HARDWOOD RECORD 



17 



more in the nature of effusions of a mock patriotic nature than 

 of actual value to business men in solution of their new problems. 

 On the other hand, there was a vast deal of information and in- 

 numerable suggestions which offered really helpful hints as indicating 

 the proper procedure and legitimate courses to pursue in rounding 

 up what may well be considered legitimately new trade abroad. 



It has been generally admitted, however, that the only possible 

 way of actually getting at the problem, after carefully reviewing and 

 studying all phases in question, is to personally and exhaustively in- 

 vestigate the foreign markets at first hand. 



Seemingly this condition has been fully realized by commercial 

 bodies all over the country. Hardwood Eecord has been deeply 

 gratified during the last few months to note the activity in this di- 

 rection as reported by its correspondents in representative cities 

 of industrial and commercial reputation in the North, East, South 

 and West. Almost every news letter sent in for publication in this 

 issue contained a report of a 

 meeting of some commercial body, 

 representative of the best busi- 

 ness element of the representative 

 cities, the purpose and plans of 

 which meetings have been in eacli 

 case to fully work out the possi- 

 bilities of developing new busi- 

 ness in heretofore uncultivated 

 fields. 



In every instance, also, the jiro- 

 cedure has been entirely sane, the 

 suggestions have been reasonable 

 and the tone of the meetings 

 definitely shows that American 

 business men are going about the 

 solution of this problem not in a 

 haphazard, loose and unbusiness- 

 like manner, but are taking the 

 problem up logically and scien- 

 tifically with the idea of estab- 

 lishing not a temporary trade, 

 but one which will be continued 

 for the years to come, because 

 based on sound business princi- 

 ples and right dealing. 



American business men have 

 been in ill repute, and probably 

 justifiably so, because of their 

 lax method of handling foreign 

 trade. They have not followed 

 out their opportunities, that is, 

 as a whole, in the careful, pains- 

 taking way which they require. They have not taken the trouble to 

 adapt their methods to the methods in vogue in the countries in whieU 

 they have attempted to do business. However, in the present instance 

 they seem to have realized their past shortcomings, and if the plans 

 now being mapped out are carried to completion along the lines which 

 are being formulated, a new era will be developed in tlie relations of 

 the American business man to the foreign consumer. 



What One Month's Figures Show 



THE STATISTICS OF IMPORTS AND EXPORTS for August 

 of this year have been published and they show the effect of the 

 war on trade between the United States and certain countries which 

 are now at war, and between ourselves and others which are not 

 directly involved. August was the first month of hostilities, and fig- 

 ures for the two months since then are not yet available, but the 

 tendency of trade is indicated. In August, 1913, we exported articles 

 to Austria aggregating in value $1,026,386, and during tlie same 

 month this year not one dollar's worth went to that country. Our 

 imports for August last year from Austria were worth $1,485,616, 

 and this year $880,506. 



If so, read 



Pass It Along 



Will you spend ten cents to help business? 

 this and give us your co-operation. 



We believe that fully ninety per cent of the present 

 depression results from thinking war instead of thinking 

 business. We believe not only that the removal of the 

 chief stimulus to the thoughts of the war and its dire 

 consequences will mean a tremendous forward stride for 

 the business of this country, but also that it is entirely 

 feasible to remove this cause of calamity talk and pes- 

 simistic thinking. 



It Is our unalterable conviction that the daily press of 

 the country through everlastingly forcing the sordid de- 

 tails of the war upon the sensationally inclined American 

 public, is keeping the war thoughts at a high pitch. 

 While realizing the tremendous news value of war stories 

 and so-called news, we believe the press of the country 

 can be made to see the sound business sense and money 

 profit for them in strangling the scare-head war head- 

 lines, relegating every stick of war news to the second 

 and succeeding pages, making the outside of the paper, 

 at least, look like a normal issue, thus restoring the 

 American public to a condition approaching at least the 

 normal, and preventing the hysteria of war talk. 



