Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1919-05-08
GOOD Will BIG
ASSET IN Bust
Ness AFFAIRS
And America Has 1t. Declares Has
kin. World Feels That United
States Has Done Its Full Duty
and More in Helping to Crush
World Ambitions Of Autocrats.
BY Frederick j. Haskin

washington, ID. Good Will is lust
as great an asset to a nation struggl-
ing for work. trade as it is to q. village
merchant in the retail competition, and
that particular asset the United States
of America now has in unusual meas
ure, according to B. S. Cutler, head of
the bureau of foreign and domestic
commerce.
There has been much talk of ships
and bank anr consular agent; n for
elgn language schools as means of win
ming in the fight for foreign markets,
but this Tremendous advantage of good
will which we have gained during the
war does not seem to have been gen
orally realized at all. Yet it is sue a
tangible thing that it has won us mar
kets in Belgium, Greece, Toumania,
and Serbia, where before the war we
could scarcely sell a shoe lace.
U. S.. Like Country Merchant
Uncle Sam is today like a substan-
tial country merchant, with a name
for shrewdness and indeed for sharp
dealing, but largely unknown beyond
his own bailiwick, who goes to war,
makes a reputation for courage and
public spirit, and suddenly finds when
he returns to business that broader
fields thar he ever dreamed of are open
to him.
Before the war this country was al
most unknown in eastern Europe, for
example. Now Turkey hopes We will
take care of her because she trusts our
good Intentions, and two c. three new
born republics regard us as godfath-
ers, whilo Latin America follows cur
lead in everything, and such waif a
ions as Liberia look to us for saliva.
ton.
All this is very fine in q humanitar.
ian way and promises to be still finer
i'll q business way. Our reputation as
Il feeder of the needy and q defender
in billions.
Our task now is not SO much to get
more trade--we arc already the biggest
exporting nation in the world-but to
hold what trade we have. The depart
rlent of is putting into effect
a comprehensive campaign to his end
and it is figuring on this element of
international good will as the biggest
single factor in the problem.
Before the world war the United
States ranked second to the United
Kingdom as an exporting nation. The
report of the calendar year of 1918
showed dhe exports of the United
States more thar edouble those of the
Unit | Kingdom.
Banner Year in Foreign Trade
According to present indications, 1919,
will be a banner year i'll our foreign
trade. A new high peak was reached
in January when $622,0 900 900 worth
Of American goods was exported. Feb
ruary and March totals run close to
these figures and taking the first 3
months as a basis, exports for the
present year should exceed $1,000, 000,-
000-a billion more than any previous
year. This is considered remarkable
in view of the fact that the slipme1t;
of munitions has practically ceased and
prices of products are lower now than
during the war.
During the last four years American
goods have sdpplanted those of Eng
land, France and Germany, and re-
ports indicate that the American manu-
factur1rs are giving complete satisfac-
tim to their new customers. Our
South American trade has been more
than doubled since 1914. Exports to
tho Orient and Australia show even a
greater gain in that period.
To keep the Jump obtained during
the war, while our chief European COM
petitors were too busiiy engaged meet
ing war demands to pay much atten-
is the aim of the department of Com
MERGE. One of the first steps taken
by the department in the matter of
permanent trade development is the
making of a commercial survey of
Europe as the war left II. An apprc-
priationf of 100000 has been obtained
from President wilson's emergency
fund for this purpose.
Making Commerce Survey
The commercial survey is being
made by the trade commissions that
have been sent to London, Paris. Rome,
Athens and practically all the other
important cities Of the Allied and neu
trail countries. Eventually aSnlnlis-
siors will 90 into Germany, Russia
and Austrda, where there viii be 4
tremendous ana for all kinds Of
raw materials and finished products
~ ~ sooIs as peace is signed. These com
missions viii study nj Investigate
trade conditions n report their find
dngs to the department. Future plans
Of th-esdeparsTnent for trade expansion
wal be based upon the recommends
lions and suggestions Of these cora
missions.
To continue this work, not only "
Europe. nut all oyer the world, b
department. has been allowed an ap
preparation { s1so0o,Ooo for the com
ing SearsThfs amount Will sIroyfd;