Evening star., 1933-03-26
Trade Association a Power
For Business Promotion
BY HARDEN COLFAX.

Founded on common need for pro-
lection against some wrong, real or
fancied, the American Trade Associa-
ton has now become q real power for
business promotion and its principal
urge in this direction during recent
years has been the economic depression.
This is the judgment of the Department
Of Commerce and the Chamber Of Com
merce of the United States, both of
which, in current surveys Of the work
Of the trade organizations throughout
the country, list noteworthy record
of promotion activities.
Speaking of the change Of front on
the part Of the organized commercial
groups, from one of defense to one of
offense, Frederick M. Feiker, director
Of the Bureau Of Foreign and Domestic
Commerce, pointed out that nowadays
the trade association in the United
States "has considerable power for COL
lective action, if its members will treat
1t as a force for constructive accom-
plishment and not look upon it as an
instrument for defense alone
"Most trade associations" said Mr..
Feiker, had their roots in defense.
Today we have thrown overheard this
defense mechanism of the trade aSso-
citation and think of it in terms of q
power for promoting advantageous con-
ditionS, rather than as a force for pre-
venting disadvantageous conditions"
There are now some 10000 trade or
ganizations in the United States listed
in the Commerce Departments direc-
tory of Commercial and Industrial
Organizations of the United States. :"
These, Mr. Feiker believes, present "the
soundest organized approach in a de-
mocracy to the solution Of group prob
lens In industry
General business management and
trade promotion have been improved
and carried on by these trade associa-
tions. The Chamber Of Commerce, in
q survey Of some 500 representative
trade associations, shows that, while
keeping up some of the local practices
Of defense, it Is in the new line of pro-
motion that the modern association
shines.
In two broad fields only Just begun
to be cultivated, in which the trade
association has become the valiant,
ever-watchful champion Of business
concerns, big and little, activities are
directed toward the collecting and dis
tr1bution of business information and
what has come to be known as indus
try planning.
The National Association of Com
mercial Organization Secretaries, in
cooperation with the Department of
Commerce, began about q year ago the
collection and distribution, through To-
ca trade and commercial organizations,
Of merchandising information which
had been tested by the experience Of
individual concerns all over the coun-
try. Today more than ZOO CONNER
cial, trade and similar organizations In
over 30 States are making use Of this
information.
X X
Industry planning Is being also ap-
preached by these trade organizations
A committee Of the Chamber Of Com
merce has just recommended that
these organizations consider industry
as whole, not simply from q regional
standpoint and that their surveys in
clude new products, new uses and new
markets. They are advised also tc
tackle financial problems, including the
bothersome one q credit. Finally they
are advised to look into the possibin-