Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-02-03
u. S. FOREIGN SERVICES
MAY BE STRENGTHENED
Industrial and Business Interests Back
Measures Looking to Higher
Standards Abroad.

cal attache: Shanghai. Julien Arnold
commercial attache: Vienna. William
r. Epson, acting commercial attache.
ana Warsaw. Leighton w. Rogers
acting commercial attache.
In addition to the services of its
iteld representatives. the bureau OF
! foreign and domestic commerce en-
| joys the cooperation of the many
| consular officers of the Department Of
State. There are 202 American cor
| suls in Europe, eighty-five in Asia.
| twenty three in Africa. thirty-three
/ in South America. eleven in Central
| America. sixty-three in North
America. twenty-three in the West
! Indies and seventeen in Australasia
Render Valuable Service.
The foreign representatives of the
Department of Commerce render
valuable services TO American bust
ness men travelling in foreign coun-
tries.
In addition to classifying the per
sonnet. definite arrangements arr
made in the Winslow bill for employ
ment. promotion, demotion and dis
missal in the service in coordination
with the Civil Service Commission.
The bill does not contemplate Il
change from the procedure of the las
ten years, but definite Legislative au
thoriZation for such procedure.
Secretary Hoover also recommends
in this measure provision for diplo-
matte status for officers at each post.
! with the approval of the Secretary o!
State. Secretary Hoover is intensely
l interested in this legislation, as is
also the assistant secretary, j. Walter
Drake, who is chairman of the board
of directors of the Hupmobile Com
| pany before he came to the Depart
ment of Commerce had personal en-
perience of the value of the federal
foreign trade service.
DR.. Julius Klein, director of the bu-
reau of foreign and domestic com
merce, has also had extensive oppor-
tunity to the value of the service
from the business mans point Of
view as well as that of a govern
ment official. He took his A. NJ. and
studied at the University of Berlin
| and the Sarbonne in Paris. He taugh;
Latin American history, economics
and trade subjects at Harvard Uni
versity. He is member of III"
American Economic Association and
many other large commercial organi-
cations.
IndiSputable evidence Of the use
that business Of this country is MAX
ing OF the service offered by the bu
reau Of foreign and domestic corr
merce is afforded by the fact that III
1920 the inquiries from business me,i
averaged about 5000 a week where
now they average 10000 q week. The
information used by the bureau OF
exports to answer these Inquiries
comes from the foreign representa-
tives of the bureau of foreign and
domestic commerce and the consular
service.
Appropriations TripIed.
Congress has shown it's appreciation
of the importance of this work by
just about TRIPPING the appropriations
during the last three years.
Secretary Hoover has accentuated
repeatedly the Importance of no.
| building this service for one year or
| two years, but for a business service
that can carry on and to give Ii u
firm foundation he is strongly urging
Congress that legislation must be
passed TO make il continuing per
manent service.
Several specific illustrations of how
effective this foreign service has been
are taken from many supplied to the
Wlnslow committee. as follows:
The trade commissioner at johann
| nesburg furnished American export
| ers with names of prospective agents,
with whom forty-nine agency ar
rangementS were concluded. with re-
| sultant sales totaling $4,000.
Similar satisfactory connections
have been made through the Santiago
| office, with 100000 business result
| ing.
About $50 profitable business CON
HeCllOIS were OBTAINED 1Or
| firms by the Copenhagen office.
The trade commissioner at Vienna
cleared the way for the sale Of $50
| 600 worth of American tobacco after
| five previous attempts by an Ameri-
can firm had failed.
The Hague Office was instrumental
| in the successful arbitration of
claim for an American firm involving
! $50. 900.
Through the efforts of the BuenoS
| Aires office an American taXicab conf
pany was established in the Argen-
| tine capital.
A large tobacco company states
| that it depends almost exclusively
! upon the services Of this bureau for
profitable circularization of the ex-
| port trade.
Through the division of commercial.
! laws settlements amounting to Sos
| 900 We're secured for American firms
! In their Guatemalan trade.
\ textile corporation writes: w"
| believe there is no other government;
| that supplies such information
! which makes thousands of dollars
! difference in our expenses or gains in
| a year
The Vienna Office enabled an Ameri-
| can concern to obtain an order for
| S1,500,000 worth of tobacco.
| The Rome Office was instrumental
| in getting a contract involving more
! than S13.000,000