GERMAN TRADE SPIES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2420, 27 March 1915, Page 14

GERMAN TRADE SPIES

One of the methods 'adopted;'by-soma German houses of gaining British business is told by. Mr. Douglas M. Scott in the "Drapers' Record": — Manufacturers and merchants in Great Britain grumble, about having lost so much of their export trade ,'dTiring, the last twenty years as compared with Germany and Austria. British merchants only have themselves to blame —all the more so because the quality' of Britishmade goods is superior, always is and' always wilh be—and I again quote a case in view: In .February, 1908, I was returning from Russia to London, via. Berlin, and got into-conversation with a German business man. He had travelled extensively in many countries as representative for his father's firm, and he told me that as a young man he had spent twelve months in London as volunteer in the office and warehouse of a large manufacturing, firm with whom his father had business connections, and he had the audacity to inform mo that he had made it his'.business, to learn all the details, also'business connections, of this British firm, which particulars he had written down in his private books. After returning to_ Germany and entering his father's business, he had got into touch with nearly all their connections, and had gradually secured a good number of their orders. What Is so appalling is the'fact'that'he informed me that this British firm employed him because they told him- they only had to pay trust and respect. We none of lis like to hear, the truth.-about ourselves, but there are' times when it is absolutely essential and good to hear, the truth, because it is a fact that most of the principals and heads of our large manufacturing firms squander money every week; yet they will grudge paying a British correspondent a decent monthly salary, rather than engage a German or Austrian at 10s. or 15s. per week, who will spy into every dotail of their business, afterwards, profiting by' bringing all such details to a firm in Germany or Austria-, which firm or firms will naturally do everything in their power to make money out of such details.