The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-03-11

cipal firms here find themselves with
lons-term leases on their hands.
Though they face the necessity OF
! shutting up shop" within short
time, their rents must be continued
as long as they have the money to
pay them. All had to discharge en-
ployes. and all have been hampered
by losing men who have been drawn
into the army. One adding machine
company has reduced its subsidiary
concerns from eighty to twenty.
The situation, at least for the
firms dealing in mechanical devices
is the more serious because they not
only are not able to import their
machines but because even ship
ments of parts are stopped, and
| they cannot in consequence carry
out contracts made before the war.
The only American firms which
have not reached an almost hope
AS"' E'"oC arc lhoSc--pIlHClpd Iue
manufacturers of farming machin-
ery-which have plants here in
Germany, and which therefore are
LARGELY independent of imports.
Many of these are said to be pros
perihg by diverting temporarily
their activities to the production of
ammunition
American importers of goods of
every kind long ago gave up Hol-
land as country through which
they could get material Scandi-
navla has become the medium
through which the little drbbles,
that comes in. And the Scandna-
Wan countries according to the con-
census of opinion, are busily occu-
pied in looking out for themselves.
Some of the American business
men in Germany have discarded all
scruples in the matter of declara-
tions, and very frankly admit that
whenever possible, goods declared to
be intended for Denmark or Norway
are reshipped to Germany. Only in
this way have the firms been able
to continue in business. Another
set OF men, in the minority, have
gone without that which is urgent
ly needed because they would not
try tc deceive. The manager of
great concern in Germany has sew
eral hundred machines in Sweden
which he could secure in case his
agen. We're to swear that the ma
chros were intended for Sweden
Such declaration would release the
machines and they could easily be
shipped to Germany.
Possibly seven out of every ten
American business men have little
hope that the situation is to be or
can he remedied.
+ A typical example of the crippled
American business enterprise in Ger
many is the largest shoe firm hand
ling American goods in the empire
This firm, according to its proprietor,
does on the average business of
half a million dollars year. 1t
maintains stores in Berlin, Frank
fort-on- the Main, and in Hambure.
In August, 1914, the firm had an
order for 100000 worth of shoes
placed in New York-an order which
never has been delivered. When it
became evident that direct, or indi-
rect, shipments were impossible it
resorted to the parcels post. In drib-
! let's il has received up to date about
$4,000 worth of goods In normal
times the stores would have import
ed $4,000 worth of goods. Stock
has been SO exhausted that in one
day recently one store had TO turn
away ia customers who wanted
American shoes such as they had
bought before and could not get
elsewhere. Expenses for maintaining
the three stores amount to about
$3.50 day. The owner is cutting
down his force as fast as he can.
but at last has arrived at the point
where definite and perhaps per-
manent closing of his establishments
: is necessary.
The largest American typewriter
, company in Germany has an invest
ment here of about two and a half
million dollars. and after eighteen
months of war has given up the
: ghost Its guiding official, after
trying every possible diplomatic and
official means of relief. has settled
= down to the task of unloading" as
judiciously as possible. The assets
2 of this concern are great-but they
| cannot be turned into cash at the
present time. The concerns repre-
S sentative has been brought to be-
lieva at last that he will be lucky
5 if he can liquidate so as to come
out even, that is to say, if he can
: wind M his affairs without sacrifc-
4 ing more than the capital invested
Ell This company was one of the
pioneers in the typewriter industry.
In competition to it. a whole row