Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-12-19
TRAINING FOR FOREIGN TRADE
BY FREDERIC =. HAsKIE

YXY ASH1NGTON 15.-Is the demand
Wv trained for foreign trade going to be large
enough to work change in whole educa-
tonal system? There is the moment call for a
greater number of fit than the country supply.
Our foreign trade development actually being ham
pered by lack of such But the opportunities
offered in the foreign trade field
permanent enough to justify the United in
training good proportion of her young with
this end In view, from the primary grades
That this is just what will be practically forced to
do is the opinion of of leading educators.
One such Dr. G. L. Swiggett, who specializes in
foreign training for the bureau of education believes
that will eventually have several federal schools
and federal university for the sole specific
purpose of training men for foreign trade.
Meanwhile the boy young who look
forward a career in the foreign trade field has
variety of open in which he can get more
or less of the necessary training. The demand for
trained men has been widespread has nevita-
bly, resulted in the growth of attempts to
produce supply. Thus the schools are rapidly
installing numerous in various languages and
commercial branches, and students beginning to
take these courses, although only years ago half
of the 100000 high school college students were
taking Latin and less than onetwentiec that number
were taking Spanish, important trade Ian
guage Now many of the larger cities are stressing
the new branches and you take commercial Rus
sian in New York commercial Spanish almost any,
where, and Chinese, Japanese, and some of the
Indian dialects in the Pacific coast colleges.
The business demand for men trained in foreign
trade as DR.. Swggett points out, came even before
the war; although 1t took the wake the public
up to the importance of the question. Between 1904
and 1914 practically doubled while those
of the United Kingdom did at all, and
those of Germany only increased so per big
foreign business almost entirely the hands of
twenty-five corporations although undoubt-
eddy it distributed through them among many
hundreds of smaller manufacturers These great cor
porations needed trained badly that they
forced up training schools of their
within the corporation where promising
employees were trained for the foreign field. Such
training given by companies like the National
Register company, the Westinghouse Electric
the Standard Oil company and several others. These
corporation schools still important feature of
the situation the private business college is
important of training for domestic trade Both
the corporation school and the business college are
largely due to nhuence-the slowness of the
public school system to meet new demand
It is possible that corporation school and the
private business college will continue permanently as
Imnorant training methods for the foreign field. The
war; and wide publicity given foreign relations
has resulted interest in the question on the
mort of the schools it is possible to get
foir1v advanced training for foreign trade in many
cities But eventually it may become necessary 1or
the federal government to furnish highly specialized
training schools in this line because that Is what
H,uronean governments doing, and their men are
the ones we shall to meet in competition
Choosing the foreign trade field for career Is a
serious step for young man, or for the parents WHO
have O
on which arises whether the field is really large ana
en- If onporunity or whether it only seems large be-
cause properly trained are so rev at the ihoe'
In other words this present demand TOT men
from comparatively few positions which business ana
government find it fill? With the establishment
of numerous systems of educating Tor torelsh uaoe
will the Young who has devoted seVerdl years "
snecialzed study find that he is stepping INTO an
overcrowded field? who have studied the situation
40 not seem to think So swiggett believes that the
eod will not be overcrowded for many years to come
Resides the demand on the part of big exporting
bses he points to number of other classes of work
which will give the properly trained man chance. ne
o+as tendency for instance the part of chambers
of commerce all the American manufacturing cities
to employ foreign trade expert as member Oh lhel
,.a~. This tendency has far been confined to the
bigger cities but Dr. Swiggett believes that in few
YEARS the chamber of of every manufacturing
citv even the smallest, will employ such man. Then
Zoo the number manufacturers who engage In FOR
- +ods 90 nm the increase and will probably increase
more RAPIDLY WIZ passage of the Webb bill, which
a,tu allow small manufacturers to combine for pur-
as Of foreign business. Already national for
es trade council includes several hundred small man
rfacturers and number will doubtless grow to sew
eral thousand in the next five years The immense
ooount of money which the United States is accumu-
,a+;ng as nation as result of the will have to
end an outlet through form of investment. Much
of that investment will be abroad since trade fol-
lows the loan business cannot fail to be greatly
stimulated
The federal farm loan act will apparently work
ward the same end, by releasing large share of the
ctv capital present loaned farm land The
axt decade will surely increase in the for
ern banking business of United States Up to
Great Britain the banker of the world but it
seems likely Uncle Sam will take the honor away
from him. present foreign banking business is
IN the hands of few great banks,
is secure profitable the smaller and
American banks will claim a share in it, with a
spending in the number of trained needed