The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-05-05

tsas completed d com preh ensive in gastigation of competitive conditions affecting Americans in internati onal trade. The commission finds:
 s(19-That other nations enjoy marked advantages in Nforefgn trade from superior facilities and more ef- eective organizations.
 (29-That doubt and fear as to Ie- gal restrictions prevent Americans from developing equally effective or ganizations for overseas business and that the foreign trade of our manu- escturers and producers. particularly Che smaller concerns, suffers in con- sequence.
 The commission appreciates the inn portance of fostering foreign trade aud realizes the urgent need of en- Rbling our citizens to meet foreigners on equal terms in international com ulerce- It therefore recommends the immediate cIarffication of the law to permit corporation among Aneri- cans for export trade.
 Aelvantage Hh1JOyed by Foreign
 Exporters. 2
 While the United States has been absorbed in domestic development other nations have followed definite policies for the expansion of their for efgn trade and have perfected eff cfentt organizations for the purpose in
 Recognizing the vital influence. of t1Ansportation facilities foreign ha.- lions have built up their ocean ship 1Sig9 have granted low export rail- way rates, and have combined their land and ocean transportation facili- ties to give their shippers ready en- tkance into their overseas markets. The United States on, the contrary has neglected its merchant marine until it is dependent upon it's commercial rivals to deliver its goods, In con sequence the transportation of it's pro- ducts is now largely controlled by powerful international combinations o3 foreign sllipowners who discrimt- nate against American shtpperss
 Realizing the necessity of banking and credit facilities to finance their transactions foreign nations have not only established connections with banking houses in every land but have dotted the map of the world with for. eign trade banks of their own. Banks 5erlin. Paris. Rome. and Vienna op- crate hundreds of branches and agen- c9es in South America the Orient, Australasia, the Levant, all around the coast Of Africa and far within tlaes rernote interior They give the for efgn exporter informatten; extend credit, finance his transactions, and constantly strive to increase the for eIgn business of the mother country The few foreign branches Of Aneri- can banks have but recently been es- tabIished, and in most markets our exporters must depend on alien bank
 Though now increasing American Investments abroad are cornparative- ly small. British. French, German and other foreign traders, on the oth- CT hand enjoy a. peculiar advantage from the billions of dollars of invest ments made by their fellow nationals in foreign lands, frequently on the express condition that supplies and equipment should be purchased in the country furnishing the funds. Brit-s ish and German investments in South American railways and public htili- ties, Trench investments in Turkey, and Japanese investments in China and Manchuria are typical examples In consequence, time and again 1k impossible to sell their products ahM9ads because the prospectiye GUS f5n1ef was forced to purchase from or through interested investors.
 Skipping facilities.4 banking and credit arrangements, and investment of capital abroad are thus Of primary Importance In international trade. Other branches of the government have special Jurisdiction of some of these matters and all Of them will sdonbtless receive consideration from Congress- Tn accordance with it's spe- cific authorization this commission h4s therefore directed it's inveatiga- fkn to the effect of foreign combina- ttons on the commerce of the United States
 With American Exporters
 Tn seeking business abroad Atneri- can manufacturers and producers must meet aggressive competition from powerful foreign combinations, cffen internatfona4 in character In Germany, England, Franee, Italy, A AAstria-EIungarN &SwitzerIand Hol- other countries business men are much freer to cooperate and com bine than in the United States. They have developed numerous comprehen- sive combinations often aided by their governments, which effectually unite their activities both in domes- tic and foreign trade.
 In Germany prior to the war there were 500 important cartels, i. e., com binations to control the market, ern- bracing practically every industry in the Empire. Many dominated the ex- port trade of their industries and car sried on vigorous campaigns to extend their foreign business, to prevent oomp petition among German produc- CTS in foreign markets, and toi se- cure profitable prices. Thus the Ger man dye-color industry operated as a unit in foreign trade under the lead iership of two great groups of allied producers. the Badfsche group and the Hochst-C -Casella, which were work ing under agreement to avoid conape- ltition Between themselves for 50 years. The manufacture and expor- tation of electrical equipment has been made one of the buIwarks of German foreign trade by two great companies. the AlIgemeine EIectri- citats Gesellschaft and the Siemens- GchucEert. with numerous sI1bSidi- aries at home and abr oad working in harmony with each other. Half of the $150s000,o0 worth of coal and coke exported annually was sold by one central selling agency maintained by the great Rheinisch Westfalische coal syndicate, of which the Prussian government mines are members. and 1zztaicl, hracAs. ff1a hulk of all fheI