The consular service may be likened to a great reporting system. The
consuls are reporters, their offices are news agencies, their field the
world, their managing and publishing office the State Department, their
organ the Consular Reports, their readers—just a few persons, here and
there, whose numbers, by the way, are increasing. In addition to the
correspondence which must be carried on in connection with the duties
mentioned, the consul may have occasional correspondence on public
business with “the Secretary of the Treasury, the Comptroller, the
Auditor for the State and other Departments, the Register of the
Treasury, collectors of customs as to invoices and prices current, the
diplomatic representative of the United States in the country where he
resides, other consular officers, and with naval or military officers in
the service of the United States who may be employed in the
neighborhood, and to whom it may be necessary to communicate immediately
any event of public interest, and with no other person”.
This, I trust, will serve as a brief conspectus of consular duties, and
now we will listen to questions.
* * * * *
After dismissal a group of men including a banker, a merchant, two
manufacturers, a grain dealer, some traveling men, etc., made their way
to the platform and were introduced to Professor Loyal as some of the
business men of the place.
“We suppose, Professor,” said one of them, “that it is rather aside from
your purpose to tell us how to reach foreign trade—how to get our goods
on the market—and yet it is the very thing we need to know; so if you
can give us any further light we shall appreciate it”.
“I am very glad to hear you say so”, said the Professor, “for that is
just what the consular service is intended to do, while my purpose is to
serve as an introduction committee between you and the service. You will
find in the syllabi the name and address of every member of the consular
and diplomatic services all over the world, and they, no doubt, will
furnish you all the information you need. The Regulations, indeed, have
this to say: ‘Inquiries made by citizens of the United States touching
business matters, or other matters not of mere curiosity, should be
answered as far as they can be consistently with the consul’s other
duties. All inquiries of this character should be acknowledged, even
when it is impracticable to answer them’”.
“But why not write at once to the State Department”?
“That may be just as well. The supposition is, however, if you know in
what country you expect to find your market the consular service there
can give you the most help, because the local conditions are known. If
you do not know where to find your market, you should at least
familiarize yourself with the Consular Reports, the ‘advance sheets’ of
which give the latest news from foreign markets. If you are exporters
you will have no difficulty in obtaining these through your
Congressmen”.
“Don’t you suppose, Professor, that a handbook of directions to shippers
could be prepared by the Government—something to show how goods should
be manufactured or packed, as well as cost of transportation, customs
duties in foreign ports, etc.”?
“Yes, but you would find your handbook growing to enormous size, until
finally it would be no less and no other than the Consular Reports. The
trouble is, or has been, that people don’t read these enough. Now, let
us get an idea of what such a handbook would contain. What do you
manufacture”?
“Farming machinery”.
“Well, now let us suppose you have discovered that there is a market for
your merchandise in Argentina. Suppose, too, that the horses in that
country are of lighter draft than ours: then your machines must be
lightened correspondingly, and this involves a good deal of detail.
Again, their soil will differ from that for which you are manufacturing,
consequently you may have to change the shape of your plows, or the
construction of your harrows, or the size of your drills. Again, one
must make sure that the natives can handle intricate machinery before
sending any twine-binders, steam-engines, etc. Then, too, you must learn
the strong and the weak points of the machinery with which you are to
compete. So you see, when it is remembered that we have been considering
a few contingencies in regard to only one line of industry, and that,
too, in only one country, the sum of the contingencies is enormous. When
it comes to cottons or woolens the case is much the same; the width,
texture, color, pattern, price—everything which makes goods salable in
any one country—must be known, and the advertisements put in a way that
appeals to native sentiment and taste. In the Consular Reports you will
get the information you need, and you will find it hard to be put in a
handbook”.
“Well, as a matter of fact, I haven’t seen much of the Consular
Reports”, said one.
“Nor I, either”, said several others, as they turned to go.
[Illustration: Man carrying suitcase and oversized passport]
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[Illustration: Pen, ink bottle and scroll.]
LECTURE
IV