Evening star., 1915-11-21

lngton wholesale the information; the
branch offices retail it.
while these branch Offices have been in
existence less than three years they
have proven SO useful that there is a de-
mand for more Of them. Lacking suffi-
cient funds in our appropriation we are
unable to supply that demand. but We
are dong the next best thing. That is,
we are establishing cooperative branch
offices in connection with commercial
bodies in trade centers. We say to a
chamber of commerce or like organiza-
ton. If you will establish and maintain
a foreign trade bureau, with a competent
man in charge. We will supply you with
all the information that we are now
supplying to our own branch Offices
Commercial organizations in Cleveland
Cincinnati. Los Angeles. Detroit and
Philadelphia already have taken us up
and established foreign trade bureaus.
Cleveland was SO enthusiastic that l let
the chamber of commerce there have one
of our best men for their work. Nearly
two score cities have written in, We want
a branch Office of tie bureau. If we
can't have branch office how can We
get cooperative branch? and we are
showing the way and helping in the estab-
lishment of the cooperative branches as
fast as We can. Ten of them will be in
existence in very short time.
The third method We have for dis
tributing the information we acquire is
by direct correspondence. We have H.
0Oo concerns on our lists, to whom we
are glad to forward special information
concerning their respective lines
promptly on its receipt. Part of this
service is the sending o. confidential
circulars to persons and films.
Perhaps you have observed that in
Commerce Reports We print daily a Ist
of foreign trade opportunities where
consuls report such things as that Il
certain foreign government is about to
call for bids for the construction of a
steel bridge or a newly created demand
in another country for American made
hosiery. The confidential circulars go
to all We have on our lists who are in
terested In the particular line and give
more information than is printed in the
Opportunities classification.
AS the manufacturers and business
men of the country are turning their
attention more than ever to foreign
markets our mail has grown wonder
fully. Hundreds of letters come in
every day asking all sorts of questions,
and it is our business to supply the an
swers. To furnish these frequently re-
quires considerable research. SO we
have a research section for that pur-
pose.
I'm this way we are coming In direct
: contact with an ever-increasing number
of exporters, and are. we think, proving
helpIul to them.
''Two other branches of our work also
are of large Importance. One Of these
is the collection and publication of sta
tistics on exports and imports. Col
lectors of customs at all ports report
promptly from the exact information
in their possession, and these statistics
are compiled and published monthly,
quarterly and annually, giving volume
and value of all commodities This is
our statistical division, formerly the
bureau of statistics, and It's work has
been going on for almost 100 years.
'The other activity is our cost of
production work, similar to the work
done by the old tariff board. With 4
limited appropriation of only $4,000.
the division 10 compiling a vast amount