The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1916-11-03
FOREIGN TRADE
AFTER WAR CLOSES,
Continued from page ~

goods. Before the wal this marke
was supplied almost entirely by Ger
many, which not only exported prod
ucts to Russia, but acted as a middle
man for other exporters. For ex
ample, while about eighty million dol
lars worth of American goods wa,
formerly sold in Russia every year
a big percentage of it was actually
imported through Germany. The
war has changed this, and it is doubt
full if Germany will ever again hold
so complete a trade monopoly. The
proclamation of peace is not likely
to obliterate Russia's bitterness nor
to destroy her present antipathy for
things made in Germany.
In the meantime, at any rate, the
field is open to competitors. Ameri-
cans are making good use of the time
to get as many contracts as possible,
but England and Japan are not neg
lecting their opportunities. A Rus
an-English Chamber of Commerce
has been established for promoting
Anglo Russian relations. AS for the
Japanese, their salesmen are travel
ing all over the country.
Capturing the Russian market is
going to be every bit as difficult as
inning out in South America, with
the additional handicap of closed
shipping routes and disturbed ship
ping facilities. The Mediterranean,
of course, is hopelessly blocked, and
only an occasional vessel is allowed
to pass through the Baltic. so that
the only open ports of any conse
quence are Archangel and Vladivo-
stok, which are closed by icebergs q
part of every year. Here shipping
is greatly congested, and railroad
transportation to interior points un-
certain, because the government is
using the railroads for military pur-
poses.
Owing to the high price of all CON-
modities, occasioned by the war and
the low exchange value of the Rus
sian ruble at present, Russia is try
ing TO get along with as few pur-
chases as possible, but the past year
has seen a rapid increase in Ameri-
can imports. During the first three
months of 1916, SIS, OOO 900 Ameri-
can goods was imported into Euro
pean Russia, as against 100000 for
the same months in 1915. Through
the agencies of the Russian-American
societies an enormous interest is be-
ing aroused in American manufac-
lures. In V~ladivostok, for example.
is a city with a population of
about one hundred thousand persons.
American representatives have found
a demand for gloves of leather or
hosiery for men and
clothing of the lighter
variety-for the Russians
heavy outer garments of fur
overalls and clothes of cheaper va
for laborers and fishermen, and
shoes.
statesmen. The Russians will not buy
articles by catalogue-they must
hear statesmen ard see samples. In
the past, Russian fashions have been
copied from American fashion plates.
but the cloth was furnished by Eng
Ish Or German %cer Now
Americans could easily supply the
material or even the ready-made
clothing if they made the effort.
Get your exporters to send us sam
is the demand of each shop
keeper, 1.-The Germans and English
sent Us all the samples we needed"
Both in Russia and Siberia there is
a large demand for farm implements
and all sorts of American machinery.
and it is believed when the war is
there will be an even greater
market. If the war should last only
the beginning of 1917, Russia's
national debt will be somewhere in
the neighborhood Of thirty-two bill
lion rubles. Besides this, she will
have a long pension list Of crippled
soldiers and soldiers widows. The
situation cannot be met by taxation
alone. and only one %expedient will
be left-the development of her. nat
ural resources. But for this foreign
will he needed. Most of the
other European nations will have all
they can do to look after their own
and the United States will be
the n country best fitted to under
take the investment. Many joint
stock companies of Russian and
firms have been formed,
and American factories are shoot
up all yer Russia. They are
worked by American employees and
run by American machinery.
American agricultural experts have
been employed by the Russian zem-
stvos to operate agricultural expert
ment stations throughout Siberia.
They have Immediately imported a
quantity Of American farm imple-
which have thus become popu-
lar among the Russian farmers. One
United States agricultural expert
has been engaged by the Russian
government for the last two years
to introduce c~orn-growing into Rus
STA. Corn has been planted at sever
al of the experiment stations and is
generally successful.
1t is to be regretted that American
manufacturers enjoy the same repu-
tation for careless packing in Rus
'ia that they do in South America.
In a shipment Of farm plows and trac-
tors that arrived in Vladivostok re-
many pieces were ruined.
The boxes had been packed as if they
yer to be transported from New
York to Chicago instead of on a long
ocean voyage in which they are al
subjected to rough handling
damuneSs- -