It

their northern ally, which they expect to take part in developing. is the fourth gold-producing country in the world, coming next to Australia, the United States, and South Africa. It furnishes 96 per cent of the world's product of platinum, the latter metal being found only in the Ural, while gold occurs both there and in Siberia. Coal, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, and other mineral deposits are practically unlimited in the Ural and Siberia; and the great industrial nations of the world are invited to furnish machinery for developing this enormous wealth. France has already had substantial proofs of the favors she will receive in this comparatively new field of industry, as Russia's purchases of firearms have recently been transferred from England to this country.

A prominent French writer has recently declared that "it is now more imperative than ever before for the nations to enlarge their fields of commerce." Another, commenting upon the work before the new Bureau of Foreign Commerce, said that

The incessant fluctuations of trade and industry and the infinite discoveries of science demand a degree of ability, mental activity, watchfulness, unity of action, promptness of decision, and boldness of enterprise which is hardly consistent with the bureaucratic formality and lack of personal responsibility in a department of

state.

It is cited that 20,000 English ships entered the nineteen treaty ports of China last year, against 174 from France and 2, 140 from Germany. However, it is said that trade is breaking out of its old channels, and Arthur Chamberlain, a brother of the British Secretary of State for the Colonies, is quoted as asserting that Constantinople last year bought $50,000,000 worth of firearms from Germany which formerly would have been purchased from England.

It is generally accepted that nations must look to colonies for new outlets for their manufactures, as competition has brought the cost of production down so low that countries can not add much to their wealth working over old fields. They believe the stopping point has been reached in cheapness of production, and now that the demand from the home market has been supplied, the only opportunity for further expansion lies in the foreign markets. "Our commercial exchanges must stop at our frontiers unless we can enter new fields" is an opinion which was frequently expressed when the new Bureau of Foreign Commerce was created.

China, which is believed by many to be soon destined to undergo a division among the powers, is considered one of the most tempting fields for future enterprise. The work of the commission sent by the business men of this city to China is still being vigorously followed up. The commercial German mission to the East recently opened in Berlin, for the private inspection of the business men of

Germany, a collection of five thousand or more specimen articles gathered in China, Korea, and Japan, for the purpose of showing what European and American goods are sold in the East and what goods are manufactured there; and to inform the Germans what they will have to compete with in exporting to the East and what they can import from there in return.. England's two recent missions to China, reported by Mr. Blackburn and Mr. Litton, contain invaluable aid for the expansion of British trade in the East. France is trying to keep abreast of the other great powers in the struggle for the markets of a population of from 350,000,000 to 400,000,000 people, forming a nation which, to quote from a great European authority, "is the most potential market in the world." Whether this tremendous market shall be a feeder to Russia's Trans-Siberian Railroad, to England through Hongkong, to Germany through Kyaochau, or to France from Tonkin, is the momentous problem of the coming century.

An economic writer says of the French Bureau of Foreign Com

merce:

Though it pertains to the Ministry of Commerce, it is nevertheless independent of the Government; it has its own identity, its own autonomy.

Its work is supplementary to the Government department. It seeks to combine individual exertion and direct individual enterprise into profitable channels; and its one definite object is to extend the commerce of France into the markets of the entire world.

JOHN C. COVERT,

LYONS, July 11, 1898.

Consul.

THE CONSULAR SERVICE AS AN AID TO FOREIGN

TRADE.

With its ever-growing foreign commerce, Germany is eager to employ every method to increase its exports. Its consuls are the object of criticism-they are not as careful in collecting information. as are those of other countries; they do not post themselves, and are unable to post merchants and manufacturers at home; they report past conditions instead of projects for the future. Then, again, the reports, by the time they are published, are too old to be of service. Belgium and, above and beyond all countries, the United States understand the importance of carefully compiling and editing and promptly publishing consular reports. In two journals, the Recueil Consulaire and the Bulletin Commercial, Belgium offers its merchants and manufacturers most of the valuable information collected by its consuls. I may add, by way of parenthesis, that our

CONSULAR REPORTS are put into the hands of every chamber of commerce in Belgium, and that notices are published in the papers to the effect that they will be found in the reading rooms of the said chambers of commerce.

There has recently been a movement in Belgium to improve its own service. Consuls are urged to keep the Home Government posted as to openings in all foreign markets. Not only are the facts to be furnished, but consuls are to express opinions as to how to extend trade. This information, it is urged, should be put at the disposal of the Home Government as early as possible. All reports of an important character are to be sent by direct post, rather than by the roundabout ways hitherto in vogue. Diplomatic attachés are to be urged to aid the consuls in preparing reports, etc. Apropos of this plan is one designed by France. To aid her export trade, the French Republic is to appoint Frenchmen living in other countries as foreign commercial counselors (conseillers au commerce exterieur), whose function it shall be to give information about the industrial, economic, and commercial districts in which. they are located; also to send reports, from time to time, on special branches of trade to the French Department of Commerce. This information is to be published, immediately upon its arrival, in the official papers, or is to be put at the disposal of interested parties, especially of those asking for the facts. The most important questions relate to possibilities of opening markets for French goods, descriptions of articles suited to the country, trade routes, packing, etc. They are also to supply names of reliable parties to act as agents, report as to commercial customs, methods of payment, and efforts of competitors-in short, everything that in any way may interest French trade. These counselors are to supplement the work of the consuls.

