Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-12-21

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amazing increase in our foreign trade
IS making to our national life and
thought is that it is helping America
to know and understand the rest of
the world. With the greatest reluct-
ance, but nevertheless swiftly and in
e~vitably. America is growing out OF
her traditional policy of isolation. This
progress seems to be along the path
of destiny. In the attempt to cling
to the old order the people turned their
backs, upon political association with
other nations, but nevertheless u as
ISOLATION in fact with these nations
continually grows more intimate.
Ten years g a man as great as
Clemenceau, coming Us a visitor from a
foreign land, would have been only a
name to all but the erudite few who
followed international affairs. Today
the ~Clemenceaus, the Lloyd Georges,
and the Venizeloses of the earth are
almost as well known to Americans as
our own statesmen. Political debate
even has become international. Glenn
enceau makes a speech in New York;
he: is answered by Borah in Washing
ton; Nitti in Rome adds his rejoind-
er: Pertinax. the Partisan journalist.
comments; and SO it goes. The world
has grown very small: we have be-
come merry the largest of a group of
jostling neighbors.
In this awakening there is no more
potent factor thar our expanding trade
with other nations. The business man
is bound to come to understand his
| market; he cannot sell his product in
diligently unless he does. Nor is for
eign trade entirely a mater of mer-
chandise and bills of lading. Trade
also includes the investing of money.
Americans are now buying heavily of
the securities of the whole world.
When an individual investor in Shell
! bina, Mo. is informed by his local
bank that the National City bank of
New York recommends Sac Paulo
bonds as a good buy, the investor nat
urally wants to find out something
about the city of Sac Paulo. And
naturally he goes ahead and finds out
about it.
In this work of educating the Amer
lean public as to economic conditions
in other countries. the bureau of for
eign and domestic takes the
leading part. It's agents cover the
whole economically important part of
The earth. The business information
they gather is authentic and complete.
1t is so complete that at least two
large organization-the National City
| company and the association of rub
Der manufacturers-have dropped
their own foreign organizations and
now rely upon the government. SO
swift is the information in reaching
the United States that the bureau was
recently able to scoop the efficient
foreign organization of the Baldwin
7 nooY,c%iro xnr,ronv with tba narc nf
the Argentine narrow gauge railway
plans,
Broadcasting Information
No innovation wrought by the new
administration of the bureau is more
! marked than its method of broadcast
ing in the United States the informA-
| ton whiIl its agents gather abroad.
Two years ago the bureau. besides its
statistical summaries. published the
daily consular reports. These reports
contained miscellaneous and unassort-
ed data just as they came in through
the mails and over the cables. Today
the consular reports are no more.
They have been succeeded by Il 50
page weekly magazine called Commerce
Reports, attractively printed and
bound. intelligently edited, and in ev-
/ I'll saf 'oa}f - NbsN
best of trade journals
r Commerce Reports is exactly what
| it's subtitle calls tia weekly survey
/ of foreign trade Once each month
the foreign agents of the bureau of
foreign and domestic are re
| qnired to send in a general-condition
report answering AZ questions which
| have been carefully formulated by ex-
perts as those necessary TO bring out
the complete and pertinent economic
picture of a nation or region. These
| reports are digested and summarized
by the editorial staff of the magazine
in Washington. The first issue OF
Commerce Reports for each month
gives the current economic survey OF
Latin America: the second issue of the
month takes up Europe; the third. the
Far Fla st; and the fourth, the Near
East. Thus once a month the entire
commercial world is examined for the
benefit of American business men.
This survey has an incidental but
very real value not directly connected
| with our foreign trade. Many OF these
nations thus surveyed are heavy debt
ors to the United States. 1t is highly
important that we keep watch of their
condition, just as q commercial creditor
watches those to whom he extends
credit.
In addition to the regular survey
while the republican majority Is
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