IS BRITAIN LOSING GROUND ?

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3192, 11 April 1911, Page 2

IS BRITAIN LOSING GROUND ?

IN THE EACH FOR COMMERCIAL SUPREMACY.

Lord Furness. in> a letter published m “The Times” in February last, writing as a convinced Freetrader, gave it as his deliberate opinion “that unless we apply ourselves assiduously and nationally to develop our commercial methods on the highest possible plane, we cannot hope to hold our own —it would be a natural impossibility.’ Commenting on this in a special arti- 1 e’e “The. Times” said:—“We have, in Germany and in the United States alike, a policy of commercial education than which it is difficult to conceive anything better calculated to attain the end desired—namely, the extension of knowledge of the requirements of markets and the cautunng of foreign, trade by adaptation to local demands. And it may be added that, in the opinion of Americans well quaiitied to judge, Germany is regarded as America’s chief competitor in Europe. Mr. Dunning, the American Consul at Havre, who was summoned last year to Chicago to help forward the proposed Consular reforms, paid a high tribute of the success of the German system of working through living representatives instead of through catalogues. The rapid growth of German trade.' indeed, is very largely attributable to the great pains taken by the young Germans entering on a commcrial career to master foreign languages. Not content, with the spoken word, the Germans take care to bring before their prospective customers the merits of their wares by means of publications in the languages of the countries in which they seek to do business. One* of these, the latest issue of which lies before its, is published fortnightly-in Berlin. Edited bv a German Consul, this periodical, which is printed in English throughout, claims' to circulate over the whole globe, and it is a. very effective means of making known the merits of German productions of every description. “This is but an illustration of the intelligence with which our German neighbors are. setting about their business —an entirely legitimate one—of increasing their trade. A thousand more could bo adduced, but there is no need to labor the point. While German thoroughness has long been proverbial, it is only recently that we. have come to realise that the '.Tr”.anes>c are, if possible, in this respect more German than the Germans. Here, again, we are confronted wit’i the neorssit” for serious search in "Si of heart in regard to hui' irothods of fostering and prompting our trade. 'With such riva’s in the field there can he no markinw time. We must either go : forward or he left behind in tire raceb and avc should _do well to listen, to the urgent and disinterested plea of men like Lord Furness, to equip ourselves for the contest while there is yet time ”