The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-04
FARRELL'S WORK
 ON FOREIGN TRADE
By HOLLAND

New York January S-(Special) James A. Farrell, president of the United
 States Steel corporation, and also chair
 man of the National Foreign Trade council issued today a call for the fifth annual meeting of the foreign trade con Nention which is to be held at Cincin-
 nati in mid-February of this year. When the National Foreign Trades council was organized there was no thought of war and certainly no one dreamed that three years after the first meeting of the foreign trade convention, the United States would be engaged as co-belligerent, in war against Germany land Austria. To MT. Farrell undoubt- edly is to be attributed the initial sug-
 gestion which led to the organization of the Naional Foreign Trade council He was especially qualified for service of this kind. Shortly after the organization of the United States Steel corporation,
 Mir Farrell became the head of the for eign sales department of that organiza- ton.
 He began his work with no organiza- tion and no record of foreign trade
 
 ration with which he was identified, since that corporation had been in opera tion only two or three years Mir. Rer- rel, however, built up a foreign sales organization which, within a few years comr ared favorable with the remarkable organization which had been built up by the Standard Oil company. It was an or ganization which involved activities upon many sides, as, for instance, familiarity with the commercial needs of various nations of the earth. excellent knowledge of the language spoken by the different people with whom he sought trade, through understanding of diplomatic ac- tiyities and of the various forms of gov ernment, and correct knowledge of geo. graphical and transportation conditions. MT. Farrell built up a great school. so to call it, whose pupils were sent to various parts of the world for the pur pose of securing trade.
 THE GERMAN COMPETITION
 One of the most difficult obstacles that MT. Farrell met with when striving to en- ter world markets with products of the steel corporation was the highly effec- tive and als, highly aggressive methods adopted by German manufacturers and encouraged by the German government Tor the purpose of securing trade espe- ctdlly in South American and also Aus tralia and South Africa The German standard of business morals was not one With which MT. Farrell was familiar un- Ill he was brought face to face with if and It was one which he would not imi- tate.
 In few years he succeeded in bring Ing up our exports of steel commodities rom almost nothing until it was possible to report that in a slngle year they had exceeded in money value $100. .0oo 000 1radually but surely this organization was gaining good foothold in many of ene sredt markets of the world when suddenly the crisis of the war came
 The first foreign trade convention con- ducted under the auspices of the na tionai foreign trade council took place three months before the European war began Almost all of the members of the foreign trade council are leaders in industries who had been for sometime pelore the War seeking markets for their products in other lands than our own. MT Farrell has been since 1917 conf;dent that our foreign trade will exert no small lniiuence n in bringing triumph to the unlted states and our allies. and if is TOT that reason that it was suggested that the theme to be discussed at the conventions which ss to be held in Cincin- Hau In February be this, namely. the part of foreign trade in winning the war MT. Farrell calls the attention Of ms associates in tine council to the fact that the American participation in the war against Germany has not only put a new obligation upon the foreign trade en- ,efprise Of the United States, but has also brought to 1t new opportunity. WAR AND FOREIGN COMMERCE This war has suddenly created a most important relation of our foreign trade to the welfare of the United States. MT. T T arren says that it is the duty of those engaged in foreign trade to see to it that our overseas commerce be maintained