Evening star., 1919-02-23

With the disbandment next week
OF the export control committee
| which was formed
| Committee to by agreement be-
Be Disbanded. .sris" - =, ,A1 u.. $50 81
the Navy and the director general OF
railroads, the interests of industry
ana business Concerning foreign ship
ments will be focused on the activi-
ties OF q new federal office to take
! charse of export and import traffic
conrad +. Spens. a traffic expert with
| extensive experience on railroads CEN
| tefing In Chicago, has been appoint
cd assistant director, division OF traf
nc, 10 cooperate with the other gov
| ernment departments and with bust
ness organizations for the develop
| ment OF export trade. The duties of
this new office will fit in with his
present work as manager of inland
trane for the food administration.
Ihe export control committee dur
ing the last year has been perform
| ing an important war work with
three principal duties: First gather
ing information as to the amount Of
Ifeight that must be exported for
prosecution of the war, how this
could be best routed to the various
ports, how much other essential ex-
port traffic had to be handled and the
amount of local traffic necessary for
each port. Second, selecting the port
TO which specified freight would be
transported for transshipment over
seas for use of the War and Navy De.
partments and the allied govern
ments. Third, deciding on the distri-
button of the combined amount of all
exports as between various ports so
as 10 expedite shipments and avoid
congestion at any port
X X
The transition from a. war basis To
a peace basis as regards export ship
ments is shown
Cooperating With in the passing
n.A of this COM
eP"A s1ss' mfttee and the
Nactivities of Mr.. spens in co-ordinat-
ing the work of several federal
agencies with the business interests
operating very closely with the De-
partment Of Commerce, the State De-
partment and the shipping board,
and also with the export and import
commercial concerns. agencies and in
diyidual business men, to enable them
to compete successfully against in
tensified competition in foreign fields.
In cooperation with the shipping
board assistance will be given in es-
tabiishlng new steamship service in
American bottoms to foreign coun-
tries that will best serve the comm err
cial interests of this country. and
also give complete information as to
inland and ocean freight rates and
other necessary transportation data.
that will assist in developing for
eign commerce along lines of per,
manency. Particular attention will
be given to port conditions and the
routing of export and import freight
to prevent congestion at the Ameri-
can ports.
Business interests are advised that
for the present the permit system on
export freight as is
Permit System now in operation
will be continued.
continued. Special study will
be made Of the improvements that
seem necessary or desirable at the va
rious ports. Because many associa-
tions organized under the Webb
Pomerene act-which allows CONSOLE
dation of competing industrial con-
Germs for economic development of
export business-are now registering
with the Federal Trade Commission.
to which administration of this law
has been intrusted, it is expected that
as a result there soon will be evidence
of an increased volume of exports of
manufactured goods from this coun-
try
In government circles and in trade
conventions, councils and missions
there is increasing testimony that the
business interests of the United States,
prompted, encouraged and supported
by Uncle Sam, are going after world
trade with a determination to make
the most of a present advantage while
the rest of the maritime nations are
recovering from the war, and to build
an organization that can successfully
compete against the most intense
competition of trade-rivalrous ma
tions.
The sixth national foreign trade
convention, to be held in Chicago April
"a, 25 and 26, is il
Eora;o,, Troda Illustrative. James A.
Farrell, the chair
Convention. man, has been in
conference with federal experts on
the various phases of foreign COM
merce and has been seeking the real
facts regarding all the problems that
must be encountered and the best ad-
vice as to how they may be overcome.
He says that the convention will
place before the delegates for widest
possible use large amount of valu-
able technical information. This will
be furnished first hand by the yolun-
teer trade advisers of some of the
most experienced business houses and
by the best informed men in the gov
ernment trade agencies. who will not
only make a general statement, but
will be prepared to answer questions
on the points of particular interest
regarding which delegates may wish
to inquire. A number of prominent