50 



The National Geographic Magazine 



United States amount to over two bill- 

 ion dollars every year. Nearly all of 

 these importations are of the very class 

 of goods ivhich zve watit to sell — foodstuffs, 

 textiles, mineral oils, machinery, and 

 manufactures of all kinds; yet our sales 

 to these grand divisions in the best year 

 of our commerce, 1900, only amounted 

 to about $200,000,000, or 10 per cent 

 of their purchases. The annual im- 

 ports of Asia and Oceania are over a 

 billion dollars, those of Africa over four 

 hundred millions, and those of the coun- 

 tries lying south of the United States 

 about six hundred millions. 



Most of the cities through which these 

 two billion dollars' worth of goods are 

 first distributed lie on the seacoast, and 

 could be readily reached by a fleet of 

 vessels loaded with samples of American 

 products and manufactures. It is well 

 known that the lack of practical know- 

 ledge as to the local trade requirements, 

 such as methods of packing, kind of 

 goods required, length of credit, etc., is 

 the chief obstacle to the introduction of 

 American goods in these countries, and 

 that until this obstacle shall have been 

 overcome we cannot expect to obtain the 

 share in that trade to which our location 

 and facilities of production and manu- 

 facture entitle us. 



If a floating exposition were system- 

 aticall}'' organized, loading one vessel 

 with exhibits of foodstuffs, another with 

 textiles, another with agricultural im- 

 plements and vehicles, another with 

 manufactures of iron and steel, another 

 with household requirements, and an- 

 other with " Yankee notions," and sent 

 from port to port and continent to con- 

 tinent, it should prove highly advanta- 

 geous to our commercial relations with 

 all of the countries visited. 



Every manufacturer or exporter send- 

 ing an exhibit would naturall}^ send with 

 it a capable representative, who could dis- 

 cuss with the local merchant the qualities 

 of his goods and their fitness or unfitness 

 for local markets. 



The coming of an exhibition of this 

 character would attract at each port not 

 only the business men of that citv, but 

 those of other commercial centers in the 

 vicinity, and by this process the whole- 

 sale merchant of the United States would 

 speak face to face with those of every 

 country visited, and in these discussions 

 would learn in a practical way the obsta- 

 cles which now prevent a free interchange 

 of commerce and the methods b}^ which 

 they can be overcome. 



In addition to this, a corps of experts 

 could gather samples of the goods now 

 being sold in the countries visited, the 

 pricesobtained,thelengthof credit given, , 

 the banking and exchange facilities ex- 

 isting and required, and other facts which 

 would prove valuable not only to those 

 directly participating in the enterprise, 

 but to all manufacturers and merchants 

 of the United States, by their exhibition 

 in commercial museums and b}^ published 

 reports. 



THE FINANCING OF A FI^OATING 

 EXPOSITION. 



The financing of an undertaking which 

 contemplates sending a fleet of a half 

 dozen vessels for a two years' voyage 

 around the world appears at first sight a 

 serious problem ; but present conditions 

 seem to be exceptionally favorable. 



The producers, manufacturers, and 

 merchants of the United States are 

 greatly interested in the extension of 

 markets for American goods, and the 

 Bureau of Statistics is daily besieged 

 with inquiries for information bearing 

 upon this subject. The past three years 

 have been exceptional!}^ successful, and' 

 yet have shown the necessity of finding 

 an increased outlet for the surplus which 

 the American manufacturers show them- 

 selves capable of producing, and it seems 

 not unreasonable to believe that they 

 would look upon a reasonable expendi- 

 ture for the extension of trade as money 

 well invested. A great world's fair has 



