Evening star., 1919-11-16
TRADE STAR SHINING IN EAST

porter's mind Of what it ought to
want 1t is not always possible to hnd
IN America statesmen with Indian ex-
perience. but without such experience
the best results cannot be obtained.
1t may. therefore. be necessary for
american manufacturers who seri-
ouSly contemplate entering the In
dian market to send a man to India
with the understanding that he will
ne given time to learn the country
and its peculiar conditions before con-
crete results will be expected from
him. The salesman who will really
make good in India must be one fully
accustomed to social usages. as the
big business there at the present
time. Consul Richardson reports is
connected with government enter
pr1ses, and to approach departmental
heads of the Indian government tact.
diplomacy and good address are es-
sential.
In the country of the Levant there
is a golden opportunity for American
trade, which is checked
Levantine only by lack of means
r.-,-4 of transportation. Never
before has the time been
SO opportune for shipping venture
in this direction. according to a report
just received from Consul Otis A.
Glazebrook, in Jerusalem. He points
out that the great work that Ameri-
cans did in Palestine during the war
has put the United States in such a
favorable position that there Is a
wide-open door for entrance of Amer
ican goods. The local merchants, he
says, if wise trade conditions are
granted. prefer doing business with
the United States as against any and
all competitors.
A step toward facilitating COM
merce between the Levant and the
United States was made just before
the world war by the establishment
Of the Ameriean-Leyant line between
American ports and Smyrna. but. what
with irregular trips and insufficient
warehouse accommodations at the
eastern end, the situation was not
much improved when war upset all
conditions.
Advices to the commerce experts OF
the United States government are
that the ideal
a plon IN Avoid plan is to have
direct trans
Transshipments. nortation in
American bottoms. requiring no
transshipments, with their consequent
delay and damage. However, 1t
might not prove feasible or profitable
at present to run a direct line touch
ing at all ports of the Levant. The
most practical plan in immediate
view would be a line of large steam
ers, with fortnightly quick service,
running between a few American ports
and either Port Said or Smyrna. At
the eastern terminus the cargoes
might be deposited in free ware
houses to be built for the purpose.
In conjunction with this line there
should be a. feet of small boats as
feeders for the different Syrian ports.
which would collect and bring to this
terminal the freight consigned to the
limited States. With this scheme in
operation goods from America would
reach their Levant destination In less
than a month.
Palestine formerly. through the
single port of Jaffa, had an import
and export trade of about $10.00o,0oo
Soon there will be another and far
more important port. Haifa. convent
emily opening all northern Galilee.
with railroad connections north to
Damascus and Aleppo, and thence
east to Mossul and south from there
to Bagdad.
In view of its vast hinterland and
it's large possibilities for develop
ment. the port of Haifa
por+ of might eventually justify
direct communication with
0a1a. the United States. doing
away with both Port Said and Smyrna
as indirect substitutes. Furthermore,
Consul Glazebrook accentuates, while
Galilee is especially an agricultural
country, with the discovery of pc
troleum in both upper and lower Pal
estine the region is capable of great
development industrially and could
support a population of several mil
lions.
Another source of business for such
a line would be the passenger serv-
70 coyomorcial ViSi.