Bisbee daily review., 1916-01-29

cate some interesting facts in connec- tion with this subject Relatively few of the larger organizations of the country manifest a desire to enter into extensive cooperation in foreign trade. They do not seem to feel the need of cooperative effort, because or their ability and capacity to project their own enterprises. In that con nection it may be said with some re- servaticn, that a very substantial part of our foreign trade has been de- veloped through large organizations of this character. This development of our foreign trade is characterized by the fact that the ownership and management of plants reside in a single corporation, and is in distinct contrast in the manner in which the foreign trade of some European coun> tries has been developed. where simi- lar results have been obtained through the syndicated relations of smaller manufacturers who retain the indivi- dual ownership and individual control of their respective plants. This form of organization is peculiar to some of the selling cartels of Germany, as well as to some of the comptoirs of France.
 The demand for cooperative action tn foreign trade coms largely, our in- vestigstions disclose. from the smaller concerns engaged in the production of staple manufactured articles. They see through this agency a means of securing business which. otherwise. their size, or lack of size, prevents them from obtaining. Some reasons alleged are as follows:
 "The selling cost of our goods, if handled alone, would consume all the profits"
 We are too small to do it alone"
 Tt would be a better medium of presenting my product to a foreign market at less expense"
 And these are fairly typical.
 A resume of the general reasons advanced would seem to be that in many line of manufacture it is impos- sible for a small man to engage direct ly in foreign enterprise, that cost is prohibitive, that risk is too great, that warehousing and credit facilities arc individually impossible; that cooper ative effort would enable such manu- lecturers to procure markets other wise unavailable. and would enable other small producers to extend and increase foreign trade which they now have. Moreover, in some degree, con- certed action would serve to protect them against combinations of foreign buyers.
 Eighty-fiye per cent of the thou 1 sands of replies that we have received i from the business men Of the United States disclose a demand for permis- sion to cooperate in foreign trade. IL is of serious and great interest," to note that a very substantial part of these who declare that such cO-opera- tion should not only be permitted, but should be encouraged. are equally em- phatic that this situation should de- velop under the federal regulation. SO as to assure not only that the domes- ! tic market and the domestic consum- ! mer shall not thereby be prejudiced, ! but that all American manufacturers : shall have fair play and equal oppor- tunity in foreign business.
 Equally important with domestic considerations in connection with for i eign trade-perhaps even more im- portant to it's successful projection is the kind and character of compe- tition that American trade will be re- quired to meet in foreign fields. These
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