COMPETITIVE CONDITIONS IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE. 161
office at Montreal. That the association is accomplishing results
seems to be indicated by the increase of more than $1,500,000 in
New Zealand’s imports from Canada during the vear 1915 over the
preceding year. .
The purpose of The Export Association is to build up for Canada
a permanent trade with other portions of the British Empire and
allied countries by continuing along economic lines the bond of
interest which the war has given them. It is believed that this will
be strengthened after the war through preferential tariffstand the
provision of adequate transportation facilities, in conformity with
1 general plan of commercial and industrial development.
The functions of the association are to create a favorable strategical
position in outside markets for Canadian industry as a whole; to
secure detailed information and actual orders for its members; to
introduce the representatives of Canadian firms to the most impor-.
tant buyers in other markets; to find reliable export agents for its
members; to collect and make shipments of export orders and, where
possible, to finance the same; and to organize production in Canada
for the execution of large export orders.
Shipments are regularly made to New Zealand and Australia and
arrangements are being made to extend the operations of the association
 to South Africa. A large sample room is to be opened in London
 to exhibit Canadian products and facilitate sales, and a joint
general manager there is getting in touch with important purchasing
interests in France, Russia, Belgium, and Italy.
The shareholders have decided to call a National Export Trade
Convention in Canada to inaugurate a national movement for cooperation
 of the large producing interests, the transportation companies,
 and the banks in uniting the whole economic strength of the
Dominion in the support of its foreign trade.

UNITED STATES.

It is not necessary in this report to describe the industrial organization
 of the United States in detail as has been done in the case
of the other countries discussed in this chapter. The broad outlines
of American industrial organization are commonly known and detailed
 information on its various features is readily available to
Congress and to the public. It is sufficient to point out here that
in several important lines of finished and semi-finished products a
large proportion of the export business is done by great aggregations
of capital, such as the United States Steel Corporation (through
the United States Steel Products Co.), the various Standard Oil
companies that export, International Harvester Co., General Elec-*Prospusins
 of The Export Association of Canada (Ltd.).
P7241°-—16—-—12