The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1921-06-21
M||||0NS OF DOLLARS To
I '07HER COUNTRIES BE-
CAUSE Of AMERICAS
IGNORANCE
(Rv Associated Press)

dollars in ready cash are going to En-
,J;sh. German and Dutch firms from
,ba Baltic states because of the al |
most unbelievable unfamiliarity of |
oven the largest American firms with |
foreign trading conditions, and even
..ao,raphv. saw Americans here.
Dozens of big orders for which |
.ash was actually in the banks in New
Work have been lost to America be-
..qrse of what American representa-
r5ves in the Baltic states term abso-
lutte stupidity.
1T is time said one of these
Americans in Riga who has had TO
Mace many orders in Germany and in
England when America could have
had them,'' that the heads Of Amer
ican firms realize what the subordl-
mates in charge Of their foreign trad
me departments are doing to them.
Most of them, brought up on So
called American efficiency systems
that NAV work we'll at home but are
absolutely hopeless abroad, try to do
business in Europe according to form
- or form pa or whatever form
they would apply to similar deals n
America
ITO illustrate, not long ago I had
an urgent cash order for $4,000 suits
of underclothing for Baltic state.
7elegraphed to a big American firm.
What your price 10000 suits heavy
underwear cash against documents
% New York.
Two or three days later, when
some bright young credit man had
rned to digest this telegram, l rece1v-
t'd cable saying: Wire your credit
rating and references.
,luired him to do that, but I wire6
back My credit references are
ash in New York bank. What art
your prices.
Some days later [ received a teie
gram saving: Price dollar twenty
ur something like that.
More valuable time was lost in al
exchange Of telegrams asking wha
they meant, per garment or per sun
The result as that I wired an Eng
Usl firm. NV answer from it wa
complete. Just what I wanted. TIL
telegram gave the price per sui
weight of shipment, probable date o
delivery and everything that I want
rd to know The English firm &c
The order and took the cash in tn
New York bank
Wheu 7 write American firms fc
catalogues, I get catalogues withou
prices. | suppose they think it is III
'.ignified to print them. Then I writ
tor qriceiists and get price lists will
5ut cata Io9ues.
German or British firms print con
flete catalogues, giving just what OF
wants to know They save valuab
weeks Of mail correspondence and g.
-he ordcrs.''
Another American in trade in Ris
>""Wcd the correspondent a cablegra
rom one of the biggest oil companf
I'm Americas, in reply to his telegra
which said: "Quote me price ref
.i coal oil delivered Riga II
"o>wer read: <'Crude oil has gone !
~ cents q barrel.''
Now,' said this American deal'
dldn t want to know about crude
#.I / haven t time to figure out wh
If"rt a rise in its price would na
"T coal oil that was badly wanted
ny buyer.
In many of such ridiculous cas-
'''Ne telegraphed directly to t
a"ads Of firms in America explain
situation and have received prom
'''Isfaction. But I haven It the I'll
write all of them. So the Germa
"'i English get the orders.
accidentally, perhaps half Of
'ferS sent by American firms TO i
:'tlc states bear only two cent p