Newspaper Page Text
THE REPUBLIC: STJXD'AY. OCTOBER 25, 1003.
i , m . . .. . , ..-.. -.
' t T - - - - - - - r r i i i i . , , , iii ' ' ' ' ' ' " '
A f 1G MUM A M&ifl. A 1H FMM G- carpenter tells how they canvass old world cities and mow tmey could
iMJjMJJiN iiJlDJ&UiiJlJio MAKE ALL EUROPE A MARKET FOE OUR PRODUCTS, I
MT ft F A M A f 1C M M A 1ft 1ft (fl A lfi FMM G- carpenter tells how they canvass old world cit
LlMLfM iMOMJjlN iftlMOiiJjJo MAKE ALL EUROPE A MARKET FOR OUR PRODUCTS,
Up-ts-Date Italian a Customer-Spam and Portugal Could Be Easily Induced to Buy From Us Among the Greek Merchants Opportunities in Turkey,
" " ' " ' " ' ' ' ' ' ' . - - - T - - I . J I I ... ... I I I
01a! cortTSjwniSenc of The Funda Iruhi.c ,
Hamburg. Germanv. Oct 1 Uncle Sam .
ff tw. Bh 4 onH al si fa A twirihrrtct i I bsbisbisS""Sss
Russia and Siberia,
.'
I
U
l
n
Hr
st-
5 the best manufacturer and the poorest
pafognan on earth.
lie Saiuw how to do business at home
iut be tags alone at the tall or me pro
cession In his business methods abroad.
lie m-kes srroat sales because his goods
ere better than an others. 'ut his tridc
Is conclude.! in a !ovenl raan-or and 1;
might be increased a liu idredf !
Nevertheless, it astonishes the niao:i
We are now selling a lUllion dollar
worth of goods every year In Europe and
cur total foreign sale amount t vine
thins HSi" three -nIiV'1- t -
Our profits ar; about i mi lin ' i
day. and v nr1? i i "in t i i
make double in inoi
qJJ&Z&IM
VlLLfJGE,
-n
sazu,
&3-
. ,&
TM
What we need is live men on the road.
"We want Simon-pure Americans who
are educated for the trade.
"We should copy the Germans.
They send their salesmen abroad to
study the languages and countries where
they are to work
They study the people and make and
pack their roods to suit them.
I have just come from Russia.
The Germans are doing more business
there than any other nation.
I met their sale-men on ev ery train and
found their commercial agencies in evcry
city.
The most of my Interpreting wq done
ihrough Germans who spoke Russiar.
I found that nearlv everj man had a
large acquaintance and that he knew the
standnlg of the different merchants.
Scleral of then told me they had set
aside the Russian trade for their life work
and that thej expected to stay with it un
til! they had made their fortunes.
Some of these men are also hnnrtifn
American goods, "but they alwaj s put the
German goods first.
It Is one word for the United States and
two words for German, and at a result
the American product has to be by far the
better to make a sale.
RUSSIA IN INFANCY
OF ITS DEVELOPMENT.
Irdced. there is not a better field In Eu
rope than Russia for the American drum
mer. The market there Is bejond concep
tion, enormous.
Its Imports are close to a million dollars
a day, and they will double within a few
j ear;
Rueisa is in the Infancy of its develop
ment. The wants of the people are like ours,
and our goods pleac them better than
any other.
They are our friends and they would
rather deal with Americans than Ger
mans. English or French.
Any bright joung American with good
commercial instincts can En in rtnzai-i .in,
make a successful life business of handling
American goods.
-ie will have to learn the language and
etudy the market and try to supply it.
lie might get a chance at the Govern
ment business, which alone would give him
a respectable Income, and he could build
up a trade which wojld net him a for
tune. There is room for scores of our joung
men there, and especially in the Asiatic
Prov Inces.
I met a number of American salesmen in
Russia.
The most of them were handling reapers
act! mowers, thrashers and heavj farm
tsols.
