The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-04-21

 manufacturers.
 American trade with Russia hereto fore has been negligible. In 191f | American exports to Russia totalled | about thirty-two (32) million dollars, or less than five (5) per cent. of all Russian imports. Now Is a chance to | connect American trade with the bulk 1 of the Russian market. America IS in a particularly excellent position to use this opportunity. She has some of the goods practically in stock ready to be shipped. She has the fac tories the men and the raw material. Furthermore, America Is well adapted to supply Russian requirements as there are many points of similarity between America and Russia. For instance, agricultural implements de- veloped for American conditions-as tractors, gang blows, harvesting ma chinery, etc, answer admirably the Russian requirements. American road building machinery will meet in Russia almost the same conditions as here. Shoes, clothing, automobiles typewriters - these mass products which characterize American meth ods of manufa cture-are well adapt ed to Russian conditions.
 As soon as trade relations with Russia are resumed, our organization here will easily become the biggest import and export institution in the world. We are organizing to meet such a condition. We shall have de- partments under competent directors to deal with every branch of indus
 try. We shall follow modern and business-Iike methods in the estab- fishing of standards of quality and value, and for goods measuring up to these standards we shall be ready to pay Q price corresponding to their actual worth. We are not out for shoddy or sweat-shop products. Our instructions naturally are to buy
 goods made under trade union cond1-
 tlons and we are going to carry out l these orders, not only because of the general solidarity of the Russian re- public with the interests of labor in general, but because we firmly believe that the world is big enough and efficient enough to live and to let live without exploiting and jeopardizing the quality of products by bad work ing conditions. We shall not buy, for example. anything made by child or convict labor. If the cost of such goods is going to be -ligher than of goods made under sweat-shop condt- tions, we are willing to meet it.
 A sordid feature of Russia's trade with other countries during the for
 mer regimes has been graft. Graft Tn
 this line has existed to such an extent that it has. become a system. In the future this system will be absolutely eliminated. We will do our business with the manufacturers direct, and cur contracts will provide that any IT-hn o or gratuity of any kind directly or indirectly, to anyone in our employ will not be dealt with, and any e1n- ployee, no matter who discovered in accepting presents of ony sort from Q dealer will be instantly dismissed. The Russian Soviet Government is carrying on in Russia a mighty strug- gle against the traditions Mnd customs of graft, and we will be particularly interested in living up to the new high standard.
 Facilities for shipping goods to Russia, can be easily obtained. Rus- sia herself has a good many large vessels which are now in the hands of various Allied governments or tied up in Russian ports, but which will of course be available as soon as rela- tions are established. It is also clear that with little foreign trade with the Allied governments at present, a good deal of American tonnage may be available for Russian trade.
 While we are primarily interested in the shipment of goods to Baltic ports, we expect that as. soon as AL lied troops are withdrawn from Rus sia, the ports on the Black Sea will become available. The Russian gov ernment is improving the transport facilities between the inland and these ports.
 Thus there is nothing in the world which prevents America from estab- fishing profitable trade relations with Soviet Russia. It is para doxical per haps. but nevertheless it is true, that Soviet Russia, which has been looked upon for a long time as lost to inter- national trade, offers today greater possibilities in this respect than any other country in the world. It is only necessary to look upon the situation from the poin of view of actual facts rather than passionate. indiscriminate prejudice. America is hurting her. self by maintaining blockade against Russia. The present situation is absolutely untenabIe. without cable communication, without passenger traffic, and without an exchange Of products between these two countries: yet the solution is simple. and it lies absolutely in the hands of he American
 can people. Put an end to the block ade get in touch with that big coun- try in the East, let actual intercourse and economic relations be the touch stone of investigation of Soviet Rus sia. Then you will need no second. hand fancy interpretations of the sit uation over there.
 Delaware. This feat was performed in 1894, and was the first instance in