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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 1902)
Tracking American Industries Through the Alps 1 1 1 A VI n I j - nwt mi fb I "auai- jnra-an -owiiiw.uwIj '.A L- V i s : jiia. rvL. - w.- p VIKW OF LUCERNE SHOWING AMERICAN DRUQ STORE SIGN. ALI'INE SALOON, WHERE AMERICAN WHISKY IS SOLD. (Copyright, 1U02, by 1 rENEVA. Dec. L 1 A m nfiw travels In the track clal Invasion. The It has been easily visited all tho largo 'rnnk Q. Carponter.) 11. (Special Corre of tho lice.) I through with my Switzerland along of our commer trall Is freHh and followed. I liavo Swiss cities and And American goods everywhere sold; but there Is no place where In both variety and quantity their sales might not be Increiwed many fold. As It is now our goods are making headway chiefly by their excel lency. They are tho best of their kind and their very exhibition makes a sale. The trouble with many article Is that the Swiss do not see them. Their only knowl edge of them comes from pictures In the English catalogues sent out from the United States. Many of the merchants can't read English and only the fewest' will buy from catalogues. The Swiss are thrifty and cautions in let ting go of their money. Their acquisitive sense Is as strongly developed as that of any people of the world. It was of a Ge neva woman that this story Is told. She was drowned In the lake here and when taken out was apparently lifeless. A mirror was put to her lips, but there was no sign of vapor upon It. Her flesh was cold, her pulse seemed dead. They were about to put her In a coffln'when a French drummer who had been doing business In the city and had come In contact with the close-fisted meth ods of the Swiss merchants, snld: "Walt a moment. 1 can bring her to life." lie thereupon took out a 5-frnne piece and laid it In her palm. The fingers convulsively grasped the silver and the woman sat up and put It In her pocket. I do not vouch for the truth of this story, but there is no doubt that the Swiss under stands the value of the dollar and that he will not give it up without he is sure he Is going to get more than an equivalent in re turn. He will not buy sight unseen, and if American warehouses or sample rooms could be established In tho different cities of Switzerland they would undoubtedly lead to a rapid Increase of our trade. Such rooms should bo In the charge of men who understand the goods and who can speak at least French anil German and, If possible, Italian. Our people underestimate this market. They look upon Switzerland as little more than a big pimple on the face of Europe. They do not realize that tho Alps embrace some of the liveliest Industrial communities of the continent and some of the very best spenders. Where will you get people who compare with them? They are only a little over 3,000,000 in number, but they have a foreign trade which annually amounts to more than $400,000,000, and of this more thun $220,000,000 are imports. That Is, these 3,000,000 odd people buy $220,000,000 worth of goods every year from outsiders. They spend more than $60 for every man, woman and child In the country or more than $300 per family. This is their annual contribution to the rest of mankind. We talk about the Chinese trade. The wants of one Swiss are more than thoee of a hundred Chinese and the Swiss trade Is right at our doors. Tho people have the Fame wants that we have and every class i f got ds we make for ourselves ought to be sold to them. At present the bulk of our trade Is In cereals, raw cotton, petroleum and machinery, but we ought to send the Swiss everything under the sun. As it Is, some of our goods are gradually creeping In. I have written letters here on Ameri can desks, have bought Ink ribbons of American typewriter stores and I re plenished my camera with American films. I found a drug store In Lucerne which prided Itself on Its American patent medicines, and last, but not least, I warmed my chilled bones with a Jigger of American whisky In a hut saloon on the very