The Washington herald., 1921-05-18
EXPORTS NEEDED TOEXTEND
TRADE, MIR. HOOVER DECLARES
Secretary Of Commerce Outlines Situation at
Hearings Of Hopse Committee
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CONTINUED Fh0h fAGH ONE
and their object is to assist the bu-
reau in guiding our foreign service
to practical results for the industry,
and, on the other hand, to give en-
coura cement to the industries to
push ahead. In order to carry out
that plan effectively. we need to
have a few men who are expert In
their particular branches Of indus
Try.
.For instance, in the automobile
trade-now one of our large ex-
ports-we need someone in the bu-
reau in Washington who is an ex-
pert in that industry, who can Sc
cure as far as may be collective
activity Of the trade in the ex-
pansion of our exports. who can
instruct. our foreign service as to
what the industry needs by way
of the complex questions involved
in exports and market. and who
can assure the distribution OF this
information back to the trade. and
can stimulate the trade to take
action under it. One difficulty now
is that a large amount Of informs-
ton comes in, and we are not
equipped to give IT adequate prep
aration and distribution. Another
is that information is collected
abroad by men without expert di-
rection from home, having in view
the particular necessities Of our
different industries.
The foreign service employees en-
deavor to the best of their ability
to secure information that will be
of use to the American trade. but
who are without proper direction
from home. In other words. we
lack a general stan in planning
and plotting out the directions
where we can extend our commerce
to the best advantage. The world
is faced with an entirely new era
in foreign trade. Due to the eco
nomic situation abroad, there is a
growing tendency to consolidate for
militant export purposes in prac-
tically every country in Europe.
This is developing in two direc-
tions. The consolidat ton of indus
trial concerns by mergers of cap
ital. and in this direction the de-
velopments are more general even
than in the United States before
hht mere Is an
other type of combination for ex-
port trade which consists in the
direct combination of exporters for
unity in the exploitation of for
eign markets.
IF we are to meet these COM
binations, We must secure more COL
lective action on the part Of our
industries. I have a feeling that II
We are to hold our own. we must
at least be able to furnish the spe-
cial information upon which our
people can act and such informa-
tion must be secured under expert
direction.
Plan 70 Dictate Prices.
There is another new factor in
foreign commerce that requires a
great deal Of study and considera-
tion, and that is a new type of
foreign combina nation-combin
for imports. For instance. prac-
tically the whole buying Of hide
and leather for the United King
dom is now in one organization.
We have similar combinations in
coal. food. etc, in many directions.
The result of those combinations
is to more or less dictate prices
within the United States.
We must have a general STAFF of
specialists to work out, in co-opera-
ton with our own Industries, pol
icies and methods by which we can
meet those forces. We have a case
in the matter of oil. Our own
oil resources are estimated to hold