If you will spend ten cents, what we want you to do is 

 to select the names of three strong business acquaint- 

 ances, not necessarily lumbermen; call in your stenog- 

 rapher now before you forget it, and dictate first a letter 

 to the morning and evening paper you read, along the 

 lines of the above suggestion, and then write to your 

 friends making exactly the same proposition to them 

 that we have made to you. Can you see what this will 

 result in? 



We have sent this as a letter to 200 lumbermen. If 

 each man writes to three friends it will mean within a 

 few days 600 letters, and each one of those three friends 

 written to will write three more friends requesting them 

 to follow the work right along. In a few days there will 

 be an endless chain which will result in thousands of let- 

 ters to the daily press, which would bring great pressure 

 upon them to induce them to follow this course. 



If you lend your assistance to this effort, the results 

 of our letter will be multiplied a hundredfold. Are you 

 with us? HARDWOOD RECORD. 



Practically all of that was upon the way when the war began, 

 and reached our ports later. The exports to Belgium for August 

 last year were valued at .$9,322,252, and this year they fell to $432,- 

 527. 



Regarding our trade with Germany, the August export figures last 

 year were $21,301,274; this year $68,737; Russia, last year $1,367,- 

 805 as exports; this year $76,680. The ports of Austria, Germany and 

 most of those of Russia were blockaded immediately after the begin- 

 ning of hostilities, which accounts for the almost total stopping of 

 their foreign trade. Belgium was not cut off from the sea, but 

 internal affairs were so serious that trade immediately stopped. 



France and Great Britain have control of the seas at present, 

 and it is interesting to note, from a trade standpoint, what that 

 means in a crisis like that which the world is now passing through. 

 In August last year France exported to the United States merchan- 

 dise valued at $10,750,624, and this year to the value of $7,420,800. 



That was a decline of only one- 

 fourth. Great Britain, including 

 England, Ireland, and Scotland, 

 sent us during August last year 

 goods worth $38,355,184, and for 

 the same month this year, $32,- 

 951,250, which is a falling off of 

 only fourteen per cent. Great 

 Britain's exports to this country 

 declined in almost exactly the 

 same ratio as its imports from us. 

 Denmark, Netherlands, Nor- 

 way, Portugal, Spain, and Rou- 

 mania shipped more products to 

 this countr}' in August this year 

 than last, while Norway slightly 

 increased its purchases from us, 

 and Greece increased its nearly 

 tenfold. Great changes have 

 occurred in the foreign trade of 

 many countries which are not en- 

 gaged in the war and are in little 

 danger of being dra^vn in. Our 

 imports from other countries of 

 North America show substantial 

 increase when August of this 

 year is compared with the same 

 month in 1913, but our exports 

 to these countries have decUned. 

 The same state of affairs exists 

 with regard to our trade with 

 South America. We are buy- 



ing more from them and are 

 selling them less than a year ago. Our trade with Asia as 

 a wliole has declined in both imports and exports. With 

 the islands of Oceanica it is still more apparent that we 

 are not holding our own. Comparing August this year with 

 that of last, we have bought twice as mueli from them and sold them 

 only half as much. Such a balance of trade against us is not 

 desirable. With Africa as a whole the situation is not encouraging 

 from our standpoint. The balance of trade there is slightly in our 

 favor, but it is not large. The fact may not be generally known, 

 but so far as area may be taken as a measurement, Africa is at 

 present more involved in the war than Europe. Ninety-five per cent 

 of the continent is arrayed on one side or the other in the conflict. 

 One-half of Asia, two-fifths of North America, and more than ninety- 

 five per cent of Oceania are belligerents in the war. 



Summing up our trade relations with the whole world, in a com- 

 parison of August this year with the same month in 1913, it is 

 found that we have lost $7,883,663 in our import trade, and $77,539,- 

 780 in our export trade. For August 1913 the trade balance was 

 $50,257,467 in our favor, for August this year it is $19,398,650 

 against us. 



