Southwest Washington labor press. [volume] (Hoquiam, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1924-08-29
MILLIONS IN PARCEL
POST EXPECTATIONS

the parcel post, American goods are
now being shipped abroad to the
value of approximately two million
dollars each month, according to the
Commerce Department.
On the basis of partial figures, ex-
porters using this method are shown
to have sold their goods in foreign
countries to the value of $500, 4s2
during the fist five months Of the
present year. Starting with ship
ments valued at only $1,0S6,500 in
January, the business has grown to
$2,236,e03 in May.
Dry goods and clothing with val
uation Of $2,110,000 account for one
quarter of the entire trade. Silk
wearing apparel are the most i'm
portant item in this classification
followed by cotton goods and cotton
clothing, artificial silk manufactures
and wool clothing.
Optical goods exports amounted to
1921 900; leather and manufactures
Of, $4,000; furs and manufactures
of, $551, 900, and jewelry and gold
manufactures, $466,000.
The figures now available for the
first time being the result of new
service recently inaugurated by the
Commerce department at the urgent
request of those industries whose ex-
ports have been hitherto consider
ably underestimate in the trade sta
tistics.
The new figures do not show our
total exports by parcel post, accord
ing to Director Julius Klein of the
Bureau of Foreign and Domestic
Commerce, because they do not in
clude shipments valued at less than
e25.. It is estimated that there are
at least half a million such shipmnts
each month. Parcel post business of
this class is so great, in fact, that
the cost of compiling the figures
would be excessive and out of pro-
portion to the value of the data thus
collected.
Commenting on the significance of
the new figures, Director Klein points
out that where formerly the average
American business man considered
super-mysterious impossibility," to-
day a mail order from some remote
point of the earth for a parcel post
package causes no more excitement
than a similar request from Boston,
Chicago or San Francisco. The most
gratifying feature of this new export
development, in K1ein's opinion, is
the fact that it proves that the Amer
lean business man is at last viewing
foreign trade in its true Ight-as
merely '1ong distance selling"
"Our Main Street manufacturers
inland towns, many of whom have
never seen salt water, are sending
goods abroad as nonchalantly and as
expertly as their supposedly better
informed rivals with every seaboard
facility-and even as efficiently as
some of the branches of the so-called
'super-exporters' of foreign lands, To-
Gated in American ports who are sup
posed to have inherited sales instincts
from previous generations.
"As soon as the inland producer
realized that the doorway of some
good foreign customer was no farther
away than the nearest postoffice and
that foreign sales can be just as cas-
lily negotiated in dollars as can do
nestle transactions, he has gone af-
ter foreign trade in true American
style. The whole thing is striking
testimonial to American adaptable
ity and readiness to meet new condi-
lions and opportunities. It means If
there is to be any continued uncer-
tainty in the business situation it can
be materially corrected or modified
by resorting to overseas markets.
The products of American farm and
factories will be offered for sale on
foreign shelves instead Of piling up
in domestic warehouses awaiting the
establishments Of the home market"
The following statement shows the
value of the principal classes Of ex-
ports by mail or parcel post (exclu-
sive of all shipments valued at less
than $3.50 during the first five months
of 1924:
Silk goods and silk wearing
apparel $1,000. 81 ,OO6,o1Z
Cotton goods and cotton
wearing apparel -......... 623,O16
ontical goods ....... 621.122
Leather and manufactures 576,044
FuYs and manufactures. SOL, 653
Jewelry and gold manufac-
lures ............................ 465, 1888
Medicinal and pharmaceu-
tica preparations 4O9,665