OUSTING THE GERMAN

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2581, 1 October 1915, Page 5

OUSTING THE GERMAN

ACTION OF BRITISH BOARD OF TRADE Ono of tlie most active sections of tho British Board of Trade at present is the Foreign Samples Section, whose duty ib is to collect- samples of German or Aus-trian-manufactured goods from every hole and corner of the earth, showing tliein to British manufacturers, and bringing them into touch with buyers who formerly bought from Germany or Austria. The first of those meetings was hold on September '23 and 24 last year, and ever since meetings have been hold almost every fortnight. The following trades have been dealt with: —Toys, glass, china, and earthenware, fancy goods, cutlery, electro-plate, and'clocks, enamelled, aluminium, tin, and brusliware, jewellery and habcrdasliory. '"Tho number of samples shown at the sis meetings was just short of 20,000. The samples were obtained on loan from importing houses and wholesale dealers. Each meeting lasted two days, and manufactiyers, wholesale buyers, importers, and shippers to oversSa j markets were invited to attend. It has \ been ascertained, as a result of these meetings, that there are prospects of British manufacturers displacing German articles in a number of cases.

"Arrangements have been or are being made to hold exchange meetings iu the following trades: Electrical accessories and apparatus, cotton goods (printed and dyed), stationery and printing j and it is also proposed to deal similarly with tho trades in hardware and tools. Arrangements have also been completed for an exhibition of English furniture, suitable for export, more particularly with- the object of displacing the Austrian bentwood furniture.' "Mother branch of this section has been dealing -with the samples of German and Austrian goods received from oversea markets in response to the circular issued after the outbreak of /war to Consuls and Trado Commissioners. Samples have been received from South Africa, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ceylon, Fiji Islands, Bermuda, Straits Settlements, West Africa, Zanzibar, West Indies, India, Portugal, South. America, Turkish Levant, and France. The samples so received number 1242.,,' These liave been catalogued, labelled, and set out, for inspection."