of 1t
and hearing of 1t. but they also keep on
shipping badly packed goods, and that
initiates against business. Two illustra-
tons of carelessness have recently come
under observation, and both of them were
1neXcusable because the concerns which
sent out goods in such shape have been
doing considerable export business and
know better. One was that of a well
known brewery, which shipped to a dealer
IN Guatemala beer in cases instead of
casks. The cases were not sealed and the
bottles were merely slipped in the wooden
slots without any attempt at protection.
After a railroad journey In the United
States. being HANDLED aboard a steamship,
unloaded at the custom house, loaded
again on a train, unloaded into a depot,
and hauled over a rough road several
miles, 1t was found that about half the
DOttlPS were h,.Olyan and of fh0ca irtoot
perhaps half of them had been emptied by
thirsty individuals en- route, there being
no protection whatever for the goods.
The other instance was that of a con-
Germ IN the United States that is adver-
Using extensively and really building up a
good business in bottled and aerated min
eral water. A case of the water was
shipped to a dealer in Zacapa. The case
weighed 200 pounds and was made OF rath-
err fimsy wood. In attempting to lift it
from the railroad car to the depot plat
form the bottom of the box fell out and
broke two-thirds of the bottles. There
were no bands, wires, or other reinforce
ments about the frail pine to stand part
of the considerable weight.
Consideration of Customers interests.
Close attention to detail and consider
alton for the customer is what counts.
Those things are membere and appre-
clated. For instance some time ago the
taIlll Oh d certain Latla-Amerlcan country
was about to be raised heavily on
matches. A large firm ordered $4,000
worth of safety matches from a German
house to ge the stock in before the raise.
Not only were the goods shipped promptly,
put up in light tin boxes, but the boxes
We're Grated with plank. The German firm
knew that the duty on matches was rath-
er heavy and made an angem with
the steamship people by which the plank
ing was all to be removed from the
matches and only the tins entered at the
custom house, so the buyer did not have to
pay a high duty on planlSing. Such evil
dences Of consideration for the customer
are certain to be remembered
There is no hard and fast rule thai can
be followed in exporting to Latin America
leading to success, but if the dealer ships
what is ordered, packs it well, and
watches details, he has a good start on the
way OF trade that Is permanent.