The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-20
PROSPECTS BETTER
N EXPORT TRADE
sooting That Has Been Gained Offers
Promise OF Its Continuance
in Future.

H. Gardner McKerrow, head of the
'eNtlie department If Marden, Orth
Hastings Co. me. and a student OF
ioeeign trade. said hat critical sur
'ey o. genc3t /! export business out of
ms conntry covering a period of one
year. gave caIse for hopefulness as
20 me future course and volume OF
merchandise transactions IN new mar
Sets developed ACROSS the seas.
:, About year ago" said Mr.. Nc
k"trow, Il exprcssed the oNinion in
me Times that American nanufac-
turers would find it difficult to take
Iui advantage of the opportunities
'"r foreign business offered us by the
exceptional conditions created by the
European war because of oar lack or
we instinct for foreign trada \ re-
'uctance To adapt ourselves to foreign
tf&de conditions, an unfamiliar,ty with
Foreign banking requirements. and an
absence of the requisite knowledge CT
shipping and packing goods for Cx
port abroad all seemed to provide OBJ
st&Cles which would be nard to over
come
Yet the last twelve months have
produced very gratifying, even aston
ishing. progress in these respects. In
some lines at least a concidera bic
amount of export business III manu-
factured products has been done,
notably in South America and tn Far
East. which have heretofore looked
to England and Germany fo.' their G
aHifenfents
Whether tae foreign connections
thus developed are the result If he
pa ralysis of European mandsaCtui ing
capa abilities only, and whether there
is any degree of permanence in the
trade we have established, still re
mains to be proved. but at least. a
start has been made. and Argentina,
Brazil. China. Japan and even India
have been made familiar with the
quality of American goods ard A,rs-ri~
can methods ! think 1t reasonable to
expect that a footing has been gained.
and that some at least Of this foreign
connection ran ne retained after the
war Is over"
Mr.. Mckerrow went on to say that
dyestuffs and CHEMICALS have found
ready market IN South America ~
very profitahfe prices, while a large
number Of Amer can houses now have
their direct agents permanently estab-
lished in Buenos Aires Rio de Janeiro.
Sac Pauin and nn the West GnaAt The
instant cutting of. he said of the
German supply or dyestufCS IN partjcu-
lar left the South American mills in
position of absolute ina bllity to CON
tinue their lines. with the result that
the demand for standard coiors from
this country espec ally for cotton, had
bean insjstent and continuous he
continued.
The direct and sulphur blacks,
ElGes and browns are finding a ready
outlet below the Equator concur
rerty with the large demand at home
Large quantities OF direct aud sulphur
blacks too have gone 10 Russia. in
many instances packed I'm small .iHs
and sent by mail at enormous expen
I'm order to overcome the difficulties ~
shipping in bulk, Caustic SODA. soda
ash. chloride Of lime and other indus
trial chemicals extracts for tanning,
dyewood extracts such as logwood,
heTatine fustic. uuerc}trou etc. have
hcen- IRE ~ taken. and every South
American steamer leaving Brooklyn
in the last eighteen months has car
r'sd record breat ing carEoes In spite
~ the enormous trelght rates and
phenomenal Insurance rates
Perhaps the greatest increase.
however has been IA the expectation
81 textile goods and hero Is field
which ST our manufa rurers were
more familiar with the special struc
lures of the good called FOR and with
the 'chara cterlstir$ OF foreign dress
conditions, m ght I've indefinitely do
veloped Few American Gotten mills
are Vet familiar with such goods as
stendangs saris. sarouEs. khauearS,
burrahs. dhooyies. etc and In fact.
many of these g9ys&x sail for widths
for the making or which American
weave sheds are not equipped, nor are