The opening there for such machines is
enormous.
The Russian Empire is the greatest farm
upon earth and is now a century behind
the times Steam plows, steam thrashers
and steam engines of all kinds can be
tpiJ
There is a big opening for American
pumps, windmills and gasoline engines
Heavy plows are needed, for the country
Is now only scratched, and where deep
plowing is done there is little danger of
drought.
Our goods are popular and the drummer
who speaks Russian will have no trouble
In making sales.
Another Important field is Siberia.
Thst country is bigger than all Europe,
and the southern part of It compares with
out wheat lands in the Norhwest.
It Is rapidly settling and the openings I
for American goods are very great.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR BUILDING
UP A BUSINESS IN SIBERIA.
I have totd of Enoch Emory, the Cape
Cod boy. who made a. million dollars In
woriuTc tte territory n the past.
T uii ie the opportunities for build-
j
!
I
w3
.nnnriERicRH
'VVrtffMO UT WO&K
BELGIUM
lag up a business in Siberia are enormous.
The Germans are attempting it and suc
ceeding. They have big houses at Vladivostok.
Irkutsk and other places, and there i
one German firm which has eighteen
branches, selling ever thing, from a needle
to a tbrashirg machine and from a s-ld-Ht
powder to a steam engine
American machinery is already well
known in Siberia.
iiany of the locomotives on the railroad
came from the United States, some of the
biggest bridges were built by Americans
and the people favor American trade.
The man who goes thre must stud
German and Russian. He must make his
own acquaintances and learn the stand
ing of the merchants.
He should have catalogues and price litsj
in the Russian language, using Russian
mone. weights and measures, and. if
possible, he should carrj a stock of good
with him. hiving a warehouse or supplv
point here and there along the Trans
slberlan Railroad
I am told that goods will bring Zj per
cent more If they can be delivered at the
time thej are sold.
The Siberian Russians like to see the
goods before they buy them and to carry
them away when purchased.
Much of the Siberian buslnc-. is done
upon credit, but the people are sound
flnancialb. as a rule, and they pay their
notes, not objecting to a good round inter
est At present the demand there Is for our
agricultural Implements and farm tools.
There Is also an opening for all kinds or
milling and mining machlncrj-
The Government own- van tracts, and
Its orders for foreign tools are large.
The commercial traveler will also have
a chance to work amonc- th ,m
manv of which own lands in m'
bujing their machinprv ,.,! .- '
In such trades thn i .. ..
- - c iiiaui: lo tne
head men of the v lingo, and the drummer
should be something of a diplomat and a
good mixer.
During the past ir T I,.. i. . .
I Ing chiefly In Northern Europe along the
..;, ui .uuuucrciai invasion.
I am told that our sales arc Increasing
n Southern Europe as well, and that there
is a big field there for the American drnra
.er"?e are a,reau sending something
like S0.000.0CO worth of stnff every 1 ear to
Autrla-Hungarj
AMERICAN REAPER IN
THE DANUBE VALLEY.
The American reaper and mowe- is now
cutting the wheat along the Danube our
flour-milling machinery i ued in Euda
pest, the Minneapolis of Europe; and
lenna is Importing so much American
foods that the home manufacturers are
to Ing to prevent them coralrv- i
T i -. ""
" . ..le same ,th American Vather
and the American shoe, the mechanics
having ri.en up in arms against out fo,"
wear. Indeed, no countrj In Europe I, so
opposed to American products as Austria
Nevertheless. th Government has' rel
chincry to be used In its public improve
ments to the amount of tIOO.000000
I met the other day a man who had Just
come from Barcelona. Spain.
He sajs that city has American street
cars, but they have painted out the Lames
of the American makers and put S'unUh
names in their places.
He sajs that Spain is using Amcrtcin
goods under foreign label", and thjt the
market is now open to American Importa
tions. Spain has a foreign trade of about V1Z.
