Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 62, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 March 1911 — Boxing and Crating Good [ARTICLE]

Boxing and Crating Good

Assertion That American Style of Protecting Export Shipments Is Faulty Denied. Paris.- —The widespread claim that American goods intended for export, are the worst packed in the world has done more to hurt American foreign trade than any other dozen criticisms, according to James E. Dunning, American consul at Havre, France. The charge is utterly unjustified, it is said. Comparisons of American goods with the products of other countries on the wharves of the great ports of Europe fail to show any negligence in boxing, crating or wrapping. In many ways American methods of packing are more practical than others,—because whiles protecting the goods as much as is necessary, they yet leave them open for easy inspection. “The one example eternally cited as proof of the assertion that our goods are badly packed," said Mr. Dunning, “is baled cotton. The casual observer, seeing a pile of American cotton on the wharf, looking torn and dirty; the cotton itself exposed to dust and weather, is quick to draw a conclusion. 1 have talked with many buyers of American cotton, however, and they tell me, one and all, that the very openness of American bales saves them money, because it may be sampled in a hundredth part of the time It takes to sample cotton from other continents. On the other hahfi, the quantity of cotton spoiled by soiling Is negligible, “Go along the docks in Havre and look at the harvesting machinery sent to France, as indeed to all points of the world, by Chicago firms. You will find heat, tight crates, easy to handle, bound with steel ribbons. - You will

find piles of heavy wheels wfthotrtvmycrating, because they are strong enough to stand the wear of the Journey unprotected. The delidate machinery is carefully wrapped out of harm’asray. But our American manufacturers have no sympathy sos business methods which entail expenditure of time and material in protecting, articles which in no way suffer by being unprotected. After experience in many parts or Europe I have actually failed to find one case substantiating the criticism that goods exported from the United States are poorly packed."