136 REPORT ON COOPERATION IN AMERICAN EXPORT TRADE.

France has furnished numerous experts to assist in the adminis
tration of the Government of Turkey. French money has been employed
 in Turkish loans and public utilities to the extent of some
B0 per cent. Several railroad systems, especially in Syria and
Palestine, prior to the war were owned and operated by Frenchmen.
The harbors of Constantinople and Beirut were largely under
French control. French contractors were building several hundred
miles of highways throughout the Ottoman dominions. The Imerial
 Ottoman Bank, through whose channels the Government col-Ba
 its taxes and paid its bills, was a French institution. French
steamers plied bod between Marseille and Turkish ports. In
spite of this highly favorable position, French trade with Turkey
has not increased in the same proportion as that of other nations.
In fact, it has barely held its own, and this virtual decline must be
ascribed to the absence of properly organized efforts at home as much
as to the nature of its manufacturing industries which appeal particularly
 to more advanced markets.
Italy—Since the conclusion of the treaty of Lausanne, which
terminated the Tripoli War, Italian interests have been very eager
to obtain a foothhold in Turkey. Up to the beginning of the European
 war, capitalists in the x ennine Peninsula, vigorously supported
 by their Government and its diplomatic and consular agents,
untiringly strove to obtain a railroad concession in the hinterland of
Adalia and a “sphere of influence” in the coast regions between
Smyrna and Mersina. The Italians are pushing their language
propaganda through numerous educational and charitable institutions
 in Turkey. Along commercial lines, for instance in the matter
of cotton goods, Italian manufacturers display energy and determination.
 The textile manufacturers of Milan seem to be well organized.
 However, aside from a persistent campaign in favor of
new steamship lines, the Italian financial and commercial interests
do not appear to follow any particularly striking foreign trade
policy in the Near East.
Belgium.— Although a small nation, the Belgians have managed
to secure a good share of Turkey’s orders for machinery and other
manufactures of iron and steel. This has been achieved in combination
 with investment of capital. Turkey’s electric tramways have
been largely financed and constructed by Belgians. They naturally
have bought the necessary rolling stock, rails, and other material in
their own country, and thus afforded a fair example of how trade
follows investments.
Awustria.—Austria has heen more successful than any of the abovementioned
 countries in extending its trade with Turkey. Next to the
technical progress made by that country during the last decade, this
result must be ascribed to a rational organization of trade methods.
The Austrian Chamber of Commerce at Constantinople works in
conjunction with the Austrian and Hungarian commercial museums,
which contain samples of numerous articles of export manufactured
in the dual monarchy, and keeps all kinds of practical information at
the disposal of inquirers. The individual manufacturers who exhibit
 their products in these museums have their agents in Turkey,
either separately or by groups. The management of the chamber of
commerce and that of the museums work in harmonious cooperation
with the Wiener Bank Verein and the Hungarian Bank, both at