000.000 a year, and a large share of This
should came to us.
This Is especial y so. as hr th ,,,'-,
ment of the Philinslnes and Pnun t.i
we have become to a certain extent pan-
"" a are last acquiring Spanish speak
Ing commerc'al tra tiers.
fe-J
Our drummers who go to Spain should
be able to speak the language.
They should carrv a Cull line of samples
and should expect to do their business by
talking rather than by letters and cata
logues. The Spaniard reads little, but h likes
to talk, and is always ready to look at
goods.
Theoretically the commercial travcr is
expected to pay a tax in Spain, but he
relJom docs so
There is also a good opening In Portu
gal, but the drummer who goes there must
call on the Governor of the first port at
which he stops and get a residence per
mit This will cost him ti, and If lie
establishes himself for general business
he will have to pay a tax of from 100 to
JSO per arnutn.
SHOULD BE ABLE TO
SPEAK FRENCH OR ITALIAN.
The American drummer will hare little
trouble In Italy if he speaks French cr
Italian, or even Spanish.
He will find a wide-awake rmintrv and
one that Is doing an enormous amount of
filming, mining and manufacturing.
Italy is three times as big as Indiana
-and its population Is more than one-third
that or the united states, it is a country
of wealth, notwithstanding the many
statements that it is poor.
its foreign trade amounts to more than
half a billion dollars a year., and It buys
il-nct nat0000 worth hi coeds annual
mama
N
w&zmi
.-
A
ly. ono-tenth of its purchases being from
th United States.
We send Italy farm machinery, farm
tools, food products and raw materials In
he shape of cotton and other things.
The country lias iO.O.000 spindles in Its
cotton mills, and they turn out a product
or :.000.000 a ear.
There are S0.COJ hands employed In thee
cotton factories and 30.000 hands In the
woolen mills.
A large business Is done in iron and
steel, and also in silk and flour.
At present the branches of our trade
which are selling most are those dealing
in heav farm machinery.
Italy has something like S0030.SCO acres
of farms, and. although parts of the
country, like the plains or Lombardy. are
well cut up by mulberry plantations oml
irrigating ditches, our hay rakes and
reapers and mowers can be used.
The McCormlcks. th Deerincs and a
number of other harvester companies
have their agents on tea grounds, and
they tell mo their trade is increasing.
Ther Is considerable buslcess done In
electrical machinery by the General Elec
tric Company and the WestJngbouse Com
pany. Many or the towns already bare electric
railroads and electric lights, and tele
phones are being put In almost even
where. There Is an American In Florence who
is ca!rg cart.Je fcr acclyleae gas an4
.-'.
Fv
v
' RNJMEMCXN
rf
u
0
there are American Importers la Milan
and Genoa.
WAREHOUSES NEEDED IN
GENOA AND MILAN.
I am told that It WouM pay well to
open American warehouses In both Genoa,
and Milan.
Genoa has direct connection with tho
United States, anj It Is to a large extent
the commercial center of Italj.
It has one or the best harbors or the
Mediterranean Sea. having spent some
thing like SX.CCaOCO during the present
generation on harbor Improvements.
This 1 to be still farther Increased by
a breakwater, which will cost about J4
KO.0CO. I understand that American contractors
have offered to undertake the Job and to
accept bonds in payment thereror.
Milan has something like hair a million
people.
It Is th center of trade for ths Lom
bardy plains, and is a splendid place for
the sale of farming tools and farm machinery-
It has many factories and Its
wholesale honses have connection with ev
ery part of Italy.
A warehouse here could show its goods
to people from all parts of the country,
and If It were managed by Americans who
spoke Italian It would do well.
What Italy neds Is American drum
mers with a know loose -f the Italian lan
'4
flf
i-'vr&
1 -!EiV
5?
M
3
JS
$r
m
-SiS&V..
mEMCJW'
VMDMLK
WUMPS MEEDEDs
lur JMsznDTJJN
'FMRMjSCErtE
S.V-...