top of the Alps. In order to get the trade, however, we must understand the country. We must send our drummers here and let them study the people. I had a chat last night with Mr. Alfred Georg. the secretary of tho Geneva Chamber of commerce. Mr. Georg was at one time connected with the Swiss legation at Washington, so that he understands the United States, and he has at the same time a thorough knowl edge of Switzerland and its commercial relations. Said he: "The United States Is now annually sell ing about $15,000,000 worth of goods to Switzerland. It could sell more were It not for the new regulations which your government has. lately Instituted as to our trade. By the treaty of 1850, under which we have been working for half a century, Switzerland was put under the favored nation clause. All concessions that were granted to other nations was granted to It and as a result we exacted of American Imports our minimum tariff. Then the United States began to grant to other coun tries concessions which It refused to Switzerland. We protested that this was contrary to the treaty and you gave us notice that you would change the treaty, and did so. The result was that we put American goods on the general tariff and your Imports have not gained. What we need Is a rearrangement of our trade re lations and the establishment of something like reciprocity." "But will this Increase our Swiss trade?" "It will. We have to Import many things and our yearly imports run high Into the millions. In 1900 we Imported $J20,000,noo worth of foreign goods and this importa tion must go on from year to year. Much of what we want is raised or made In the United States. We cannot feed ourselves and we must have raw materials. Alto gether we now buy from other countries 40 per cent of all we consume and our Im ports are, in fact, from $30,000,000 to $40, 000,000 more than our exports every year." "If that Is eo," said I, "you seem to be doing a large losing business. If you Im port $220,000,000 a year and only Bell $160, 000,000 your country must be falling away behind every year. Is it not so?" "Yes," replied Mr. Georg. "And this has been going on for years," said I. "According to the statistics Switzer land ought to be bankrupt." "Yes," replied the Swiss, "it ought to be If figures tell the truth, but they do not al ways tell all the truh. According to them our aggregate deficiencies within ten years have been something like $500,000,000, and nevertheless Switzerland was never richer than It is today. The reason is that wo have sources of Income that do not appear In tho statistics. Our people have Invest ments in other countries which bring in a great deal of money. They are noted for their business ability and are not afraid of largo undertakings. Another source Is the tourists who drop Into our laps $30,000,000 every year. There are other Items, but these two will more than make up the ap parent deficit." Tho Swiss have many industries peculiar to the country, which are more or less re lated to America. American tourists spend millions here every year, not only in hotel and traveling expenses, but also in pur chases. Not long ago a Geneva milliner in speaking of her business said: "God bless the Americans! It seems that WESTERN HEADQUARTERS FOR HH I III I'll 1111 III! If" HI) 1 101 And VICTOR TALKING MACHINES And Phonograph Records. Why not buy where "Oil can have tho largest selection. EDISON DECEflBER RECORD NOW IN. 810.00 TO $75.00 FOR GASH ftT1 WE WANT A DEALER III EVERY TOWN Trado the old sewing machine off and get your wife one of our celebrated WHEELER & WILSON BALL-BEARING MACHINES for an Xitnts Present. We sell for Cash or on Easy Payments. Second hand Sewing riachlnea from $1.00 to $10.00. Free Sewing School every Thursday. We rent machines of any make for 75o per week, or 12.00 per month, We sell needles and attachment for and repair any machine manufactured. Bicycles Cheap to Close Out our Immense Stock. NEBRASKA CYCLE CO. Phone 1663. GEO. E. MICICEL. Manager, Cor. 15th and Hams- Sts. 334 Broadway, Council Bluffs. 