The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1917-09-27
GERMAN TRADE
GOT IMPETUS HERE
Declaration Of independence
Gave Teutons FoothoId in
United States.
commerce CONFLICT Seen
Uncle Sans Experts Show Details Of
Organization With Which Amerl.
can Merchants Must
Compete.

can Merchants Must
Compete.
The cosmopolitan point of view that
has been acquired by the German trad
er Is emphasized in report which
has been issued by Uncle Sans Bu-
reau of Foreign and Domestic Com
merce, on German FOreign-Trade Or
| ganizatiOn." The facts In Teutonic
commercial history that are presented
in this volume show how thorough are
the methods that have been employed
for more than half a century and how
earnestly that nation is preparing to
reach out into the world markets as
soon as the war is ended.
'In looking to the future" states the
bureau, "the United States has many
of the same problems as Germany and
the other warning nations. Like the
German exporters, the American ex-
| pOrters have to face period of sharp
business competition in foreign cOun-
tries, such as probably has never be-
fore been met. In Germany the indi-
vidual business man, all the local and
great national associations Of business
men, and the government departments
are even now strenuously occupied
with the problems that must be worked
out The American business mems as
sOciatiOnS and the government depart
n1t 70 hn fTNV
these matters, and upon their individ-
ual and cooperative efforts through
the coming critical years will depend
In large measure the nations future
in international commerce"
Systematic Organization.
The analysis of central European
methods that is given embraces impor-
| tant details of the systematic organ
| izatiOn of commercial education, the
promotion of trade by the German set
Elements in foreign countries, the bank
ing and shipping facilities, trade-prO-
noting agencies and trade aSsOcia-
tiOns, and painstaking cultivation of
foreign markets. 1t is added, however,
that 1.-THE report is intended not to
show the American business man that
| he should necessarily follow German
| methods, but to present the facts Of
German fOrelgn-trade organization, so
| that he may decide which of the meth
DDS successful in Germany could be
utilized to advantage under American
conditions"
The author of the report is Chaun-
cey D. Snow, assistant chief of the bu-
reau Of foreign and domestic COM
merce, who was In Germany ut the
| time that the war, broke out investi-
eating industrial conditions in that
country. He has made use of original
material based upon personal contact
with the organization and methods of
commerce in Germany and other coun-
| tries, but for the most part his purpose
was to bring together in one volume
material on German trade and industry
which the bureau had already pub
lished In various special reports, with
some new and pertinent statistics.
1.-THE German export trade to over
sea countries" it is pointed out, was
insignificant until about the middle Of
the eighteenth century, principally for
the reason that the countries with colo
nial possessions maintained stringent
laws prohibiting foreigners to trade
with the colonies and excluding for
eign flags from their ports. The colo
MES were forced to sell their products
to the motherland. Owing to their fa-
vOrable position the Hansa cities Of
Germany, chief of them Hamburg, nev-
ertheless did flOurishing business in
distributing colonial products as mid
dlemen, gathering them from English,
Dutch, French and Spanish ports"
Got Impetus From United States
1t Is of particular interest that the
history given disclOses the fact that
one of the turning points In the growth
Of this fOreign-trade organization with
which the United States must compete
in the future was actually furnlshd by
this country, for "the Declaration of
Independence Of the United States"
says the bureau, gave n tremendous
impetus to the merchants of Hamburg,
Bremen and Lubbock. For the first
time German traders had an oppor-
tunity to establish branches of their
business houses in an oversee country ;
and 1t is very clear that this policy of
gaining fOothOld in oversee lands by
establishing branch houses has been
one of the most secure foundations Of
German success in the export trade"
In its forecast Of the future the bu-
reau states that whatever may be the
outcome of the war in Europe Germany
is going to make as active a canvass
for the export trade as its resources
and financial condition at the end of
the war will allow.