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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1915)
nHjvw "CtfiFWM Thffrppj&moner 10. VOL. 35, X0. 6 1 pp '- r ft V '4 ' t t K. i Et b Kt L jf If- T- MKV. 'i ! w- ' ,, 1 fey Lv IT" 5 "i; fav- itt make so certain the investment of United States capital fntUosG countries, as laws of substantial" uniformity relating td commerce and finance, particularly 'in sUClv matters as trade-marks arid patents, consular invoices, bills of- lading, rcgu-' latlon df commercial travelers', admission of sam ples', and rafcny features of the custom laws, bills of exchange, uniform monoy standard, and va-' rious other things Which "it is riot necessary to enumerate. I desire to appdirit a committee, consisting of one member selected by the delega tion of each country represented here, td consider th question of uniform laws and submit a report before the close of the Conference. I -would sug gest that this committee consider a recommenda tion that a high commission, consisting of repre sentatives of each government, be created for this purpose. Such a commission, rioting under the authority of the various governments', could go thoroughly and intelligently into these im portant matters and recommend appropriate legislation. The future of the western hemisphere gives promise of a practical and altruistic leadership that will in time powerfully and beneficially in fluence the course of world events. We have only to keep a clear vision,' to cultivate the spirit of mutual helpfulness, to combine with our prac tical materialism a noble 'arid humane idealism, to stand firmly for high moral principles, and to maintain unfalteringly the sacred rights of hu manity. Let us hope that this great conference many contribute to that end! ADDRESS OF POSTMASTER-GENERAL BURU3SON Address of Honorable Albert- S. Burleson, postmaster general of thq United States, before the Pan-American Financial Conference, May-, 1915: Mr. Chairman, and Gentlemen of the Pan American Conference: It gives mo pleasure to have this opportunity to assuro the members of- this conference that the post office department of the United States' will use its utmost endeavor, and avail itself of every facility to remove obstacles if can f each, which interfere with the satisfactory trade con ditions between the countries of the western hemisphere. It goes without saying that satis factory trade relations between two countries can not exist unless they have the aid of an effi cient postal service. Recognizing this fact, when I was called to the head of the post office department, I directed my attention at once to the condition of postaL affairs existing between the United States and other countries of North, Central and South America. The letter postage rate ex'istirtg at tins time between the United States and Central and South America was fixed by the Universal Postal Congress, which convened in Rome in 19 Off It became operative in 1907, and it fixed the postal rate for letters at five cents for the first ounce or fraction thereof, and three cents for each addi tional ounce or fraction thereof. LOWER POSTAL RATES But by special conventions the United States established a two cent rata between the United States and the other countries of North America. These countries found it mutually advantageous. I do not say that it was the cause of satisfactory trade relations growing up- between them; but much more satisfactory conditions exist between the United States and the other countries of North. America than between the United States and the countries of South America. , Believing that I should do everything I could to improve the postal facilities between the Unifed States 'and the countries of Central and South America, I caused to be addressed to each of -those countries a proposal that they should be given the advantages of the domestic rate of two cents, just as it existed between the United States and Mexico and the United States and Canada. Unfortunately, the European war came on, and the countries of South America and Central America found it inadvisable, from their stand point, to make any change in the postal. rate, be cause, as they believed, it would diminish their postal revenues which they were unwilling to suffer at this time. But, gentlemen, the opportunity will be given your countries again, immediately upon the ces sation of this horrible war across .the waters, for then I purpose again to press it upon the atten tion of cacli Central American and South Amer-r ica.n. country, that they ought to avail thqmselves Of ,an opportunity to enjoy the.domestic rate, of two centson letters going from this, country, and whatever Che domestic rate ,1s fa' , their .country; for letters coming from their country to the United States. I confidently believe that, if they would entei" into this arrangement with the United States, the' increase in the volume of business would result in an increase in the volume of mail mattery wliich Would morethan offset the postal revenue' that would, be lost by reducing the rate. r belieVe that one postage rate should bG dom mon to every country upon the western liemiff phere; and a letter written in Patagonia, 'dught to go 'up to the furthere'st point in British Colum bia with a stamp of the" same denomination that is used Detw'een this country and Cuba, or .be-, tween our country -and Argentina, or any other' country on this hemisphere. DEVELOPMENT OP PARCELS POST Another thing I soon discovered, gentlemen: When I assumed control of the post office depart ment, we had in this country, recently estab lished, a parcels post system, and it has devel oped somewhat. You will recognize the fact that there has been-without any boasting now, I make -the statement, a phenomenally rapid develop-' ment of this 'service. During the last fiscal year,' wo transported ia this country through, this ser vice more than a billion parcels. I immediately took up with South American and Central American countries the negotiations' of conventions for the transportation of parcels in the post. The United States now has a con vention with every Central and South American country save" two; and yet there has been prac tically no development of the parcels post traffic between this country and: Central and South America. The last fiscal year we sent from this country to all off South and Central America, ana the West Indies, only 250,942 parcels, a small er number than is sent' out in the forenoon of on'e day in some of the cities of the United States. And what is the cause of that? Why is it that traffic between the United States and Central arid South American countries can not be developed' through the" paTcels post system? Under the op eration of the' servie'e in the United States I have told you of the development that we have4 had here. 