German journalists are asking whether such a system would not aid the foreign commerce of their own country. My impression is that nothing can take the place of a careful, hard-working consul who knows the language of the place.

CHEMNITZ, June 21, 1898.

J. C. MONAGHAN,

Consul.

GLASS INDUSTRY IN GERMANY.

An extract from the annual report of the Oberfranken Chamber of Commerce for the year 1897 is translated as follows:

The trade in polished mirror glass is much duller than in previous years. The export to America has diminished to a large extent; and, although all the Bavarian factories of polished glass worked only one-third of the time agreed upon (ten

H

and one-half months), still the warehouses of the Association of Bavarian MirrorGlass Manufacturers at Fürth became so overstocked that it was finally concluded to dissolve the association, because the burden of mutual guaranty became too heavy for many members. The stock of the association had to be sold at a loss, and since that time a system of price shaving has set in which, as a final result, will drive out of the market the weaker firms, if no change for the better comes in the business of glass manufacturing. It is most desirable that the duty now imposed by America upon polished glass be reduced, in order to facilitate exports of this product of our country.

The intention of the report seems to be to show that the Dingley bill has crippled the glass industry of Germany, and made the export of higher quality glass under the present circumstances almost impossible.

This complaint is not a new one. The report of the chamber of commerce at Fürth for the year 1896, issued in September, 1897, contains a similar statement, perhaps even stronger. It was claimed in that article that the export of polished mirror glass from Fürth had become a thing of the past, on account of the exceedingly high duty imposed by the Dingley bill; and it is further asserted that, although the unsilvered glass can be exported at a much lower rate of duty, even this has proven unprofitable, owing to the fact that the article becomes dulled in transit and needs such a costly repolishing at its destination that it absorbs all the profits of the exporter.

But real facts show the great exaggeration of the report, and do not bear out the statements. Either the apprehension as to the prospective dullness of unsilvered glass proved to be unfounded, or a better and more solid manufacturing process has been discovered. At any rate, the fact stands that the export of polished glass has not diminished. I admit that the digest of the invoice book for the quarter ending June 30 next will show on its face a decrease of $60,000 from the corresponding quarter of last year, which amounted to $322,721.57. But if we consider that the polished glass, now exported unsilvered, is naturally valued lower than the finished material, and also that the American importers overstocked their warehouses with foreign glass last year, in anticipation of the increased duty when the Dingley tariff should go into effect, the apparent decrease is readily explained.

This overstocked condition of the markets had, as a matter of course, a retrogressive effect on imports for some time after the passage of the Dingley bill. But the exports from Fürth-the principal center in Germany for polished glass, founded now on a sound and firm commercial basis-show for every month a marked increase, which furnishes a clear and satisfactory proof that this industry has been but temporarily affected and is now receiving greater impetus

than ever before.

It may be observed that Germany, four-fifths of whose population sixty or seventy years ago consisted of farmers, is rapidly becoming an industrial nation; and this change is opening a most excellent and ready market to our American products. The large landowners, once the almost exclusive masters of wealth, are demanding from the Government special legislation for their protection; but they can not check the industrial progress which the country is making. Every year, less help is granted the farmer, and the advisability of importing Chinese laborers for farm work has already been considered and seriously discussed by the German press.

With the beginning of spring, the young population of many farming districts migrate from the east to the west of Germany to get employment in the large manufacturing establishments there, which pay them threefold higher wages than the farmers will give. EDMOND Z. BRODOWSKI,

FÜRTH, June 27, 1898.

Consul.

SHIPPING OF GERMANY.

Under date of June 17, 1898, Consul Monaghan, of Chemnitz,

says:

The number of vessels going in and out of German ports is constantly increasing. The passenger ships, freight vessels, and large fishing boats numbered in 1896, the last year for which I find figures, 147,536, with a tonnage of 32,046,888, an increase of 13,706 ships and 600,000 tons over 1895. Compared with the shipping of twenty years previous, the figures show twice the number of ships and almost three times as much tonnage. More important than these figures are those that show the number of ships that went in and out laden with the Empire's products and bringing foreign raw materials; there was 83 per cent increase in the number of laden ships and 152 per cent increase in the number of registered tons. As interesting as the foregoing are the figures dealing with ocean voyages of ships. entering and leaving German ports. Of these, there were, in 1875, 45,302 ships with 8,604,610 tons; in 1896, 82, 268 ships with 36,179,455 tons; laden ships in 1875, 33,233 with 6,940, 155 tons; laden ships in 1896, 67,605 with 32,810,956 tons. This is indicative of marvelous progress. The growth in one year (1895-96) is almost 10 per cent. Ships ply to Denmark, Russia, Brazil, eastern Asia, the west coast. of South America, to Australia, England, India, Africa, and North America. Economic writers call attention to the fact that the Empire, in its trade with South America, has emancipated itself from English ships. The greatest tonnage and largest ships are engaged