New-York tribune., 1920-08-19
The Tribune Fresh Air Fund
The Fund Sho,cs a Favorable
Balance of Trade

indicates good trade condition then
The Tribune Fresh Air Fund ia still
fourishing. It's exports of children to
the country yesterday were 427 not
while it's imports from the country
were only 332. And the excess didn,t
result from dropping off Of imports
to point below normal, either.
From the everyday trade economists
point OF view, however, the situation
would have had one unfavorable aspect
the quality of the imported goods
was far superior to that of the ex.
ported product. That fact would have
been evident to even the casual obser.
yer: IN fact, in some cases the i'm
ports looked so good that the CON
signees didn't recognize them at first
as the expected articles.
There was, for example, mother
who expected consignment of a seven
year-old girl from Penn Yam, N. Y
Shed seen her little piece of goods onlv
two weeks before, but, though she'd
looked over the sixty-six lots arriyino
from Penn Yam, she didn't recopnize
hers.
Where's mine? ?" she inquired anx.
lously of the supercargo who was di-
rectlng the distribution of the various
'oeo' uOH see ner.'
Just then, however, little baggage
detached herself from the cargo, and
with shrill pipe of ''Mama!" began to
trundle herself toward the anxious
consignee
"Oh,'" laughed the consignee. 81
didn't know her because she has new
hat. And she looks different. too her
face is so round"
And that was the general comment
of all the consignees. Each of the
sixty six pieces in the importation
brought forth some such exclamation
as, They look so much nicer than we
expected" or "My, how fat they are!''
of Didn't they get brown!"
This wasn't true only Of the con-
signment from Penn Yam, but also of
a larger one numbering 237 pieces
from Binghamton, N. Y, and of others
from Greene and Herkimer, N. Y
Even the consgnors couldn't restrain
their enthusiasm over the fneness of
the goods shipped. Walter B. Tower
consignor in chief for the community
OF Penn Yam, said in a letter announ-
cling the arrival of his lot in New
York:
"They were truly wonderful group
of children. Not one second Of trouble
have they caused, and many a blessing
has come to the people who have en-
tertained them. We shall all regret
to have them leave"
And anticipating continuance of
trade relations in future years. 81
think that l can place two or three car
loads of the children in our county
next year."
George j. Michelbach, the Bingham
ton consignor, had much the same com
mcnt to make on his big shipment and
the same sort of forecast concerning
next years prospects. And he is one
of the worlds leading experts or
Fresh Air cargoes, having been in the
business of Shipping and reshippine
them for more than twenty years.
Just to prove the statement con
corning the poor look of the outgoing
goods the judgment of bystandel
who saw cargo of sixty pieces marked
Rutland, VT" pass through the Grand
Central Terminal, must be quoted:
"My, they're a poor looking lot.
They certainly need the country tc
freshen them up. Here's little money
to help the good work along"
And that's the beauty of it all. Ar
export cargo of wan looking "FresF
Airs" of to-day becomes in two weeks
an import cargo of goods of so much
finer quality that their parents them
selves don't recognize them when they
get back after the freshening up process
is complete.
Who'll help pay the freight to the
freshening up place?
Contributions 20 The Tribune Fresh
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