'Only a casual investigation will convince' one that the failure to develdp the traffic with our neighbors is the lack, first, of frequent and reg ular steamship transportation facilities; second, proper banking facilities; and third, conventions between the United States -and Central and South. American countries for an, exchange of money orders. You can understand this lack of devel opment when you are told we have only one line of steamers between the United States and South America and that sailings take place at infre quent intervals. You can understand that we can. not develop a parcel post service without the assistance of an efficient money order service. And, do you know, that at this time there is a money order convention of the United States with only three Central American countries, and with only four of the great countries of South America? I have said great countries of South America. I am not going to name them but these conventions are not with the great countries- of South Amer ica, but with four of the smaller ones. Now gentlemen, there is a reason for this. These ' countries have been given the opportunity, time and time again to enter these conventions, and the matter has been taken up by the authorities: of the United States with each of the directors or controllers- of postal affairs of various coun tries, of South and Central Ameriqa, and the ad vantages of this service have been pointed out to them Two of the countries of South America do not even have a domestic system of money orders, but all of them, save these two, have a very efficient domestic system of money orders and yet, as I tell you, we have a money order ex change convention with only seven countries of Latin America. One of the reasons why we da not have it is the varying standards by which values are measured as well as their wide and frequent fluctuations. Before we can have satis factory money order conventions between the United States and all the countries of Central aS Soutlv America there must be established in this country In my judgment, a banking facility that will enable us to have exchange in dollars and not in pounds sterling. ""ars ana Gentlemen, I have given in brief the ontit the conditions of postal affairs, as between our country, my country, and the various n.i of Central and South America I ? fairiv hM factory trade relation are to be estab iL?i i tween these-various countries, we must hi L" ttet S,tal 8rCe bW eaecl?U!aUmVaGn ln;y; opinion, the.firstjthing that must be done ia. the establishment of nronor w and reguIar'Wamship-transportation' fnSen not for the advantage of the : United St,f J llV; itf my opfnfonvthis 'oW to be , dow Tin on ' foJ' tlon between the countries of South AmerW6' the United mates, or between the eitoSS d countries- or South America and the 5 JfZ lhe. the United States. Not" for th ?advantaK! a? J over the other, tut for1 the mutual I beS of J? Then good' banking facilities and postal J' tions'and we are in sight of the goal Wla" . So' far afc I am concerned, gentlemen t im, . now covered the subject matter which the sS tary of the treasury gave me to discuss. Si 1 want to assure you. of every endeavor of nC as-postmaster general to improve the nostii cilities between- the United States and tt countries of South and Central America. Thisr is a most important conference If von gentlemen do youT work Well, in my opinion the result will not onry provfc of lasting benefit to our countries, but it will the more firmly cement the sincere friendship which at this time happily ex ists between all of the countries of North Central and South. America. ' SECRETARY ItEDFIELD'S ADDRESS Remarks of Hon. William C. Redflekl, secre tary of commerce, at the Pan-American Financial Conference, Washington, tr C, May 24, 1915: I should do Injustice to you and to myself if I did not, express first a pleasure and second a hope. The -pleasure is- tliat which is common to myself 'and toy colleagues in the government of the United; States in having- you here where we can meet one anoth'er face to face and hand to han'd; Where we can' tallr together of needs and opportunities- and come by personal contact into that thorough understanding Which it is difficult to' reach. in any other way." The hope that is in' my mind is that this conference shall not be one merely of pleasant fellowship and even of de lightful association leading to happy memories but that it shall be the beginning of tangible things'upon which there sfaall'be built a structure of mutual! self-help' that shall long endure to our common' good. Out'df th'e- words that shall here be snoken- let lis' tiotlr' intend and' strive that deeds' 'Shall caine, acts Which shall bo effective and 4lastmgr tracing- their genesis to this honor able sourcev - ' With' this-'back-ground, therefore, of pleasure and hope so inadequately and briefly expressed, let me discuss with' you matters of mutual con cern. MISCONCEPTION OF BUSINESS First of all, therefore, we will speak frankly of certain misconceptiqns, and will begin with one of our own. Too m.uch in this country it is the habit for business concern, to- insist when making sales upon cash, with documents. This means, of course, where goods, must travel far that the seller is in possession of his money long before the buyer has opportunity even to receive the goods,, much less to ' sell' them and get paid for them. It is obvious that this process carried to an extreme would" require an- abnormal propor tion of free money on the part of the buyer and a, considerable loss of interest and use of same because it would (be tied up while the goods which it represented were still in transit. There are, to be sure, business houses that prefer to buy their goods this way because it permits them not only to take advantage of cash discounts but to give them that power in, buying which is always his, whet has the money ready with which imme diately to ,pay. The method, however, is one which is- not possible to many a solvent merchant, and thk being so, ft Is restrictive of the opera tions both of the seller and of the buyer. In so far as t arises- from ignprance, as .it often does, it indicates to some degree the extent to which such ignorance acts a a handicap to the seller. In so far as it arises from distrust of responsible hpuses, it is almost an impropriety provided such distrust could be removed by available means of information; and if there wer.e no reason for the distrust, tlien Js the seller doubly hurt, both be cause he ha& made a business mistake in feeling the distrust and because he is hampered by tno ignorance out of which it arises. There arer as1 every business man knows or may know, houses in every important city in the world a debt from whom is a good asset, an with reasonable care American business concerns should be and many are willing to sell on open account as they do at home. The extending long credits, concerning which much is sam, seems to me, however, a function rather or tne banker than of the manufacturer. The latter is himself the victim of short credits.. He must pay lU. . i inj