512 N. 24th St.. So. Omaha. 'Phone Bo 18. 'Phone 4365. they are really sent from heaven to keep up our business!" Many cf our tourists buy watches here to take bitek to the United States and not a few get pearls and furs. Geneva is a famous pearl market, and It deals largely In Jewels and precious stones. It makes many pearl necklaces and sales of necklaces worth 11,000 and upward to American tourists are not uncommon. It used to be that many of our women got their furs here and espe cially their sealskin sacques, but the new law which prohibits the bringing of seal Into the United States has broken up this trade, and now, not fifty seal sacques are sold in a summer. The customs regulations prohibiting any traveler to bring In more than $100 worth of goods have also af fected Switzerland. The merchants say they would have sold three times as much to tourists had it not been for this law, and that a number of possible purchasers of pearl necklaces and coBtly furs had told them that they now had to buy In New York. At the same time more or less goods are sold to tourists who hope to get them through the customs house without declara tion. The Swiss are making fortunes out of the condensed milk manufacture. They exported more than 62,000,000 pounds of such goods last year, and their sales of condensed milk to Great Britain alone amount to more than $2,000,000 annually. This business was founded by an American, a United States consul, who opened a factory here in 1S6S. He organized a company with a paid-up capital of $12,000, and in the first year con densed only about 23,000 cans. His friends put more money Into the business. It steadily grew and by 1880 It had Increased to $2,000,000, and It was turning out cans by the millions. Branch offices were estab- (Contlnued on Thirteenth Page.) Bellamy & Ilornung..... Fine Plumbing, Gas Fitting, Steam and Hot Water. Complete line of Plumbing Goods. Telephone 1051 ....1624 Capitol Avenue, Omaha 1.000.00 IN GOLD FREE ! 'ii .4m THE PARROT HAS ESCAPED FROM THE CASE TRY TO FIND HIM who will cut wit thla ptctur. and uik plainly wlih Kndl or pm h miulnc bird (U tbej on And III AT SHARK IN THE DISTRIBUTION OK l.OOO.OO WHICH WE ARK GIVING AWAT IN riVK MONTHLY PttEHItHg for doUc . bill, wwk lot u. 1 hi U eoaiu wiici. k brain, and mit rat W. an datanntiMd le nak. th. aaa. oi ma ckarmtef Baatkl. nagauaa " ad w. lak. tab ami plan of ad mtalnc Tola and othar aaoM Hboral oflara ar. aiada to iMroditco ooo of la. atoot oaianalalac Nw York .acajinaa Into mry hom. of tha Dnltad Sutn and C.n.da. WE DO NOT WANT ONE CENT OF YOCR MONEY. Thar, u oaly on. conditio., which abould taka taaa Uwa ooa hour of your lima, . parrot , aani will writ, yom aa ooo. aa roar anawar la Attar woo havo found th. daalnf d it to in at one. It may tak. aa anllra IT?nJnh wa.pa. yo.io STICK TO TT AND TRY TO QKT YOCR SHARE Or TUB l.OOO.OO. A aampla oopy of our MAGAZINE WILL BE SENT FHEB lo mrmyw TanaWjrtr, tola adraniaaaaot. Try lo aor. ih puula. Do aot data. Sand vow aaawar la lamadlaiahr. W. pailaM. aad lima. But th. nward la wall worth atrMnj for. oipaclaUy whoa w. do aot aak ywa lo aaod u ui moaay with tout aaawar Tha fold.n priiaa of Ufa ar. bain, niaod by brain aad .naray aowaday Laty paopla aad iba drona and Idler ara alway. complalnina of bad lock. Now hor la a GOLDEN CHANCE lor aayon. who will atriva hard, and iba plcaatna pan olli It that h ooaa not coat yaw on com outalda of th Icttar you aend aa, Our magaiina will plaaa you. It dalif hta ui lo plaaaa our raadora. Wa ar continual!, rlvlnc ir.Jv 1,rt? ,um? ! Mn"' ' '' "'!. aa w. find It la tha vary boot kind of adrartUln. Try and W in. If you And tha carrot and aonrl tho alln wrlrh Ik , u a Darrot and Had tho alln writ but wnat you will f et lb. (old T Anyway, Mad awl aay awavr raa , aad a puula Uk thla la aura iutsrtMtiur A umd aa a rv.lv. Mir ...... ill 1 . ' 11 t . . -T mall. W-, hop. vo., .ill ,ry I,, h. 'a. .k.U JL 1 Z.yl.ZZt'tZ, . T Wrt" . ., orTc? Addr THE ROBINSON PC B. CO.. I. NORTH WILLIAM 'sT? NEW VoRK CITY.