PREFACE THIS volume is the result of years of teaching foreign trade courses to university students. It is based upon personal investigations of the work carried on by governmental institutions and by private concerns as well as upon a careful study of the literature of the subject. The author has aimed to give a comprehensive account of the public and private aspects of international merchandising, both in its underlying principles and in its practical application. The first part of the book deals with the significance of international trade, with theories and policies, with methods and agencies used by national authorities and by public organizations in order to control and to promote commerce with foreign countries; the second part considers the technique of exporting and importing. Throughout the volume an attempt has been made to eliminate all unessential details, and to combine accuracy of statement with conciseness and clarity of presentation. The author has been materially aided in his task through the information supplied and suggestions offered by many governmental officials in Washington as well as by secretaries of trade organizations and by business men in the various commercial centers of the United States. He expresses herewith his appreciation for this assistance. Special thanks are due to Messrs. Henry Chalmers, Grosvenor M. Jones, John Hohn and Archibald J. Wolfe, of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, and to Mr. Addison E. Southard, of the Consular Commercial Office, 546486 for having read and criticized several chapters of the book when in manuscript form. As the references at the end of each chapter are intended primarily for use by undergraduate college students, the writer has refrained from indicating any other sources of information than those in the English language. It is a regrettable fact, which should be recognized, that the lack of knowledge of foreign languages makes other literature unavailable to the majority of American students. While this volume is intended as a text book, the author hopes that it may prove of service to American business men whose merchandising interests lie beyond the confines of our own country. URBANA, ILL. August, 1923 SIMON LITMAN |