.('Jj;i. A
uu
i? n b i . .-a
-i;&i'ii-. u
am
!
Wii
iJ'lls
J
"a5j
IMPORTItlGrHOU&E
guage and of the custom and habits of
the people.
The Italians are slow.
They don't care for catalogues but the)
want to see samples and talk over the
goods face to face with tha seller.
The American drummer should come In
tending to stay until he knows the rlekl
and be willing to take time for hH rales.
You can't hustle an Italian.
At present many American ble-veies are
leing used. Some two-w hefled plows are
sokl and also a few thrashers.
The Italians claim that our thrashing
machines are not economical, they say
they waste the grain, and they therefore
prefer other makes.
We sell some goods to tb Greeks, but
mostly through British. German and Ital
ian merchants, who label them with other
namen.
FOREIGN MIDDLEMAN EARNS
AN ENORMOUS PROFIT.
The American exporter has thus to pay
a big profit to the foreign middlemen, and
he loses the chance of making a reputation
for his good", as the trade-marks are
changed.
As It K four-fifths of the American
goods sent to Greece are handled In this
way. American commercial salesmen
should visit Greece in person and work
the country, accompanied by their sam
ple trunks.
The Greeks want the best and they will
pay ror It ir they know they are going to
get it.
The Europeans give them long credit,
but I am told that many or the Greek
merchants are unreliable, and that every
customer should be fully Investigated.
This trade might be prospected by the
American drummer stationed In Italy. It
takes but a day or so to cross the Medi
terranean from Italy to Greece.
The best place to stop Is Athens, where
there are excellent accommodations at a
ccst of S3 a day.
Greece Is a small country, and It can be
easily worked.
At present we are annually selling the
Greeks about 15,000 bales of cotton.
They bu our calicoes aJ obuUrfs,
"
.
3
.
TS
. ja i i
s. & & w
TSS6D
r-2&mt
SifllBN
K?3fc2sgH
mm
MT, Sloscowi
watcher nnd Jewelry sewing midlines anl
tpo rilers and also our farm tools ami
farming machinery.
In return we annually Import from then
from fifteen to twenty thousand tons oC
seedless raisins, known as Zante currants.
THE BALKAN STATES
AND TURKEY.
The Balkin Stales of Sen la. Bulgarlaj
ami rtoumanla are all us"ng more or less
American goo-It
Their total trails, however. Is small, antl
It will not par our commercial travelers
to work tho territory.
It can bo managed by the agencies at
Buda-I'eth or from Constantinople or
OdessB, it American firms have corre
spondents and agents at those places.
The countries are very backward and
sooner or biter they are bound to Use our
farm tools and our heavy farm machin
ery. AMERICAN GOODS ON i
EXHIBITION AT CONSTANTINOPLE.
Speaking of American warehouses
abroad one has recently been opened la
Constrntlnopl".
It Is known as the American Oriental
Agency and it nandies zoods on commlv
shn. It rhow the g3odi In Its warehouses,
and when sold It pays the American ex
porter for them, taking Its commissions
out o( the sales.
This warehouse has all sorts of agricul
tural machlner) and farm tools.
It Is band'Ing windmills, pumps; lamps.
Jewelry and stationery supplies, as well
as sew'ng machines, tvpewriters. clocks
and watches, and American notion.
Turkey is no-v b-iing considerable hard
ware ot the United States.
Five hundred large agricultural ma
chines were sold there last year.
New openings are coming up as to rail
road materials, although the supplies ror i
the concerslon recently granted for
road from Constantinople to the Persian
Guir will probably come from Germanr
There are also openings in Asiatic Tur
key. Palestine and Egypt, but these I
will refer to In my next letter, which will
describe a trip around the world with th
FRANK G. CTATp;rVTTTT
C jri tu'
y
-r
f
-v.
I
Jf
L
1 "J C Carstaijn,
xs. f
