AMERICAN TRADE ABROAD

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 25, 1877

AMERICAN TRADE ABROAD.

The trade circular recently issued from the State Department to our diplomatic and consular officers has had considerable effect in causing those officers to make renewed efforts for the enlargement of our commerce in their several districts. The consul at Liverpool writes to the Department that he thinks that, besides the trade in American beef, a large trade could be done in American poultry, by exporting it to England either alive or dead. He gives the prices of turkeys, at wholesale, at fifteen cents per pound, and chickens at sixteen cents. He states that the American poultry is far superior to the English, and would therefore sell readily.

The consul at Amsterdam sends an interesting report on the leather manufacture of his district, in which he states that, instead of being exporters to America, as formerly, one of the largest of the leather houses now imports American goods into Holland. He also states that not content with importing leather, the same house had also begun to import New England shoes, for the European manufacturers cannot compete with the New Englanders either in price or quality; and that besides sending large orders for shoes, the junior partner of the firm referred to was about leaving for the United States to perfect and enlarge their business relations with American manufacturers.

In response to the same circular, an interesting report has been received from the United States consul at Frankfort-on-the-Main, on the prospects for an extension of American trade in Eastern, Central, and Southern Germany. He appears to be of opinion that the present time is peculiarly favorable for the introduction and sale of American productions in that part of Germany; that although the people are disinclined to accept innovations, yet this obstacle will readily yield to the great law of profit and pecuniary interest which governs commerce; and that the existing plethora of grain, the languishing state of skilled productions, and the low rates of duty prevailing, especially invite our producers and manufacturers to find a profitable market there.

The consul at Havre reports, in reply to the same circular, that he has continually endeavored to induce shipments of our products, such as hides, pork, bacon, corn, &c., into his district. As an example of what a consul can do in forwarding the commerce of the country he represents, he states that, by inducing a few of the people of his district to feed Indian corn to the cattle in lieu of the small native grains, the trade in that article to Havre rose from a few samples in 1875 to 46,278 bushels in 1876, and for the first seven months of this year to over half a million of bushels; some of which was raised in the Mississippi valley, floated down that river to New Orleans, and shipped from thence direct to Havre. If this course was followed by the majority of our consuls, our trade with foreign countries would increase to such proportions as to soon cause us to bid farewell to “hard times,” especially if their efforts were seconded by corresponding attempts of our manufacturers and merchants to follow out their suggestions.

The fact that Congress failed to make any provision looking to the participation of the United States in the French Exhibition has given rise to considerable apprehension lest those Americans who were desirous of exhibiting should be deprived of this pleasure and its anticipated profit; but it seems that a way has been opened by which applications for space at the Exhibition can be made and granted without waiting for the action of Congress, which may not be taken until after the opening of the regular session in December. It is stated that about one thousand applications have been sent to our legation in Paris, which the French Government have heretofore refused to consider because they had no official indorsement by our government, but the authorities have now consented to waive this formality, and these applications and all others received through the legation will be received and acted upon. This seems to be as effective, in opening the doors of the Exhibition to our inventors and manufacturers, as a formal acceptance by our government of the invitation of the French Government would be. There is plenty of time for such formal acceptance hereafter.