Evening star., 1919-10-12


poise Is In society. what
An Essential clothing Is to meet
:. r-,s. varying temperatures-
ard more Careful pack
ing is the last step in trade efficiencv
between the manufacturer and the
foreign buyer. and in the development
Of trade good will" it Is as the warm
hand clasp of host at parting who
says Come again. soon." as against
the hesitant greeting Won't you come
III ?" from that same foreign host when
the osder was taken.
One order improperly packed may
ruin a foreign patronage that it
would take years of effort to win,
and SO American consuls and other for
eign representatives of United States
business and the Commerc. Department
Of the federal government are now
warning the American exporter and
still more emphatically and directly
the American manufacturer not to in
trust the packing Of goods for export
to unskilled shipping clerks.
On packing depends the arrival of
the goods at the station of the for
eign buyer. the amount Of rail and
ocean freishts charged for transpor-
tation, and often the amount of Gus
toms duties that must be paid be-
fore their admission to the country of
destination. Because of this those who
are looking into the future Of United
States foreign trade believe that every
manufacturer in this country who Is
preparing to ship his goods overseas
should put a man in charge Of pack
ing these goods who will study his
Job with the same professional zeal to
do it cleverly and efficiently as a doc
tor or a lawyer.
Included in the policy of the do
mestic management Of the plant must
be provisions. l.
Five Prime To pack in a way
that will guaran-
requirements. tee the safe ar
rival of those goods in foreign mar
kets. 2. To pack according to In
structions sent by the foreign Gus
toners or by export houses through
which the American manufacturer
does business. 3. So to arrange the
shipping department and 80 alter the
packing methods as to he able to
meet the requirements of the foreign
buyers. 4. To ship not only as in
structed. but when instructed. S. So
to adjust shipping methods that when
goods are wanted for shipment on a
particular steamer they will go on
that steamer and no other. and will
not be delayed by so much as an
hour, because the delay Of an hour
here may mean the delay Of a month
at the other end.
It will be readily seen. even by the
tyro in foreign trade, that this Is a
branch Of the export business which
calls for close. intelligent study. In
justice to American efficiency, adapta-
bility and general zeal to do any
Job tackled in bang-up good shape,
it must be stated that much of the
criticism and complaint against Amer
heard in foreign markets and pub
lished In business journals is propa-
ganda inspired by foreign rivals in
commerce. There has been a studied
and organized endeavor to discredit
American goods. and then the criti-
cfsm OF American packing is used as
basis of selling arguments against
American products.
1t is gratifying to note that Yankee
ingenuity and keen observation have
in number Of in
British Also stances prompted such
Neol;oent eficiency in packing
"ssAAse"'' Of goods that foreign
rivals have been advised by their
governments to profit by American
example. The British government, for
instance, in a recent broadside Of ad-
vice on packing goods for export to
Latin America called attention that
the British consul at San Salvador
pointed out that British exporters
show great negligence and false econ
omy in wrapping expensive silks and
other goods in two or three sheets
Of light paper and then starting them
on their long journey. A single sheet
of corrugated cardboard protects the
goods Infinitely better. and our
American competitors discovered this
q long time ago." the British govern.
ment adviser says.
This same British consul inspected
some cigars from Jamaica which ar
rived by parcel post. The boxes sent
by a British firm were reduced to
matchwood and some 500 good cigars
were dust. These had been packed
in boxes inclosed in thin paper. The
same post brought a lot Of 500 cigars
shipped BY an American firm in
with corrugated cardboard over the
usual boxes and not a single cigar
was damaged,
Now that the nations of the world
are preparing for the most keen COM
petition In foreign commerce, the
have an important influence on the
building up of stable trade and the
promotion Of commercial good will.
Criticism for the most part has not
been a natural outcropping Of busi-
ness dissatisfac-
American Goods tion' but has
Are in Demand. eer.d ss on and
pushed. The achievement Of Ameri-
can enterprise which has few paral-
1els in the history Of the world is
written into official shipping records
as irrefutable evidence to the con-
trary. The simple fact that American
exports of manufactures nearly dou-
bled between 1905 and 1s13-before