The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-06-21

Riga. i.LtIIn, Jun" -n--iRy tho As
uScIar,d rrcSs)--MIll:"TS oi dollars in
ready cash ar" going to English, Ger
man and putch firms from the Baltic
state h,."ius' 81 "a" almost unholicvahi"
unfamiliar:ry # even the largest Am
rriran nrmS with foreign trading rondi-
lions. ami even geography. say Ameri-
cans here.
Dozens Of big orders for which cash
vas actually N Tn" banks IN New York
, have h.'m lost [" America hcrur!sr of
whit: .Amcri,In representatives. IN tEc
Baltic states term absolute stupidity.
1t is tim", said one Of these Am
, orleans in Riga who has had Ia place
many orders IN Germany and IN Eng
land when america could have Lad
them that IL" heads of American firms
realize what tho subordinates in charge
cf their foreign trading departments
ar, doing 10 them.
Most Of them. brought up on So
ca"ed American efficiency systems that
may work Wei! at home but ar" ahso-
lutely hopeless abroad, try to do bust
rcSs IN Europe according To form 80
or form - or whatever form they
would apRy 10 similar deals in Amer
lea.
ITO Illustrate. not long ago had an
urgent cash order for in,QNn suits Of
uUl"r l"lhiur for 4 Baltic state. tel
49,. rh,I to Il Big American firm. What
yam ngicr $1,000 suits heavy underwear
i,.sh ..Ga!nst documents New York.
'''rru ur ,nr"c days later, when some
bright Young credit man had tried TO
digest 'h.s telegram. | received II cable
saying VIE Your credit rating and
references.
l., n
him to do that. but wired back: My
rBcdit references are cash in New York
bank. What are your prices.
Some days later received Il tele-
gram saying. Price dollar twenty or
something like that
More valuable time was lost IN an
exchange Of kilograms asking what they
meant. per garment or per suit. The re-
suit was that l wired an English firm.
My answer from II WAS complete, just
what | wanted. The lcl' gram gave the
rri," per suit weight Of shipment. prob
able date Of shipment. probable date or
delivery and everything that l wanted
10 know. The English firm got the or
der and took the cash N the New York
bank.
when write American firms for
,aialogs ] G"t ,ataioSS without prices
| suppose they think II is undignited
70 PRINT ,Hrm. Then I write for price
lasts and Get prize lists without cata-
luEucS.
GERMAN ur British firms print COM
plrt' rnld ogus*. giving just what one
wan; t. know. They save valuable
weeks "f maU spondence and get
the orders.
Another American IN trade In Riga
showed tho correspondent a cablegran
from on pc the biggest OIL companies
In America, in reply TO his telegram
which said: quote me price reaned
coal OF delivered 10 Riga" The answer
read. 'N'rudr OIL has gone up 20 cents
a barrel"
"Now." said this American dealer. i
didn't want t. know about crude OIL ana
haven't time to lgure out what effect
n ris" IN 49, price would have on coal
oil that was badly wanted by my buyer.
I'm many az such ridiculous cases
have lelrrraphed directly 10 the heads
q: firms IN America explaining the situ-
alton and have received prompt salts
factirn Rut haven't the tim" 10 write
nil Of them. So tho Germans and Eng
Ssh get tina orders
Incidentally. perhaps half OF the let
tors sent by american firms 10 the BAL
tie states bear only two cent postage
stamps, causing indignant prospective
BUYERS to dig down in their pockets to
nav postage due in rublcs or marks or
whatever the uni, happens TO be.
Some nf them bear fantastic ad-
dresses, such AS Riga, Russia, Via the