Evening star., 1921-06-30
AMERICA LOSING
BALKAN TRADE
Millions Going to Other Coun-
tries, Due to inefficient
U. S. Agents.
By the Associated Press,

| BY the Associated Press.
RIGA, Latvia, June millions Of
dollars in ready cash are going to
English, German and Dutch firms
from the Baltic states because of the
almost unbelievable unfamiliarity of
even the largest american firms with
foreign trading conditions. and even
geography. says Americans here.
Dozens of big orders for which
cash was actually in the banks in
New York have been lost to America
because of wh..t American repre-
sentatives in the Baltic states term
absolute Stupidfy
TT is time. said one of these
Americans in Riga. who has had to
place many orders in Germany and
in England when America could
have had them. that the heads of
American firms realize what the sub
ordinates in charge OF their foreign
trading departments are doing to
them.
Most. .of them. brought up on So
called American efficiency systems
that may work well at home, but
are absolutely hopeless abroad. try
to do business in Europe. according
to form 22' or form "a or whatever
form they would apply to similar
deals in America.
cites Case in Illustration.
"To illustrate. not long ago. had
an urgent cash order for 10000 suits
of underclothing for Baltic state.
l telegraphed to big American
firm. What your price 10000 suits
heavy underwear cash against docu-
mcntS New York;
Two or three days later. when
some bright young credit man had
tried to digest this telegram. l re-
ceived Il cable. saying: Wire your
credit rating and references
uuired him to do that. but | wired
back. My credit references are cash
in New York bank. What are your
prices
some days later l received tele-
gram saying: Price dollar twent! -
or something like that.
More valuable time was lost IN an
exchange of kilograms asking what
they meant per garment or per SUIT
The result was that / wired an Eng
l!sh firm. My answer from 1t was
complete, just what l wanted. Inc
telegram gave the price per Sult.
weight of shipment, probable date OF
delivery and everything that i want
ed to know The English firm got the
order and took the cash in the Ne"
| York bank. =
.sWhen l write American firms for
! l
prices | suppose they think II is un'
! dignified to print them. Then l writt
! for price list and get price lists with
: out catalogues.
! German or British firms print com
| plcte catalogues. giving just what one
wants to know. They save valuable
weeks of mail correspondence and ge
the orders"
Another Example.
1n in
showed the correspondent a cable
gram from one of the biggest OF
companies in America. in reply to hi
telegram which said: quote me pric'
refined coal oil delivered Riga. Tn
answer read: Crude oil has gone VI
30 cents barrel"
Now" said this American dealer.
didn't want to know about crude OF
and l haven't time to figure out wha
| effect rise in its price would nav
on coal oil that was badly wanted b!
my buyer
"ln many such ridiculous cases
have telegraphed directly to the head
of firms in American explaining tn
situation and have received promp
satisfaction. But l haven't the tim
to write all Of them. So the German
and English get the orders"
| Incidentally. perhaps half of tn
letters sent by American firms to TN
baltic states bear only two-cent pos
] tage stamps, causing indignant pros
! pective buyers TO dig down in thei
pockets to pay postage due in ruble
or marks or whatever the unit hap
/ pens to be.
Some Of them bear fantastic ad
dresses. such as Riga. Russia. VII
T.; tn. Pacific" One letter in reply to re
| quest to ship for cash big consigrt
ment of goods from New York .
Riga said the firm was sorry, bit
had no shipping facilities on the Pi-
cif!c"