New-York tribune., 1918-05-19

TITS not merely "The Bronx Exposi-
ton" which will open its first
session of five months on May 30.
It is the "New York International Ex-
position" with the accent on the "In-
ternational."
It's inception was due in no small
measure to the enterprise Of the bor-
ough to the north. It's fulfilment will
do things for property and business
in The Bronx region. But the point is
that Americas first permanent indus
trial exposition is not for The Bronx's
peculiar benefit. Rather it is the con-
tribution Of The Bronx to new idea.
That idea is the growth of American
world trade after the war.
The exposition, covering more than
twenty acres Of ground close by the
l77th Street station OF The Bronx sub
way line, will seek to exhibit the choic-
est examples Of American manufact-
-ure, particularly among those articles
peculiarly fitted for export. The
10000 foreign buyers who were last
year in New York City will not, If they
come this summer, be expected to wan
der about among the canyons of New
York's Office buildings In search Of rep
resentatives of manufacturing houses.
They will not be expected to labor
through long catalogues written in the
American language, prepared without
thought Of foreign conditions and all
but indecipherable to any but Amer
lean buyers.
No, these guests Of ours, who are
here fairly pleading for the privilege
of spending millions Of dollars in the
U. S. A., will this summer be invited
out to The Bronx, made honorary
members OF most enticing club on
the grounds, and offered the opportu-
nifty of inspecting with their own eyes
the articles which they may want to
buy. In the New York International
Exposition the best Of American man
ufacture will be shown 70 foreigners
and the best of foreign manufacture
to Americans.
To Outwit
German Competition
An admirable idea, Of course. But
why, you ask, all this fuss and ex-
penditure in war time?
The answer is cruelty obvious II one
will but take, in imagination, hasty
glance across the Atlantic ocean,
thing which Americans, until recently,
have been peculiarly indisposed to do.
First, the enemy. In the German
prison camps in England, so frequent
reports aver, all the prisoners Of the
mercantile caste spend their spare
time studying languages-especially
English. Because Of their love for
England? Not for moment. It is
because Of their determination, after
the war, to clean up the process they
SO cffectually began before 1914-that
Of driving English competition out Of
every foreign market on earth.
Come now to France and England,
which, after the battle Is over, will be
our friendly rivals in all continents of
the globe. Great Britain, according to
the report OF the American Consul
Generals Office in London, has been
figuring for at least two years on the
financing of its industrial enterprises
latter the war"
Tht city of Lyons, in France, by no
means comfortably distant from the
firing line, held Sample fair" in
March, 1916, and another in March and
April of last year. This latter was
attended by 1858 exhibitors, Of whom
424 were from foreign countries and
twenty-five represented American
firms At this one exposition orders
were taken for $4o,ooo,oOo worth of
goods.
In September, 1915, and again the
following year, the city Of Bordeaux
held fair devoted especially to the
products Of the French colonies and
to wines and foodstuffs. Paris only /.
year ago held an exposition Of "arti-
cles de luxe" for which she is the
worlds distributing centre.
II England, fighting the battle OF
her life, and France. enduring the In.
vader on her very soil, can find i,
profitable, not to say necessary, tc
give their attention to trade matters
while the conflict is on. It ia not, argue
the directors of tho New York Inter
national Exposition, improper fol
America now to lay the foundations
modcstly and economically, for her fut
urc prosperity.
This is the motive underlying the
government trade-fostering activitie.
in the belligerent countries. And it is
the motive governing the directors OF
the coming New York exposition, and
the United States Congress is passing
special act to permit foreign ex.
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