Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-01-04

WASHINGTON Jan. The
British monopoly of the linoleum
trade in the Argentine Republic
is no more 1t has been captured by
an American concern. The story CT
how the lucrative business was add
ed to help swell the total of Ameri-
al exports to the $4,000, 900, 900
marx this year Is n of the bright
spots in the years trade al record
ed by the Bureau Of Foreign and
Domestic Commerce.
Some months ago makers of lin
oleum sent an agent to Buenos
Aires to see what could be done IN
the way of developing business with
the Argentines. This mar found it
very difficult to break through the
British grip on the linoleum trade.
The British manufacturers had built
up their commercial connection dur
ing years of supremacy. The Amer
lean product compared well with
the British in quality and price. but
the Yankee linoleum seller found
1t difficult to wrest customers away
from his British competitors.
Meanwhile there had been going
on for many years in Buenos Aires
a piece of patient research work
which, while at first blush it would
seem to have not the remotest con-
nection with the sale OF linoleum,
nevertheless gave to the American
salesman the key to the problem he
was trying to solve.
A certain Argentine antiquarian,
who was also curator of one of the
principal museums in Buenos Aires
had been making a lifelong study
of the primitive arts of n Indians
who had Inhabited Argentina before
the Spaniards am In the course
of his studies he had brought to-
gether a large number of decorative
designs which the native Indian had
used on their pottery blankets and
The antiquarian thought these de-
signs were very beautiful, and he
displayed them in the museum,
dreaming of the day when they
should form the basis OF an Argen-
tine national art.
Having the prospect of an idle
afternoon before him, the agent
dropped into the museum one day
for a casual visit, and his eye was
caught by these designs. They gave
him an idea, too. He procured CO.
pies of several of the more inter-
esting ones and sent them to the
factory In the United States with
the suggestion that they might be
copied ana used on the goods for
the Argentine market. The design
ers in this country also liked them,
and they worked several into limo
leum patterns. Sample lots OF lin
oleum of these patterns were sent to
Buenos Aires, and the result aston
ished even the enthusiast who pro-
nA1A1--tkA fAaA In fhA Hra{ NtaAA
British Monopoly Broken
The Argentines were entranced by
the new linoleum. These people
have an admixture of Indian blood
in their veins--at least many OF
them have-and when once they
saw native Argentine patterns beau
tifully worked out in 1inoleum they
would have no other kind. The
British monopoly melted away all
most overnight and the business
went to the innovators.
One man only was not surprised
the antiquarian. He had watched
the experiment with great interest.
For years, he tolG the agent with
mock chagrin, he had dreamt of
these native patterns being wrought
in precious enamels or woven into
rich silks for the homes of the Ar
gentine millionaires, but instead of
that an ~enterprising Yankee concern
was putting them into the house of
the middle classes as the patterns
| for oiIcloths. Yet it proved his
point he said, that Argentine people
longed for their own native art
This was an example of ingenuity
that Is being worked throughout the
world nowadays in the determined
American effort to capture and hold
the lead in foreign trade. Ameri-
cans are studying the psychology OF
| foreign peoples and then using their
| unrivaIed inventive genius to take
advantage of what thew observe
Formerly our exporters were ac-
cused of paying too little attention
to what the foreign public wanted.
Now they are outdoing all COMPETE
tors In adapting themselves to the
foreign conditions with which they
have to deal.
The Bureau OF Foreign and Do
nestle Commerce is taking the i :
In the commercial crusade, uncc
ing the opportunities and then a.
Raperican business men to
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